High School, Fred Wiseman (1968) and The Devil Never Sleeps, Lourdes Portillo (1994)

Since last weeks post was a very quick and short minded post, I will put extra effort into this weeks posts on documentary's. This weeks theme is difficult for me because Shelley keeps reiterating that we should think of these films as a form of cinema and editing rather than on if they are realistic or not. This is difficult because while watching the films, the entire time I was wondering how factual they really were! It is an odd concept that I can watch a regular narrative film and not worry if it is real or fake but when it is in documentary style I feel the need to know if it is real or not. Once I discover a documentary that I am watching is not "real" i am instantly less interested in it. I dont really know exactly what that means about film and documentary style films, but I find that interesting! High School had elements of editing that I liked such as the extreme close ups of specific details. For example, the mother nervously touching the chair, or the deans big ring. Not only did that put attention on those things, but also it, in a way, made what the people were saying less important because the focus was on other details. Below is a great shot from the film, showing a high school girl being entraped by the walls of her high school, like a prisoner.

The Devil Never Sleeps was an interesting documentary because it ended in the same way it began. She did not discover or come to an end with her uncles death and it was still left a mystery. Portilla used lots of eye catching filming techniques. The film seemed almost experimental in the ways that she combined different images such as the toy boat in the water, or the reflection of the interviewee in her glasses.

Lastly, I saw the midnight movie at the Rio which was Edward Scissorhands, and had to comment on it! First off, that movie looked completely different to me on a big screen, versus the small screen from my television at home, and in a good way! Now that I have some basic knowledge on the making of a film, I really noticed and appreciated the mise-en-scene of this film. Tim Burton did an exceptional job with the pastel colors of the neighborhood to give off a Leave It To Beaver , happy happy joy joy vibe. Furthermore, everything from tables to light shades to appliances were all set back into the time period from the movie. I have more respect for this film now that I see its deeper meaning which I believe is that everything is not always what it seems to be. For example, Edward wears all black and has scars and is pale, however he is the character with the purist soul rather than the materialist women who try to seem perfect. I loved how the first line of the film was "snuggle in sweetie, its cold out there" -clearly not just referring to the weather but rather to the harsh criticisms in our society.