American Beauty Film Critique Essay

There ar few assumes that achieve the high level of prize exhibited by that of the 1990 beautiful tragedy, American bag. The choose is a true masterpiece in both content and how this content is delivered to the viewers. It excels at universe an instructive and relevant drama about American life, and never fails to keep the interview entertained by providing many instances of well-placed humor. E precise mount is filmed including figurative elements that non only show great stylistic and aesthetics, that as well as create a mood and olfaction for the theme of the movie.American strike, order by Sam Mendes, is a film that is set in suburban America, in a normal neighbourhood, following the everyday life of the commutation protagonist, Lester Burnham, who is living the typical American Dream. He appears to seduce a great job, big ho purpose, loving wife and daughter and even a white finder fence. However, each(prenominal)(prenominal) is not as it seems as look can m uch be deceiving if we just look squiffyr, we as audience members soon see that he realises both his wife, over electric charge and controlling Carolyn and jaded teenage daughter, Jane envisage that, in the words of Jane, he is this gigantic loser and theyre discipline.The character of Lester is initially demonstrateed as a depressed, sad and lonely forty-year-old man, deprived of independence and struggling to bring forth anything worth living for. However as the film progresses Lesters component as a character is dramatically developed with the introduction of an evenly intriguing character, Angela Hayes. every(prenominal)thing changes for Lester the night he is forced by his wife to his daughters initiate to see her perform as a cheerleader. There on the floor, enwrapped in a pompon routin, parading and dancing around the court, he sees his nonsuch(prenominal) Angela his daughters high-school classmate.Angela fulfills the stereotypical idea of what violator physical beauty is. She is thin, blonde, big saturnine-eyed and immediately catches Lesters attention Angela is not Lesters highway to bliss, scarce she is at least a catalyst for his freedom (Ebert, 1999). His thoughts, and the dissatisfaction they stimulate, blast him free from years of emotional torture and bring him right back to his youth. It is from this moment on that Lester transforms into a spontaneous hormone-driven teenage boy, who smokes marihuana, working out, and uits his job all in order to impress his Angel-a. American bag uses Angela as the image of Lesters broader want that being his underlying go for for freedom and evidentially beauty. However, she symbolizes the potential underlying superficiality of physical beauty that is slowly revealed towards the end of the film. The film portrays many of the hidden problems indoors the white picket fence American fantasy along with addressing the problems many Americans have with feeling free and accepting their own identit y.The film shows the vastly different worlds that populate can live in whilst still living on the identical street, and the disorder and frenzy that lies veiled in a society that we all try to portray as being as perfect as carely. In doing so, American beaut reveals that the only way to calm the pandemonium is to find beauty in everything. To look closer is a essential for truly understanding and identifying with the continuous bombardment of symbolism that is constantly being illustrated in this film.American Beauty portrays such themes as the falseness in lust, power and appearance and that we need to remind our selves of all the beauty there is in the world, as beauty is a matter of opinion. Beauty still, is the most significant and explored theme in American Beauty. Another predominant theme is the notion of the characters locomote and transformation throughout the film. Lesters journey can almost be compared to one from childhood from adulthood, figuratively orator y as evidentially, he steps into a mature, paternal phase where he takes responsibility and finds meaning in life, as an adult.Many techniques were used to portray these themes and influence audiences opinions of characters and events, including film techniques of motion-picture photography, earpiecetrack as well as such opthalmic techniques of symbolism, colour and contrast and both aesthetic and stylistic elements. American Beauty is a complex film that relies so heavily on mis-en- snap barb and cinematography to portray its message. In particular this is showcased during one stab that truly puts the American Beauty into perspective the opening scene or as it is often referred to as, the High Point Scene.The film explores the concepts of what true beauty sincerely is and as suggested in the title of the film, the American Dream and how far this dream really goes and what it actually means this is explored further from the films tagline look closer to think about perceived des ire and to analyze more than what these wants are. Through the exploration of the opening scene and a study of how the cinematography, mise en scene and sound foreshadows plot points in the rest of the film, the underlying messages and symbolism bequeath be uncovered.The movie opens with a grainy shot of Jane Burnham reclining on a bed, complain about her father. The scene begins with what is referred to as a flash forward, in cinematic terms. The line Someone really should just put him out of his affliction is a hint towards the mid life crisis that the father Lester is currently expiry through and the ways in which she is aware of the pain he is dealing with, not knowing what he truly wants. Through the mise en scene and cinematography displayed throughout the scene, the audience is enabled to receive a glimpse into the events that have just occurred.Through the use of a lesser quality picture, trembling footage and dimmed lighting the audience is able to identify with the f act that the imagination being presented has that of a home movie feel. The custom of raw footage within this drama genre of film gives the audience a sense of domain towards the character, hence making the dialogue seem more legitimate and believable. The sum of a pause into the characters dialogue helps to support and express the sense of realness further, as it is as if she is really thinking about what she is saying.The rather suspicious approach to the delivering of the line You want me to hide him for you? helps to draw attention to Janes reaction as apposed to the interviewers own intensions. This poses both Jane Burnham, the daughter and the unidentified interviewer as suspects to her fathers upcoming murder. However the abstruse approach from the interviewer unite with the daughters reply is foreshadowing what is to come later in the film, as each character related to the father is set up to be the possible murderer of his death.By using the body language as a prima ry tool for communication, the reply of Yeah, would you to the previous statement, suggests that she is almost daring the interviewer to kill him. This is expressed through the dominant changing of levels when she sits up, almost creating a shake up in power, and looks start and straight into the camera, but at the same sequence to a fault insinuates some sarcasm on her part. The audience learns in the very first lines of the movie that Janes dad, Lester, is not the father that she wants. The opening assign roll, and the shot switches to an aerial view of a neighborhood.The exact location is not specified, and that is very intentional. It is important that this not be a critique of a specific area, but of American culture as a whole. The scene begins with an aerial shot of a suburb, with Lester Burnham introducing the audience to his life and informing them that In less than a year, Ill be dead, and in a way, Im dead already. This dialogue is heightened through the following sh ots of Lester lying unsocial on a bed in a very gradual coloured room, thus signifying the meaninglessness life in which he is leading.The utilization of an aerial shot here creates the idea that the world is looking down on him. The dominant use of bright lighting also indicates that it is the morning, however through the use of shadowing casted over Lester, it expressed to the audience that he is still in the dark he is yet to be enlightened. opthalmic techniques are a constant feature in American Beauty, including the use of colour, contrast and symbolism. The primary recurring prop that is introduced at the beginning of the film is a travel, in which the audience first sees in a close up before Lesters wife Carolyn Burnham picks it up.The first shot of the rosiness seems out of place, beginning with the flower filling the frame and then pitiful down to focus on the thorns before Carolyns clippers cut it. The roseate symbolizes the impotence of not only the love life betwee n Lester and Carolyn but the idea of the American Dream. This shot not only draws attention to the rose as a recurring object in the film, but it also serves as a metaphor for the Burnhams on the outside they appear perfect, like the flower, but underneath they are rotten and broken (represented by the thorns).In this shot the character of Carolyn is also introduced and is instantly perceived as a cold, workaholic who is obsessive about how they (the family) is presented. This portrayal is demonstrate through the line discriminate the way the handle on those pruning shears matches her gardening clogs? Thats not an accident, thus showing the audience what level she will go to, to maintain order and control. What is also noticeable about this shot is the mise en scene, in particular the red roses, white picket fences and the blue painting on the house.These colours in specific represent the American flag and therefore the American dream. These objects are most perceived to be includ ed within the American dream as well as stereotypical figure of Carolyn, the suburban housewife. This ideology however, creates contrast with the cinematography. Many scenes are metaphoric in how they are shot, and what is in the frame symbolizes a higher, deeper meaning. This is demonstrated when, Lester looking out the windowpane of his house at his wife, and the blinds on the window represent jail cell bars.Even the blocks of text on his calculating machine screen at work, (shown later in the film) represent jail cell bars. Lester is in jail because his life at this point is so evacuate and missing substance. This cinematography technique often used in film nior is utilized to convey the emotions of disassociation and distance which in this case, is the way in which Lester feels towards his wife he is no longer associated with her. American Beauty is more than a biting satire on suburban life. This somewhat create mentally story is meant to be an allegory.Alan Balls richly te xtured screenplay, brilliantly executed stylistic and aesthetic elements such as cinematography, mise en scene and symbols are effectively demonstrated throughout this masterpiece of a film. Every single shot is so carefully taken and layered with such vast significance that it is a marvel to behold. Look closer, the films tag line tells us. Look closer at the beautiful things we long for and spend our life chasing. There isnt a single physical exercise of a film done better. Not only is the content top-notch, but the technical aspects of the movie are excellent as well. American Beauty truly demonstrates the power of film.