Presentation Script Draft

Presentation Script:
"The Directors film reflects the directors personal creative vision, as if they were the primary auteur" (12)

Speaker: If this theory is true, does this apply to David Lynch?

Projector: Display a picture of David Lynch

Speaker: When "good" directors become known their style almost becomes a trademark, Anderson has symmetry and almost 2D sets, Meadows has his eye level and gritty, underclass plots and Lynch, well Lynchs style is so unique it is hard to label, I suppose the best way to say it is, surreal. It is that unique infact, could Lynch be considered an Auteur?
An auteur tends to influence a film in a variety of ways, such as using similar shots or even using the same actors/actresses. The latter can definitely be applied to Lynch as the actress Laura Dern, is in almost every one of his films with 'The cinema of David Lynch' stating "David Lynch has manifested and intense interest in the female performer" (10) and David Lynch himself describing her as "one of the all time greatest actress', she can play anything" (7).

Projector: Display a Film Poster of Inland Empire (13)

Speaker: Inland Empire is a 2006 surrealist drama written and directed by David Lynch. It is based around Nikki Grace played by Laura Dern who is playing Susan Blue in the upcoming film, however the persona of her character is beginning to take over her life and the so called real becomes the surreal (2). Although difficult to depict its true meaning, certain themes are apparent throughout; such as the permanence of memory and the natures of men and animals. This makes me believe he is an auteur. This response to his films are apparent across most of them. Nearly everything about Lynch’s films defies the typical and known, and yet there is something deeply horrifying about his work. Unlike most horror directors, Lynch’s most powerful tools of fear are not supernatural predators or psychotic killers. Instead, what makes his films so disturbing and unique is that they exist in worlds very similar to ours but that are run by dream-logic. "close enough to our own, to be really disturbing" was said about the worlds Lynch creates within his films (6). Lynch himself even said "It can say things that are difficult to say in words, just like when you have had a dream with so much understanding for you but when you tell a friend it is difficult to say in words and have them have the same experience you had" (7).

Projector: Show Rabbit scene from Inland Empire (1)

Speaker: This scene is a perfect example of Lynch's previous statement. As you can see from this, Inland Empire is arguably "one of the most confusing and mentally tortuous film experiences to be had" (16). In fact, Lynch has brought the complexity of his style to such great heights that only a few very patient Lynch fanatics can truly comprehend and appreciate the films without the help of the Internet. What makes this scene surreal is difficult to pin down as on the surface, it seems a relatively sane film, other than the rabbits playing human roles, but from somewhat further analysis, everything seems to follow this pattern, sane yet surreal simultaneously, for example the dialogue within this scene, relatively normal with sentences such as "it is still raining" but the order in which they are spoken in is completely nonsensical, a conversation cannot be made from this scene, they are almost talking as if each character is in there own little world; this then accompanied with the parody like nature of sitcoms in which I believe this scene is mocking almost, such as the canned out of place nature and the awkward pauses, makes a scene that is so surreal, it appears normal; this supprts the concept of "dream logic" as when in a dream, everything makes sense but when one awakens and remembers that dream then the whole absurdity that occurred is more apparent and you struggle to understand it.
The Theories of this film I previously stated stemmed from a selection of promotional posters, like the one I have shown you earlier. Now surrealist films tend to be set in a form of dream world, this is apparent in this film as it is making the real, an actress playing a role, into the surreal, the persona begins to takeover her life; innocent conversation like talking getting to know your neighbour take a sick turn when they say things like "brutal fucking murder" and "yes, me, I...I can't seem to remember if it's today, two days from now, or yesterday". This is what surrealist films do, they make the real, to ensure it to be seen as realistic and believable and completely flip what you see to make you uncomfortable, nervous and even scared. This makes the surrealist manner and drive in which Lynch has whilst making these films apparent. But does this make him an Auteur?

Projector: Shows the DVD cover of Wild at Heart (14)

Speaker: Besides the typical "lovers on the lam" story, Wild at Heart is about nothing, perhaps, except the power of pictures to shock the audience – so much so that the film is rated X in the U.S with only a censored version available to the public. With shots that show a mans head getting smashed to a pulp, explicit sex scenes which at the time were seen as somewhat controversial, It goes to show that Lynch is always either trying to shock or confuse his audience. 

Projector: Shows the scene of the 'Nice Witch' descending to greet a beaten 'Sailor'. (2)

The surreal creative imagery and cinematography within this film just shows the control that Lynch had over this film; with the constant references to the Wizard of Oz, this is Lynch's homage to Oz and with the creative control he had over this film he could do so. This scene to a somewhat passive audience, will appear normal but when analysed more in depth it is definitely surreal; When Sailor does get beaten up and the high angle shot shows him surrounded by the gang, the attackers just disappear and fade away, is this creating some alternate world in which Sailor resides? This then accompanied with the Good Witch, again a homage to Oz, descending to Sailor in a ball of light makes another not obviously surreal but again similarly to the previous Inland Empire, Lynch's style of surreal. With obvious overacting, in the form of unrealistic accents, it proves that Lynch is not aiming to appeal to the masses and that he chooses to be surreal, to me this shows that he is making them because he loves doing them, this is also shown in one of his responses to an interview with Damon Wise, when asked "will you ever be making another film?" his response was "Oh no no no, I could easily keep going without. But I love it if I fall in love with the subject..."(11), which surely indicates his control and passion over the film with the way his inspiration of Oz and his distinct style made the film what it is today.

Projector: Shows the DVD cover of Mulholland Drive (15)

Speaker: Mullholland drive is a confusing film that fans and critic argue over to what the actual meaning behind it is. This film has been the centre of debate to decide whether Lynch is surrealist film genius or he is just making it up as he goes along, is he a director or is he an auteur? 

Projector: Shows the opening of Mulholland Drive up until the credits start (3)

Even before the credits start at the beginning of the film viewers are "thrown into the deep end" and left confused by the long dance sequence with duplicates of couples dancing to upbeat jazz music, and the fading in ghostly figures, this all creates so many questions that the audience is asking themselves (9). I believe this just shows how surreal Lynch is and essentially the control he has over the film as he is making these for himself, and again, not aiming to appeal to the masses. "His favourite Directors, he has said are Tati, Herzog and Kubrick, all of whom can be said to use silences of various lengths to great effect"(9) was said by a reporter of the guardian; although this sequence does not specifically have a silence, I believe the "silence" means no dialogue which Lynch can be known for.

Projector: Shows the clip of Lynch explaining why he films some of his films himself (5)

Speaker: This is somewhat unheard of in the director world and this alone shows how much control he has over his films, so much so he even took over the role of the cameraman. So surely this entitles him to be seen as more than a director?

Projector: Shows where David says the story of the soap in the coffee pot (6)

Speaker: Now this is the perfect example of how personal his films are to him, he took a funny experience with soapy coffee and used that within his own work. This shows that he is known for bringing personal experiences when coming to making a film, which surely isn't a normal occurence with hollywood directors. This also relates to his use of obscure, non mainstream and in depth characters, such as the "failures of LA in Mullholland Drive and the 'shunted by society' in the Elephant Man, rather than the typical hollywood mainstream characters (8); he makes his films that much more realistic and personal to both himself and his niche audience; and again metaphorically pushing the boat out in regards to his Director role; Should he still be seen as an Auteur?

Projector: End


Speaker: I believe that the mass of evidence points to the fact that Lynch is indeed an auteur and this evidence is most strong in the three focus films that I have studied. The evidence is less strong in other films such as 'The Straight Story'. It could be said that I have searched for the most relevant works to prove my argument but to my knowledge there is no other director that approaches their work in the surreal, dream like, personal approach that Lynch uses. A quote from Lynch himself states, "I believe in creative control. No matter what anyone makes, they should have control over it"; I believe this quote is very apparent across all of his work and therefore deems Lynch as an Auteur, however it also could be argued that this surreal, confusing style surrounding these films, as stated before, could be seen as a 'front' to hide the lack of narrative however, I personally do not believe this is the case. I believe Lynch is an auteur however the word auteur is French for author and what author writes a book without a narrative?

Lynch

Does Lynch's distinct, "controversial", surrealist narrative and style deem him an auteur?

Select and Reject:

Item 1: (1)

Inland Empire

Upon textually analysing this film it was hard to depict its true meaning. Was it the permanence of memory. His own body of work. Telepathy. The nature of men and animals. These theories that I came up with to justify the lack of narrative in this film stemmed from the film posters that came alongside it on the Inland Empire website, these theories were more apparent in the posters rather than the film, I believe this was because the actual film was made to gratify the senses of the audience as although the narrative is somewhat apparent, it is difficult to follow; this “appealing the senses” of his audience is apparent across most of his films so with this It would help me to be able to conclude and label Lynch as an auteur. With the surreal "taking over" reality, meaning Nikki's persona in her next film is becoming a reality, shows that this is based upon a form of dream. This shows the surrealist nature driving Lynch and as my question is based upon his "distinct, controversial, surrealist narrative and style", this film will be of use to me greatly when it comes to answering this.

Item 2: (2)

Wild at Heart

Besides the typical "lovers on the lam" story, Wild at Heart is about nothing, perhaps, except the power of pictures to shock the nervous system – so much so that the film may be rated X in the U.S. With shots that show a black males head getting smashed to a pulp, explicit sex scenes which at the time were somewhat controversial. It goes to show that Lynch is always either trying to confuse or shock. The surreal creative imagery and cinematography within this film just shows the control that Lynch had over this film and I believe this would be a good film to refer to when answering my question; with the constant references to the Wizard of Oz, this is Lynch's homage to Oz and with the creative control he had over this film he could do so. With frequent acts of overacting, it proves that Lynch is not aiming to appeal to the masses and wants to be surreal as stated in Item 11. I would say that this film is vital to my argument.

Item 3: (3)

Mullholland Drive:

Mullholland Drive is a confusing film that fans and critic argue over to what the actual meaning behind it is. I believe this film would be useful for my question as it will help me decide whether Lynch is this creative, surreal film genius or is he just making it up as he goes along (like Twin Peaks). This is very much key to choosing if this is intentional or just some drug induced plot, is he a director or is he an auteur? It is evident that he has purposely made this film this confusing as within the DVD case itself he has even put a "10 clues to figuring this thriller", this could be seen as being so confident about his surreal work that even with the help of the director himself people will still not be able to decipher this or is it just teasing people, is there even a meaning? Is it just a front to cover up the lack of narrative in his films? Even before the credits even start at the beginning of the film viewers are "thrown into the deep end" and left confused by the long dance sequence with duplicates of couples to upbeat jazz music, followed on by the POV shot of a, what we assume is, a tired person staggering to their bed; that is only the first 3 minutes of the film and the audience have already got so many questions about what just happened. This is then continued with the very little talking within the start of the film as we are just following an amnesic Rita into Hollywood, which in itself is a statement of the typical "hollywood hopeful" not knowing what they are getting into, which is what the viewers are experiencing when watching Mullholland Drive. With the regular occurrence of keys, this can suggest "unlocking" parts of the psyche and that the film itself is the ramblings of a subconscious David Lynch. Surreal shots and happenings such as the box appearing to "swallow" the room just shows how surreal Lynch is and essentially the control he has over the film as he is making these for himself, not for the masses; this is also backed up in item 11. I would say that this film is crucial for my argument.

Item 4: (4)
What is David Lynch's Inland Empire about?http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2007/mar/09/whatisdavidlynchsinlandem

This article proved itself useful to my research in that it addresses statements such as "a jolt of pure cinema full of revelations about the power of film, but only because of what it is rather than what it says" I believe this statement is commenting on Lynch's surrealist style as it says "...what it is rather than what it says", this seems to be a recurring them across his films, visually interesting however no/lack/hard to follow narrative. This article will also aid me as it will help me to understand 'Inland Empire' beyond my experience and thoughts of the film and therefore allow me to provide a better answer when I answer my question.

Item 5: (5)
A Conversation with David Lynch -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x4avDYixy4:
This one on one interview with Lynch goes into detail about his relationship with his films, actors within them and his thoughts on matters and this is all being said by him which means it is a valid source of primary research which means I can trust it. I will be able to use aspects from this interview especially when he talks about aspects of his relationship with the camera, for example, the way in which he films some parts of his films himself, which is somewhat unheard of in the director world and this alone will show how much control he had over his films, so much so he even took over the role of the cameraman.

Item 6: (6)

Pretty as a Picture - The art of David Lynch - 1997:

This feature length documentary goes into depth across Lynch's entire career - his films, music and paintings. The interview with the surrealist film director reveals some dark aspects of his ideas and will help me with answering the Auteur (author) based question. This documentary will allow me to understand his life story and how that may have influenced his style, much like Walter Disney who grew up without a father, this is apparent as there is a lack of father figures in Disney films such as in Toy Story, Andy is raised by what we assume is a single mum. This documentary will present me his creative side and will allow me to attempt to connect why he makes films in this unique way. This item is crucial to help me with my argument.

Item 7: (7)

Shooting in digital - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej9JZsVmrGo:

This short video interview on Youtube does go into interesting detail about thoughts and experiences held by Lynch, for example thoughts on Hollywood and dreams influencing thoughts. I have chosen to use certain aspects of this interview as it will give me more knowledge about how and why Lynch chooses to film what he films which will therefore help me answer my question.

Item 8: (8)

His Dark Materials - http://www.newstatesman.com/film/2010/01/lynch-prosthetic-god-world:

This article goes into gruesome detail about his films and as to why he did this, such as how his stories are based around the obscure, non mainstream, in depth characters, such as the "failures of LA in Mullholland Drive, the people who cope with what they have, to get where they want in The Straight Story and the shunted by society in the Elephant Man, rather than the typical hollywood mainstream characters. This shows the sheer creativity and thought behind it, much like an author. I believe I could use aspects of this article to show how auteur like Lynch is. This Item is beneficial for my argument.

Item 9: (9) 
Director of Dreams - http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/feb/17/david-lynch-film-director-dreams:

This article describes excellent scenes in Lynch's films and compares him to such revolutionary directors such as Kubrick. It also discusses about his preference to use the camera instead of dialogue, for example the beginning of 'Mullholland Drive' has little to no dialogue and leaves the viewer to think about what is going on; this shows his detail he puts into his films and the control he has over them; much like an auteur.

Item 10: (10)

'The cinema of David Lynch' written by Erica Sheen and Annette Davison:

This book goes into depth about almost every film in Lynch's career, it discusses about the creativity within Mullholland Drive, the poetic stylings and facework across films. This book will be very beneficial when I begin to answer my argument as it has every film of his within it. They are also a "groundbreaking collection of new essays" on Lynch which will also help me when trying to put together my answer in an academic manner.

Item 11: (11)

Interview with David Lynch by Damon Wise - http://www.davidlynch.de/99total.html:

Reading this email shows how "non organised" Lynch is, with answers such as "who knows" or "I wish I knew" revealing a lack of planning and supports the whole spontaneity nature of his work, especially twin peaks. However he also discusses about not having the power of surprise anymore when it comes to his films and as Lynch has made a name based on shock won't this effect him? He even states about how he is less close to his film 'Dune' which is about as "normal" as Lynch has gone with films and this shows that Lynch is happy when he can do what he wants and can shows things in excess such as violence. This item will help me within my argument however it is not vital. This also supports the fact that Lynch is "doing it for himself" and therefore will have the control over the film as when he answers the question "will you ever make another film?" answering this with "Oh no no no, I could easily keep going without. But I love it if I fall in love with the subject. I'm hoping that will continue to happen".

Item 12: (12)

Auteur Theory - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44609/auteur-theory
This web page discusses what the 'Auteur Theory' actually is, "...Theory of filmmaking in which the Director is viewed as the major creative force in a motion picture". This will help me answering my question as I am discussing whether or not David Lynch is an 'Auteur and therefore me knowing the correct definition of the actual theory behind this title will be beneficial for my argument.

Item 13: (13)
Inland Empire DVD cover - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460829/
I will be using this as it would be something I refer to within my presentation to ensure everyone knows the film I am discussing.

Item 14: (14)
Wild at Heart DVD cover - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100935/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
I will be using this as it would be something I refer to within my presentation to ensure everyone knows the film I am discussing.

Item 15: (15)
Mulholland Drive DVD cover - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166924/?ref_=nm_knf_i1
I will be using this as it would be something I refer to within my presentation to ensure everyone knows the film I am discussing.

Item 16: (16)
Inland Empire reviews and critics - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460829/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_8
I believe this item will support when making a statement or summarisation about Lynch as it shows other people share the same views as me in this matter; this is why I will be using this item in my presentation.

Rejected Items:

Pocket Guide to David Lynch:

This book merely tells the plot of his films and as I have already seen the films, that is not what I require to help me answer the question so It will not help me whatsoever. I do not believe this item will be beneficial to my argument and this is the reason why I am rejecting it.

Question and answer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPJoZ4w6w70

I watched the entirety of this 40 minute question and answer session with David Lynch, Russell Brand and Bob Roth; I only heard the exaggerated "advertising" of Transcendental Meditation. I heard no usable pieces of information about his films etc so I do not believe I could use this to help me answer my question. However, I could refer to Transcendental Meditation when talking about his surrealist style and how it may have effected him when it comes to his style.

How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques?

During the 'Urban Stories' topic we have studied La Haine, a french film directed by Mathieu Kassovitz.
I believe this film uses many technical codes in order to create the 'impact' that it has, it depends on these significantly.

One technical code that La Haine uses is framing, Kassovitz used this film technique to comment on the conflict and relationship between characters, especially between the 3 main characters, Said, Vinz and Hubert.

The 3 protagonists are mostly always shown in this order with Said in between/seperating Hubert and Vinz; this shows that he is the one that brings them all together.

Another film technique Kassovitz used is the use of the 360 degree turn, some of the scenes where this technique occurs are, when they hear the scooter go past in the projects and when they go to visit Abdul in the police station.  This 360 degree turn is used to show that the problems that are faced by France, especially Paris, are ever occurring and that they will never be solved as when they get close to solving them, the problems arise again. This is supported by the story that 'Mr Toilet' tells to Said, Vinz and Hubert whilst in the bathroom in Paris, he talks about how his friend was running for the leaving train but every time he reached to grab the train, his trousers fell down, putting him back to the start again, much like the problems in Paris. The problems that Kassovitz is commenting on are the common riots that take place across France, the most recent one being the 2005 riots.

These riots are not started by just one event, this links in with the recurring "ticking clock" sound whenever a new chapter starts in La Haine, the ticking clock resembles a time bomb just waiting to go off. This means the tension and disorder is building up and awaiting one event, one catalyst which starts the riots, in the film this is the hospitalisation of Abdul.

Kassovitz also wanted to show how people, especially Vinz, are effected by american culture.
A scene where this is prominent is when Vinz is in the bathroom and reenacts the scene from 'Taxi Driver', a well known Martin Scorcese film starring Robert De Niro.
This scene begins with a surreal mirror shot where the camera moves towards the back of Vinz's head and passes over him as he bends over to spit into the sink, we are then met with Vinz facing the camera as if the camera passed through the mirror, this in itself is Kassovitz saying to the audience "this is real life, this isn't just a film, this is reality" as he makes the camera "break through" to the real world.

This type of shot, with Vinz aiming a gun etc is repeated throughout the film. I believe this shows the tension the french people are feeling as each time he is seen in this situation he is a little bit more "serious" about doing it, despite the fact that he was scarred after seeing the guy getting shot in paris.
It is also stating that violence (connoted by the gun) is at the centre of the situation aka france, especially the projects in which they dwell; this is also supported by the quote "The world only goes round through misunderstanding" by Charles Baudelaire who was a french poet, he also appears graffitied on the wall within the projects.

This scene also supports the previous statement about guns (violence and crime) being the centre of the situation, this is because when 'Notre Dame' runs out to arrest a "youth", his gun is in the centre of the frame throughout the entire scene. He uses it to attempt to control the youths; this just shows how prominent violence, which is connoted by the gun, is in these projects.

About violence and crime being the centre of the situation, the recurrence of the gun being in the centre shows that these kind of actions (crime) is a daily occurrence in the projects, this is supported by the scene where Hubert does a drug deal and Said and Vinz are not paying any attention to it and carrying on with their conversation. The background of this scene also comments on how crime "controls" the projects, the graffiti is of Michelangelo's, Creation of Adam, this is because Hubert is on the side of 'Gods' hand and he is the one dealing the drugs and the man on the left is buying the drugs and he is on the 'Adam' side.

Aims:
To create a short film of the thriller genre.
To include a Gods eye shot similar to that used in 'Bronson' directed by Nicholas Winding Refn; he also used a Gods eye shot in his other films such as 'Only God Forgives'.
Target audience are both genders in the age range of 18-35.

The Shining Essay:


This scene begins with a cross dissolve from Jack's upper body to him walking down the corridor, during this dissolve you can see that Jack perfectly fits into the shape of the hallway, this shows that he belongs there and that the hotel is empty without him, this gives him a sense of importance within this scene and throughout the film. The actual walking of Jack could be seen as un-natural and wrong as it is very slow. After he slowly walks up the corridor he turns into the 'Gold Room', the camera then has to pass the pillar in order to see Jack again, in this short period of darkness the transition from reality to make believe could have taken place and by using this simple transition, it shows the audience that this has happened.
The mise-en-scene within the corridor is also cleverly done as the red sofas to the left show that even in this "special place" that shows no immediate threat or danger, there is the red sofas which shows that there is a potential for evil or even bloodshed. The door that Jack enters is made up of sections and the shape of these could be seen as an inverted cross which can be seen as a satanic and evil symbol and with this being on the door, it could show that whatever is inside, is evil.
When Jack enters the room the colour red is prominent which shows danger and essentially foreshadows the events to come. The lighting is very high key as he is walking to the bar and as the camera is tracking him, however, as he approaches the bar the lighting becomes quite low key which creates a mysterious and essentially eerie feeling for the audience; this could also foreshadow events to come. At the bar he asks for the

"hair of the dog that bit me"

this is a colloquial expression in the English language predominantly used to refer to alcohol that is consumed with the aim of lessening the effects of a hangover, I don't think this relates to anything within the film, however, this could show that Jack is reluctant to go "crazy" as he is attempting to prevent it from happening, but by doing this he is just involving himself more and essentially making it worse.
During his time at the bar he is told that

"His money is worthless here", "It is not a matter that concerns you...at least not at this point" and "Drink up"

These quotes show that the hotel is technically "playing with him" and are trying to shape him and push him to do what they want. Jack then changes from being curious and questioning why his drink is "free" to doing a maniacal grin and going along with it, this shows that the hotel has gotten to him and that he is essentially there puppet.

Throughout this scene a song is playing in the background, this song is 'Al Bowlly & Ray Noble Orchestra - Midnight, the Stars and You' this song could hint at what is going to happen as the final scene is Jack chasing Danny through the maze at night and the song essentially relates to that.
As Jack dances away from the bar he is bumped into by the waiter who spills some drinks on him, later on in the film you find out that the waiter is the original caretaker who killed his family, this "accident" could be seen as him sharing the madness with Jack as he spills the drink on both of them.
After the accident Jack pats the waiter on the back, this shows some sort of friendship forming between them, after this the waiter then goes on to say

"...you're the important one" 

This emphasises the point I made earlier about him belonging there and also shows that the hotel is attempting to "sweet talk" him into doing what needs to be done.
Throughout this scene the main camera technique being used is tracking as it follows Jack, this makes the audience feel involved with what is going on.



This scene is a follow on from the previous scene and it begins with Jack holding the door open for the waiter to come in, this could be seen as Jack allowing the hotel to take control of him and also foreshadows events to come; this is then backed up by the bathroom because this could be seen as iconography for Jacks mind, with the red being the evil and negative and the white being what's left of his decaying state of sanity.
Whilst Grady is cleaning up the spillage on Jacks clothes it is obvious that Jacks fingernails are strangely long, this shows that the deranged and animalistic side to him is starting to show or even take over. The mirrors also similar to the ones in the hall way on the other scene, resembles a form of alternate reality and gives the viewer a sense of an alternate reality and that what is being shown on screen may not be real.
After Jack questions Grady about his role as the caretaker, Grady then says

"...but you are the caretaker, you've always been the caretaker, I should know sir, I've always been here"

This quote creates a very strange and creepy atmosphere for the audience as it makes them question what is going on and the basic storyline that they already heard from the hotel owner at the beginning, also by Grady saying that he's always been there it creates a sense of helplessness as if theirs no escaping. Grady also mentions that Jack has always been the caretaker, this makes the viewer think that this was inevitable.
Nearing the end of this scene Jack slowly begins to act more maniacal, this is as if the hotel is telling him how to act when Grady mentions the "Nigger cook" and that Danny is a "Naughty boy".
The way that Jack brings Wendy into the scenario is also quite odd and this shows that the hotel is trying to turn Jack against his family so that Jacks "duty" will be fulfilled.
Throughout this scene Jack has a very blank expression on his face, this could be seen as he is being brainwashed by Grady and in this weak mental state Grady drops hints on what he needs to do, like "correcting" Wendy and Danny.

The shining is similar to other films in the sense that it has creepy and maybe even classed as demonic children, these include 'The Exorcist' and 'The Omen', these films also include inverted crosses which is also included in the shining. All of these films are also set in quite an isolated are which is a recurring theme when it comes to horror films.

Revolutionary Road Analysis

The scene begins with a long shot of the two characters, one walking ahead of the other which gives the  illusion of distance within the relationship. There is no non-diegetic sound in this scene, the only sound is of the footsteps from the two characters, this diegetic sound echoes within the silence. We feel that this created an awkward situation for us as the viewer.

The mise-en-scene within this shot gives a sense of calmness, this is due to the main colour theme of beige. Also this has been reflected as the two characters outfits are following this colour scheme.

There is darkness in the background of this shot, this could resemble a mistake or a situation which is coming back to 'haunt' them; this mise-en-scene could also be deciphered as their heart, this mise-en-scene remains in focus throughout this shot, this echoes the whole 'bad situation' as it remains the focal point of this shot. I thought this because they are obviously hiding or suppressing something due to the way in which they are acting towards each other and their relationship. The surrounding beige also shows that they are hiding their struggle. Di-Caprio is also pacing away from her which shows conflict and impatience between the two of them.
The shot then cuts to them driving in the car, this shot is a mid-shot which seperates the two characters, this supports the previous conflict between them. This scene is a complete contrast to the previous scene in many ways such as low key lighting with only their faces 'lit up', the central darkness in the previous shot has now engulfed the characters and now it is mainly dark with light in the centre; this shows that the suppressed negative feelings are now 'taking control' of the characters.
After the silence of the beginning of the car journey, Di-Caprio presents a futile attempt of comforting Winslet; Winslet then continues to say how she doesn't want to talk about it. Di-Caprio continues to comfort her, this could show that he is attempting to mend this problem, however, Winslet then starts to raise her voice and completely rejects Di-Caprio's comfort; in doing this the tension of the scene increases and this is accompanied with certain shots (from the backseat) which makes you feel like you are amongst this conflict.
The shot then cuts to the car pulling over. Within this shot there is a single lamp post which shines onto the car, this shows that this is the main focus of the scene. Throughout this scene, they are always divided, even with the editing they are on different sides of the screen.
The comfort shown throughout this scene then turns into aggression as she storms out of the car, this is accompanied with an extreme long-shot as she walks away from the car and towards the lamp post.
This shot then swaps to a mid-shot of her lit up by the street lamp, this could show that she wanted to escape her problems, however, Di-Caprio then follows her out of the car and in doing this blocks the headlights from the car, this could resemble that Di-Caprio is preventing Winslet from escaping her problems.

Throughout this film clip it is easy to see that this film is set in the 50's, this is because of the mise-en-scene of the outfits and the cars.