Ghost Dog

By: Matt Vinti

Ghost Dog's Symbolism

The scene pictured below I found to be very interesting.  The bear on the ground is a direct reference to Ghost Dog himself, and it is a foreshadowing to later in the movie where he is killed by Vargo.  The hunters say that it is rare to find any black bear in the woods anymore, so they take the shot whenever they see one, even if it is not in season.  Ghost dog was refereed to as a black bear earlier in the film.  He also says that his kind is a dying breed and there are very few of him left.  

I read up on the book that Ghost Dog lives by, Hagakure. It is the way of the Samurai. It basically states that one should always be loyal to their master, and one should always be ready for death. Unfortunately this bear probably had no idea he was going to be shot by these hunters and was simply minding his own business. Ghost dog on the other had understood his circumstances he was in, and realized that Vargo would be coming back to kill him. This is a huge problem because he is Vargo's retainer and owes him his life. But, being the loyal samurai he is, he lets Vargo kill him. Since he was ready for death at any moment, like the black bear, he "saw everything he needed to see." and then died. I find it interesting that the director included this scene. Most people would think its just Ghost dog being a bad ass again, but it actually had a lot of symbolism to his way of life.


1:18:22

Thin Blue Line

By: Matt Vinti

Use of Time

There are a lot of references to the thought of Time in this film.  These references include the use of imagery, camera effects, and dialogue.  Every time there is a clock on screen, it is shown for quite some time.  Sometimes the next sequence in the film is the same clock, but at a later time to show that time has passed.  This happens in many parts through out the film.  Another example of this is during the beginning of the film when they are first discussing the murder; there is a shot of a newspaper with the date "November 29, 1976", the next shot fades to the next date "December 22, 1976".  This is a clever way to pass time in the film.

The use of dialogue to show how time can affect a character is also explained. (21:17) "I don't know why but it always seemed like time just stopped, or something. ..... It just seemed like 'boom' time had stopped or something, I don't know.  Like a flash."  The picture below shows a subtle use of the imagery of a clock.  I believe the use of time through out this film is a metaphor to spending time in jail.  The references always come up whenever someone is talking about the shooting or details pertaining to the murder scene.

1:19:36

Dr. Strangelove

By: Matt Vinti

"Nuclear Combat, toe-to-toe with the Rooskies"

The War Room is a setting that takes place during the movie Dr. Strangelove.  It's quite a large room and it comes out to be very mysterious.  Why is it named the War Room if only peace negotiations are going on in this room for the entire movie?  It is pictured as a dark and eerie feeling room with all of the world powers conveniently in the room.  It serves as a relaxing place to go compared to the other scenes in this movie.  As seen in the picture, the room is dark and everybody at the table sees a serious threat to the human race.  

They are trying to think of every possible action that can help them in this situation, but people just keep bringing on bad news.  In fact, the general doesn't bring a single point of good news to the president while at the table.  The meaning of this points to a quote said earlier by the Pilot destined to deliver the bomb that would start the doomsday device. "Nuclear Combat, toe-to-toe with the Rooskies." The importance of toe-to-toe here is showing that both super powers are using their nuclear devices against each other. 

38:27

The Elephant Man

By: Matt Vinti

The Reveal

The Elephant Man needs to be pictured as mysterious to the viewer.   There are numerous ways to accomplish this and the lead up to the first time we see the Elephant Man is possibly more terrifying than seeing the actual freak show star.  In the first picture this is a few scenes before we see him for the first reveal.  Trying to make it like a real carnival freak show, the director sets up the setting for us.  Dark alley ways and stray animals walking with lots of steam and grime surrounding us.

9:44

The stray dog, I would say, really puts this scene into perspective.  Its not everyday that you just see a lonely dog wandering the streets by himself with no owner.  Kind of a primitive feeling went through when I rewatched the opening to this movie.  And the reveal of course of the Elephant Man himself was also a very circusy-carnival showcase.  Everything leading up to when that curtain being pulled away is meant to be in the movie for a reason, it isn't just filler.

10:03