Analyzing the Beginning of Place des Fetes

In the beginning of the film the focus is from below looking up above at the clouds. It shows the man who's name we do not know and the obelisk in the park called in English "the place of celebration" where homeless people sleep. The film starts at this place simply because of the irony of what the park is called. These homeless and sick people are in a dangerous area with no reason to celebrate by any means. I believe the irony is the reason why the director puts such a large focus on the monument throughout the whole film.


Why end it with the areal view of the coffee cups? Perhaps it is because it is from above looking down which is the opposite of the beginning scene looking up at the clouds from below. Maybe it is ironic that Sophie is holding the cups and is by herself coming to the realization since throughout the film he is the one who has one sided emotions in this nonexistent relationship. Maybe the cups are not to go cups because it represents the fragility of life as she is shaking and the cups are beginning to move.

The focus by the director is mostly on the man who's name is not given however the majority of the movie is about him focusing on Sophie (who's name we are given". Perhaps his name is not given because of the one sided relationship happening. He notices her, but she does her best to not notice or act as if she does not notice him until he is ill. So therefor him being unnoticed makes his name or himself all together unimportant.

Going back to the monument, a celebration can occur when people are reunited or meet again after meeting previously. He falls ill and receives help at this monument from none other than the woman whom he desires so badly. A normal two sided relationship would make this celebratory, however this is not the normal relationship.

It is also ironic that the setting is "Paris" which is supposed to be "the city of love" and of all things romantic. But the plot behind the short film is completely opposite. While he is intrigued by Sophie, she does not respond the same feelings. Perhaps he is showing that just because it is a place of love does not mean you will always receive it.

He also focuses on the concept that there are so many people we happen to shrug off or not notice until they become sick. It is one of the most messed up parts of society. There are so many homeless people nobody pays attention to until they need medical care or until it's to late. This city is supposed to be joyful but yet it appears to be filled with despair and discomfort.

Comments

  1. TeacherSeptember 5, 2017 at 9:53 AM

    Nice overview and you let the blog breath to get a fuller sense of the irony---the irony perhaps of French culture at the end of the film?

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownSeptember 6, 2017 at 8:07 AM

    Thank you! Yes more than likely that ties into it as well.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mini Essay Draft 3 Passengers/Wishing Well

Both "Wishing Well" and "Passengers" are about the disconnect from reality and how necessary this human connection is despite societal pressures to remain distant from this closeness. We need to connect with one another in order to actually feel and observe what is occurring in the real world around us. By allowing ourselves to engage in contact with "strangers" feelings of joy or comfort can be evoked from within.  The understanding of strangers in the poem "Wishing Well" comes into play and helps express this message the poet, Gregory Pardlo, is in fact trying to convey to the readers. While strangers normally express some sort of danger that we as humans distance ourselves from they take on an entirely opposite meaning in this piece. Strangers allow the narrator and the other man at the outside of the stadium to create a bond that proves to be special to the narrator who at first seems to be unconcerned about anything going on around him. Th...
Read more

Chapter Four & Five "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"

Chapter four allows another narrator to come into "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" other than Oskar. It is a letter from his grandmother, who he is very close with and relies on daily for support through their conversations using the walkie talkies. The way she writes/narrates is different than the way Oskar does. Her ideas are rather linear and go from one to another with relation to the previous statement. However, Oskar's ideas tend to bounce around, for instance the idea about the teakettle and talking anus's in the first chapter we read. A majority of these characters, Oskar, Grandma and Grandpa, all keep/want letters. Each story that is told by these characters differ and we get to see it from different perspectives. I think this book has a large focus on how people see and experience things that happen to them in life. Chapter five starts off with a conversation between Oskar and his father, who asks seemingly random questions just like Oskar does throug...
Read more

Chapter 6 & 7 "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"

Chapter 6 is narrated by Oskar's Grandfather and he tells us in the letter what happened with Oskar's Grandmother, a completely different experience than how she described it in her letter. We can assume that this letter is from grandpa because it has the same date as the letter from grandma, not coincedetal in my opinion. We get an insight into his life as he grew up and how he met grandma through her sister, whom he orginally slept with first. We also find out that he apologizes for leaving her and their unborn child and for all the other wrong doings he has done in life. He also writes one sentence on pages, just like Oskar does when he narrates the story. Chapter 7 goes back to Oskar narrating and it occurs when he is in the production of Hamlet. Most of the black's he has met come to the show, along with his grandma who appears to be his biggest supporter throughout the whole novel. It flashes back to when he meets more of the people with the last name black  Once ag...
Read more