Sunday, 25 October 2009

Thelma and Louise

Thelma and Louise
(1991)


Director – Ridley Scott


Writer – Callie Khouri
Released – 12th July 1991 (UK)


Plot - An Arkansas waitress and a housewife shoot a rapist and take off in a '66 Thunderbird (Imbd)


Cast –


Louise – Susan Sarandon


Thelma – Geena DavisHal – Harvey Keitel


Jimmy – Michael Madsen




Production Companies -


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)


Pathé Entertainment


Percy Main


Star Partners III Ltd




Distributors (some) –


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1991) (USA) (theatrical)


National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1994) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)


20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)


MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (worldwide) (DVD)


Warner Home Video (laserdisc)


Other companies (some) –


Dolby Laboratories - sound post-production


Gala Catering - catering


Kodak - film stock


Lillie Yard Studios - music recorded


Pacific Title - titles and opticals


The Casting Group - extras casting





Notes from class


The country and western music opens up the film and gives an idea of where about the film is set and when.


When we first see the characters, Louise is dressed as a smart worker and Thelma is a stay at home wife who is dressed in casual scatty clothes, we automatically get an idea of their wealth and lifestyle. Abit later we see Thelma dressed in quite feminine clothes and Louise dressed in masculine clothes. This suggests that Thelma is quite vulnerable and Louise is a strong character and can take care of herself. Thelma’s husband is dressed so that we get an idea of his character, he is wearing a lot of fake jewellery to make himself feel rich and important. He is a very controlling character and pushes Thelma around a lot.
There is a straight cut from the bar to car park. The dull car park is a genetic convention of a thriller. There is use of noir lighting when the man turns around in the car park, this gives a spooky feel to the character.
Ridley Scott is representing the mid-western males as misogynists. For example, Daryl and Harlem, they believe it is the women’s role to gratify them.
After the shooting we see Thelma and Louise skidding onto the road in their car, the light breaking up suggests the breaking up of their lives. The dull wet, foggy road could indicate their lives, the cars start to close in on them like their lives. The big truck is dominant to their little car, just like the males are to the females, they are driving to escape this.
The mis-en-scene of the road (the car stopping) is like a nightmare, which can easily describe the thriller genre.
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2 comments:

  1. vmb20 November 2009 at 06:33

    ...When we first see the characters, Louise is dressed as a smart worker and Thelma is a stay at home wife who is dressed in casual scatty clothes, we automatically get an idea of their wealth and lifestyle.....
    You are correct as to the purpose of costume and locations associated with Thelma and Louise at the beginning of the film.
    Both have little social status, Louise is a waitress serving costumers, whilst Thelma is a housewife endeavour to serve/please her hideously vain husband Daryl.

    Re Thelma and Louise's escape; you have identified aspects of masculinity and femininity in this shot. Note the noir lighting suggesting a hostile world that is closing in on Thelma and Louise who have used a gun (a weapon associated with masculinity) to shoot Harlem. The heavy duty trucks are masculine signifiers, whilst Thelma and Louise's little car is a female signifier, thus Ridley Scott is using these objects as a metaphor for the struggle these two girls have in a chauvinistic culture in the mid western states of the USA. This is the region which heralds Tammy Winnette singing "Stand By Your Man" (country and western genre).

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  2. vmb17 January 2010 at 07:39

    "Thelma and Louise": Your analysis is becoming more confident and you are beginning to proficiently grasp some aspects of mise-en-scene and making progress with using media terminlogy.
    Keep up the good work Libby but note your targets, specifically writing analysis in third person leaving out phrases like "we see" .

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