Orpheus or suehprO

Orpheus by Jean Cocteau was definitely a film where the dialogue was second to the visuals. The special effects that Cocteau used in the film were very simple, yet effective in how the story was being told. One theme of the film that was conveyed through special effect was to look forward, not backwards. You see it when Orpheus look at the rear-view mirror and Eurydice disappears; when Orpheus travels to and from the Underworld. We see this theme throughout the film.

Another theme that was shown throughout the film was death. Death, in the form of a woman, is obsessed with Orpheus, and vice versa. Now, I could believe that Orpheus was obsessed and in love with death. Orpheus, while considered a National Hero for his poetry, was searching for meaning in his life. His poetry was not well like anymore; he was in a conventional marriage. Orpheus was going through an existential crisis, where he questions his life and its meaning or purpose. However, when Orpheus encounters death, it becomes this obsession. Death falls in love with Orpheus and becomes obsessed herself. When I think of Death as a person, I think of of a male with the coldest personality and incapable of having the slightest hint of emotion. With Death in Orpheus, we see that's not the case. When Death is confront about her "love" for Orpheus, her clothes turn white; when she reverses time to save both Orpheus and Eurydice. That is not how Death is usually portrayed. Death, in a sense, is repressed and starts to lose control of her situation through obsession. Death could also be seen as a deus ex-machina, because her reversal of time, and "saving" Orpheus' marriage, something Eros would've done.

Laura - What the f***!?

Please, do not let the title fool you. It is not meant to say whether or not I liked or disliked the film Laura (but I am in the former.) While Laura, directed by Otto Preminger is a good film and a product of film noir, it isn't your typical film noir. If you compare and contrast Laura with other film noirs like The Big Combo or Double Indemnity, Laura stands by itself.

Let's cut through the bulls***. John Blaser, in his article "No Place For A Woman", he focuses on the Femme Fatale. While he artfully discusses the role of the femme fatale, he fails to realize that the title character in Laura is somehow not a femme fatale. The femme fatale, while strong-willed and independent, is also the cause of her downfall and that of others around. However, in Laura who is to say that the femme fatale is Laura or even a woman. Her suppose "death" causes her so-called "devotees" to be looked upon with suspicion and make the audience prejudice in the characters' downfall. The femme fatale in Laura is the character Waldo Lydecker. Think about it! He is sophisticated, and charming. Yet, he is feminine and seductive, who obsesses and wants Laura to himself. And if he can't, then no one can have her. Like the femme fatale, he is able to alude everyone through his personality and wit, but by the end of the film, his actions becomes his own downfall.