Zissou is a cool guy

Wow. I have not seen many Wes Anderson movies but I instantly knew that this was one of his creations because of how unique it was. The symmetry of the scenes, the random editing cuts, and the vibrant, contrasted colors are definitely all his signatures. 

The characters all have very interesting personalities including the "son" who is very nonchalant but straight forward and is funny without even knowing it; the wife who is a genius but is distant and clearly troubled hence her constant smoking and lack of emotion; Alistair Hennessey who is preppy, funny, and perfect. But the most interesting character of the film by far is Steve Zissou. 

I love how calm he is throughout all situations: when he had no money to fund his voyage, when the engine breaks and he's broke, when he's stranded, when a random guy claims that he is his long lost son, when pirates with guns attack the ship, when he is robbing Hennessey's base. It's like he doesn't give a care in the world about many things, but he cares so deeply about the things he wants to do. He wants to find the shark and he does everything in his power to make that happen. He is also very clever with his words and has the best response for everything without thinking much about it. He isn't much different from his crew, but there's something about him that gives him authority and makes him respectable. He has a good relationship with individuals on his team– he's a friend to them– but when need be, he gives people orders and they listen. I want to be like Zissou. 

If I had to choose between the Hennessey and Zissou expeditions, I would 100% choose Zissou. Nothing beats the excitement of the spontaneity and chaos on his boat. 

Rear Window's alternative plot?

 Could there be a possibility that Lisa staged everything so Jeff would fall for her? Think about it, she has everything she wants– wealth, fame and popularity, expensive clothes and jewelry– however the one thing she wants so bad, she can't get. Jeff doesn't see a future with her because she's not his type. She's "too perfect", too beautiful, too talented. He wants a woman that will "do anything, and go anywhere". With the money and the connections that Lisa has, it's not a stretch to say that she could have staged the whole "murder".

She knew that Jeff would be sitting and keeping watch at the window. She wanted to take this opportunity, while he was at home and not traveling, to make him fall for her. We see foreshadowing in the beginning when Jeff is talking to his boss, joking that he will get married. Stella, the nurse, wants Jeff to pursue Lisa and they have a long conversation about it in the beginning of the film. As Lisa gets swept into the investigation of Thorwald, the adventurous, daring and brave sides of her personality come out. With the filming techniques used, the closeups and the expression on Jeff's face, we could tell that he was slowly starting to fall for her. But did she really enjoy solving the mystery, or was she pretending to be clueless even though everything going on was a part of her plan? She is a smart lady, I wouldn't put it past her. 

Of course Lisa had to pretend that everything Jeff was telling her about his neighbors was ridiculous. But she was quickly "won over" when she saw Mr. Thorwald tying a large trunk with heavy duty rope. However, notice how everything happens just at the right time, when Jeff is looking out the window. And even though he very obviously sits at the window all day, every day, Mr. Thorwald somehow did not notice him. Everything seems a little sus...what do you think?

The negative of Lisa on Jeff's bookcase gives the audience an eerie feeling about her.

It takes a village

When watching movies, the only time I really thought about the director was when the movie was so amazing that I just had to know what brilliant mind was behind the masterpiece. Movies by Quentin Tarantino usually spark this kind of intrigue– Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds for example, are masterpieces.

However, when I though about the making of a movie, all that came to mind was the director and the cast. I thought the director did all of the work (this is known as the auteur theory) and the cast simply acted. Although the director plays an important role in film production, it takes a whole village of professionals to get the job done.

A film cannot be made without a screenwriter who writes the script, a production designer who designs the sets, the cinematographer who photographs the scenes, the sound crew, the editor– they all play important roles in making a great movie. However, a great vision and direction are needed to create the film and that is what a director is for. 

Every movie boils down to a protagonist and a goal. We draw ideas from past works of art and make it into our own. The reason why many films have a similar plot but are so different from each other is because every director has a different vision of how they want their story presented. 

The Hunger Games and Divergent have almost the same plot. 

How the story is told is as important as what the story is about...

 I never really though about how much goes into filmmaking. There are so many components that are put together in a way that tells a story. The effectiveness of the storytelling varies, but it is a story nonetheless. 

Editing arranges shots into patterns that makes sense and communicate the message. The whole process is like a different language that communicates through images, angles, transitions, soundtracks, actors. Regarding camera placement, close-ups help up to feel more intimately connected to the experience than medium and long shots. Low angle shots exaggerate the character making it seem like they are dominant and powerful. Certain transitions like fade-ins and fade-outs can symbolize drifting in and out of consciousness and many other ideas. 

In art, we must look at the bigger picture as well. All art has implicit and explicit meaning. When watching my favorite movie, James Bond, I strongly appreciate the different techniques used to keep the the watcher interested and on the edge of their seat. The dramatic music, the many camera angles that a relevant to the scene, the juxtaposition of characters, scenery, objects, the lighting, and everything else that plays into making it the greatest movie of all time. However, there is a story being told, in the specific movie on it's own, that is a part of an even bigger story when the James Bond series is united together. (Spoiler Alert) It is a story of a boy with childhood trauma, who grows up without a motherly figure, who grows up to become a brilliant spy, who meets a woman and put all of his emotional energy into her, only for her to be stripped away, he sees his commander as a motherly figure, only for her to be stripped away as well, he then trusts no one, and then meets a woman and slowly begins to trust her only to be disappointed again...There is a repeating pattern that one must pay close attention to in order to catch the meanings and different stories that tie together. Cinema is truly amazing!