A truly engrossing cinematic experience, ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’ is a fascinating, complex film that uses symbolism to portray its ideas. It is a powerful story that deals with big life issues such as love, loss, hate and everything else in between. The personal issues of the characters symbolise the larger conflicts in the world outside of the tranquil village. The framing of shots are carefully done, filled with dark hues that provoke nostalgia and emotion. The widescreen composition allows the striking images to breathe, creating a visually stunning film accompanied by an incredible score.
While the important issues of life are explored, the small details are not forgotten. An extreme close up of a solitary flame, the meaningful echo of a horn wailing in the distance, powerful, sharp waves crash on a pebbled beach, a dying fish flaps about; our senses are captivated and aroused. Some of the most stunning visuals lie in the strangely beautiful underwater shots: the drowned fisherman floating, the hazy fog, Ishmael descending into the water in combat gear in his attempt to participate in an attack on the enemy’s beach.
Most of the film is shot using extreme close-ups and intricately composed, stunning landscapes. Scott Hick’s fantastic camera work and astonishingly beautiful cinematography make for imagery that is so artistically well done so as to stand the test of time for years, and is perfectly complimented by the haunting score. Careful thought is put into each frame, including silhouette lighting, creative and complex scenes filmed through windows, refined blocking, and scenes in which the camera, characters and props were moving in various directions to establish fantastically flowing perspective shots that gradually unfold to reveal the contents of the scene. The editing creates a powerfully poignant experience, consisting of a series of flashbacks and cuts which tell the character’s backstories. The character’s monologues overlap each other to highlight and strengthen the impact of the actors’ dialogue.
The Term Paper on the piano: shot by shot analysis of the opening scene
There is passion in all of us. Some of us struggle all our lives to express this vivid personal sense. Others find companions who have that mutual understanding of their shared emotions, overcoming any obsticale that seems to prevent this fusion. This is just one of the many themes discussed in Jane Campion's The Piano. Ada, our beautifully articulate, but silent heroine is the closest to feeling ...
The fog and snow are used to symbolise hidden secrets and how nothing can stay hidden forever. They are a security blanket in keeping Ishmael and Hatsue’s relationship a secret, however the fog eventually clears and the snow goes away as the secrets are revealed. Fog is used in the opening scene showing Carl Heine Jnr. dead and floating underwater, and throughout the movie the fog can be seen covering the secrets of the sea. The snow, like the fog, also covers the racism within the town and trial.
In the flashback scenes where young Ishmael and Hatsue climb into the cedar tree as the rain begins pouring down, the camera is positioned inside the tree which gives the viewers a sense of intimacy between the characters and how they are hidden from the outside world. The fact that they kept their relationship a secret and had to run away so they could avoid discrimination depicts the ‘us vs. them’ attitude that society has. In this scene, only the outlines of the characters’ figures are shown so you are unable to determine their race, conveying the message that race is irrelevant when it comes to love.
When Hatsue’s father is arrested and taken to a work camp after authorities found dynamite in their home, the camera focuses on the father as he tearfully writes to his family and then zooms out to reveal a gymnasium which is fully occupied by Japanese men. This scene portrays how the Japanese were treated like slaves, and by zooming out their horrible treatment and alienatedness is emphasised.
During the courtroom scene in the beginning of the film, the camera is set up on the balcony so that when Hatsue passes we are looking down at her through the heavy wooden bars. This symbolises separation, as we can see from Ishmael’s perspective, who is seated on the balcony during the trial, how he cannot be with her. It is also symbolic of his hiding – hiding the information he has discovered that proves Kazuo’s innocence. By not coming forward with this crucial information, his silence is giving consent to the evils of racism.
The Essay on breaker Morant Major Jf Thomas Character Analysis
J.F. Thomas, played by Jack Thompson, was an intelligent man and well versed in his profession, although it didnt seem this way in the beginnings of this case. As is clear to the viewer, he is unorganised, aloof, and unconfident. This is seen in the scene that introduces him to the movie (Show scene). Notice how he is clumsy, and keeps dropping the papers. As we journey further into the trial, ...
The defense lawyer of Kazuo, Nels Gudmundsson, later tells Ishmael after the trial that it takes something special for oneself to let go of an obsession, whether it be discrimination or love. Ishmael says that he had no choice. He then remembers a fond memory of him and Hatsue as children, and for the first time, such a memory makes him smile. After the trial when Kazuo is freed due to Ishmael bringing fourth the evidence, the camera rises in such a way that Ishmael seems to ascend from his ‘prison’ behind the bars, his prison of hatred and grief. He appears to finally be at peace with his past.
Although the film has many elements, the heartbreak of unrequited love is the core theme, and the acceptance and moving on necessary for one to overcome an obstacle or infatuation in our lives. ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’ is an excellent character study in that sense, however, although Ishmael is the story’s main character, you are able to understand and feel for almost every character in the film.
