Mis en Scene

I have been slacking off a bit on the movie watching. I've needed to have on the most undistracting entertainment, so 'Friends' got popped in again this week.

We have been studying Mis en Scene (say is in a French accent). The over-all feel of the entire movie, and how each and every elements is specifically positioned and added to create this feeling. Even though there are those who feel analyzing a film, seeing one multiple times, or merely studying a film for meaning instead of just for pure entertainment ruins the entire aspect, it has a way of making one appreciate, connect and actually enjoy the movie more. Of course through this some movies do have the potential of becoming, let's say, less than adequate,  even more so than they were before, however it make those movies which seem complex and maybe even confusing have this incredible multi-sided meaning.  Even though in my first viewing of a film I look specifically at content, knowing about these elements can only make them better.

Believe it or not, and this may even be deleting a movie off your list of potential film you picked as my favorites, but I have never seen 'Casablanca.' A classic I know! So many lines, so many methods, so many firsts, etc. etc. have come from this film. And yet I still have not seen this movie, even though for the past three weeks of class we have been studying this film. We have not actually watched it, only scenes of it. It was not a film we were required to watch so it wasn't on reserve for us, and netflix doesn't have it on instant view. So once I figure out how to get a copy of this movie, I will have it completely analyzed before I actually watch it. At that point I will possibly, truly, completely know whether watching a movie analytically is worth it, or if it ruins the film.

But I will need to acquire a copy of 'Casablanca' and get back to everyone about Mis en Scene, and if analyzing has ruined a classic movie for me forever.