Blow Out

In class on Thursday we watched the film “Blow Out.”  This film was not what I was expecting. We have been watching such wholesome movies lately that I wasn’t prepared for the vulgarity associated with this film. I guess I should have taken Donna’s warning seriously. This movie was totally different that “Sunset Boulevard” and “Singing in the Rain” in that it contained more risky scenes, but it did look at aspects of the movie business just as the other films have. 

This film had good content, but I didn’t like the predictability and the cliché scenes it contained. I knew that the girl was going to die in the end from the first time we knew she was in any sort of danger. But what really got me was the slow motion scene towards the end. I wouldn’t say I hate slow motion shots but I would say that I strongly dislike them. They just really annoy me and seem overly cliché.  Another scene that really got to me was the end when the main character was holding the dead body of the girl.  Behind them are the fireworks, which are clearly fake. Things like this always turn me off from the film. 

Though there were several scenes that irked me in this film there were some that I really enjoyed. I loved the long shots. As I have said in previous blogs, this is something I want to try out in my group’s short films. A particular favorite from the movie was the one taken in the sound room and the camera is just constantly spinning around the room. This was slightly dizzying but was impressive.  I also liked the prevalence of sound in the film.  The main character was a “sound man,” which is the job in the film business that has interested me the most. I am actually the sound editor in our group so the film inspired me to go find some sounds.

Aside from the technical aspects of the film, I also noticed some of the underlying meanings found in the movie. This film really says something about America. We are always trying to cover up the ugly side of life just as Sally covers people’s faces with her make-up because, according to her, everybody’s face could use make-up.  I think the best depiction of this idea can be found when the antagonist is killing a woman behind a stone wall while everyone on the other side of the wall is completely oblivious.

Overall, I enjoyed the film. It was interesting and completely unlike the films we’ve watched previously.