American Beauty
American Beauty is one of the best films I have ever seen. The Academy gave the movie a "Picture of the Year" award, among other honors. There are many good uses of cinematography throughout the film. I will be describing how cinematography is used to enhance what is happening in that particular scene.The theme in American Beauty is suburban life. It's all there, the self-centered good-looking blonde, the morbid unattractive teenage daughter. The similar houses with gardens and perfect grass, and the streets are lined with oak trees. The Burnhams have two cars; a sedan and an SUV. It's the American Nightmare. Nobody is happy, but they pretend to be. It is a world where material possessions mean more in life than actual people. It's a perfect satire on suburbia.There are several scenes that are shot using a video camera, which is primarily used by Ricky Fitz, the boy next door. The use of these shots helps the viewer to see the world through Ricky's eyes. It's a world that is from a very different outlook. He sees beauty in ways that many other people wouldn't. By using these shots the viewer sees what Ricky is. How he can see the beauty in Jane, a beauty that she can't even see until meeting him. There isn't an
I can bet that most men, including me, were interested in seeing her breasts, but he thinks that she is beautiful so he would rather see her expression. This shot is also used when Ricky's father is washing his car and he catches a glimpse of the gay couple jogging with Lester. You can see the expression on his face and the twinkle in his big blue eyes. Lester looks tiny in comparison to Lester. The scene with Ricky's dialogue about the plastic bag the camera gets right up close at the perfect time. Brad is filmed in the same way, but Lester is made to look big taking up almost the entire frame. With such great acting this technique is very effective in getting the viewer to feel the emotions that each character makes them feel. You can see the moment where she falls in love with him. This type of shot is also used when Ricky confronts Jane in the schoolyard. I am not really sure what this is supposed to represent, but I think that this type of shot is could be used to show foul play or deception. There is a shot where the camera is behind Ricky and you can see Jane, but she is so small in comparison to his shoulder. Without this close-up this scene would not have been as good as a performance. Several scenes are shot by a reflection. Brad has all the power, he could end Lester's career right at this meeting. He very confident and has all the power in the conversation.
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Acceptance Essays
