(Rick Rosenthal, 1981)
DISTRIBUTED BY: Universal Pictures (USA) Columbia-EMI-Warner (UK)
BUDGET: $2.5m
BOX OFFICE: $25.5m
IMDb Rating: 6.4
WIKI ,
RUNNING TIME OF OPENING: 6:45 mins
IDENTS:
De Laurentiis is revealed in the idents of this film however it's nothing high tec it's not original just something that looks as if it was put together to go with the rest of the sequence, whereas today you'll get idents like the Warner Brothers who have their own unique ident that stands out. Also like the first Halloween "Moustapha Akkad presents" is shown first showing the importance of the producer by revealing him before the actual title of the film, along with the stars names being revealed first.
TITLES:
The titles in this film are very odd compared to the first Halloween where the titles are shown at the start of the opening sequence , because in this the titles are revealed at the end of the opening sequence, this could of been done because this film is the follow up from the first Halloween. Also like the first Halloween both the producers, Dino De Laurentiis and Moustapha Akkad, have been revealed before the title, along with the main stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence , which makes it seem like a common convention is this Halloween franchise. The title is then revealed after these and it's similar to the first Halloween with it being bold and the sans-serif font which most slasher films were to give the more serious feel to the film, also it's in red font on a black background standing out which is also significant for slasher films, and the red font is a signifier towards death and the slasher genre. Also the auteur theory is used again in the same way as it was in the first Halloween by repeating to reveal John Carpenter and Debra Hill the writers and the makers of the music. | |
| The auteur theory |
 |
| The title |
SOUND + MUSIC:
Just like the first Halloween Rosenthal decides to copy Carpenters idea of using the natural sound of the crickets at the start wether this was done for intertextual reference or for the same effect as carpenter it still works well to set the scene, and also as a genre signifier. Then when Mike Myers rises from the dead , so to speak, non-diegetic music is used to build tension and add the fear factor as the tempo builds up towards where Myers tries to strangle Laurie. The music is key in this opening as it plays with how the audience feels and controls the fear factor all the way through the opening sequence.
LENGTH OF TAKES + EDITING PACE:
 |
Long take example.
|
Once again like in the first Halloween, as this was an old film it uses long takes with not much range of camera variety which is common in old films, but this doesn't give the same effect as the fast-paced editing used now because it doesn't look as believable and lacks in verisimilitude, for example when Laurie Strode is telling the kids to go down the street and call the police, they have a long emotional conversation where it would of been better if they did medium close up shots to show the emotion the characters would of been showing to make the audience feel it more.
 |
| Natural lighting. |
However Rosenthal does use natural lighting well here with the shadowing for the light outside, which is useful to look at as natural lighting is a cinematographer's best friend when it comes to filming.
NARRATIVE ENIGMA V EXPOSITION:
This film uses the same exposition in the opening sequence like the first Halloween, as we learn about the setting and time because it's given to the audience, " Haddonfield Illinois" and then " October 31, 1978 " are presented to reveal exposition to the audience, so we know it's on Halloween night and it's 15 years on from the first Halloween so it'll follow on from the first making it the start of the franchise. Also Rosenthal use narrative enigma by making it look like the killer, Mike Myers, has been killed but then he disappears which leaves a cliff hanger and mystery to who the killer will be or if the killer is still alive.
No comments:
Post a Comment