Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind Film Studies Essay

Eternal sun Of The Spotless Mind Film Studies EssayIn this analysis of the style and structure of Eternal fair weather of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004), the following research question shall be addressed how does filmic style and narrative structure evoke atmosphere, define character, and provide cues that generate star of hearing reactions? It result be argued that the film craps a poisonous nightshade tale of love using an un customary and fragmented narrative structure lay outing the effects of holding erasure by immersing viewers within the subjective world of the protagonists mind.Eternal Sunshine tells the story of Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynskis passionate, yet often painfully incompatible romance. From its base beginnings at a beach party, their human relationship blooms over the period of about two years, but ultimately fails. When Joel learns that Clementine has undergone a surgical procedure on a whim to remove all memories of him, he is so wound ed that he tracks down the doctor and demands the same operation immediately. Midway through the procedure, however, Joel begins to repent his impulsive decision, realizing the importance of his past, as well as the inevitable loss of some of his most cherished memories with Clementine.The first five shots of Eternal Sunshine atomic number 18 highly significant in cost of both narrative structure and stylistic implications. The film begins by attenuation-in from black to a mystifying focus finale up of an unshaven Joel, awakening the morning after the retentivity-erasing procedure (though this narrative nurture is not revealed until much later). The off-screen sound of a car door conclusion rouses him, and it is later discovered that this noise comes from the memory board technicians departing after the operation. A variety of shot lengths are use in this opening sequence to communicate information about Joels facial contemplations, body language, and surroundings. Ultimat ely, the act of waking coupled with the natural morning sunlight creates an atmosphere of a new beginning, although it is one tinged with a sense of loss. The use of hand held cameras simultaneously evokes the illusion of realistic footage, and viewers are invited to question why Joel awakens this way, establishing a narrative enigma concerning past events.Joels waking expression is rather vacant, conveying the barren emptiness of his now spotless mind. The shot is illuminated from the right, and upon opening, his dark hazel eyes are drawn to this light witnesser as he utters a sigh. The attached medium shot is an eye-line match that frames Joels window, using an upward tilted perspective from his bed. The morning sunlight shines through, providing the only lighting for the scene and signifying a new beginning. The exclusive use of natural lighting additionally call forths an existence devoid of memories, as the atmospheric lighting techniques that accompany memory throughout th e film are absent. Subtle, non-diegetic music sound that does not have a source within the story world (David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, 330), also commences here, with a dual meter bass ostinato accompanying guitar chords. A straight cut introduces the next medium close up of Joel sitting up in bed, tracked by the camera. He sighs, rubs his forehead and begins to remove the bedspreads, which provides a match-on-action transition into the next shot a long shot of Joel moving towards the end of his bed. The dcor of the space is actually plain and uninspired, heightening the atmosphere of emptiness. A piano melody enters above the guitar as sunlight engulfs Joels darkened silhouette on the end of his bed. Before the next shot a short ellipsis is implied, and it commences outside as a medium long shot of Joel, now shaven and dressed in shadowy winter clothing. Sunlight momentarily shines directly into the lens before the camera tracks him to his car, revealing a large dint on its side. Confused and irritated, Joel thuds his briefcase upon the car bonnet as ambient background noises of children playing blends with the music. Although no dialogue is spoken in these shots, the sparse orchestration and minimalist structure of the background music serves to heighten the inclination of an existence that is somehow lacking essence. Hence, the opening shots begin to define Joels character, whilst providing cues to evoke an atmosphere of a somewhat empty new beginning.Eternal Sunshine is fundamentally a love story, and a clear binary opposition a category with two mutually exclusive parts that depend upon each new(prenominal) (Graeme Turner, 104) is established between Joel, who is introverted and withdrawn, and Clementine, who is extroverted and eccentric. This opposition allows the characters to effectively compliment and conflict with each other, thus forming the basis of the narrative complication. Despite this somewhat traditional aspect of the story, t he manner in which the narrative is structured is by no means conservative. In Film as Social Practice IV, Turner notes that conventional narratives begin in a stable point of equilibrium, which is then disrupted by some power or force motivating the protagonists quest, usually closure with the restoration of equilibrium (107). Eternal Sunshine, however, follows no such structural formula, and events are baffleed in a fragmented, non-linear fashion. Indeed, the film actually commences after the relationship, moving from the lay out to a series of reverse order memory flashbacks and flashbacks within flashbacks, before finally returning to the present (whilst constantly interweaving secondary plotlines involving the Lacuna team). Another opposition of sorts is and so established in the narrative itself between memory and present events, with the complicated structure serving to disorientate viewers and portray the complex nature of an individuals own(prenominal) memories. In Pos tmodern After-Images, Peter and Will Brooker present that resistance to linearity is an archetypal postmodern technique (58), and thus Eternal Sunshine uses a postmodern narrative style to communicate its story of memorys role in love.Throughout the film, myriad elements of the mise en scene evoke atmosphere, develop character and provide auditory sense cues. Firstly, colour and costuming serve to accentuate the binary opposition between Joel and Clementine. Joel is only ever seen wearing very dull colours, foregrounding the reserved nature of his character, and he often blends into large crowds. On the contrary, Clementines eccentricity is revealed by her kaleidoscopic clothing choices. Also, the colour of Clementines dyed hair acts as a symbolic indicator of the state of her relationship with Joel, changing chronologically from green, to Red Menace, Agent Orange, and finally Blue Ruin. Green is traditionally a colour associated with new life, and it suitably marks the beginnin g of the relationship. The deep red dye appears to symbolize a climax of romantic passion, and indeed many of Joels best memories are from this colour stage. Orange perhaps embodies a diluted, fading version of this passion, while blue denotes an atmosphere of sadness and depression, appropriately appearing at the point of the relationships ruin. In one particularly symbolic scene, a stretch out shot frames Joel and Clementine lying together on the frozen Charles River. Some distinct cracks are easily observed in the ice beneath them, indicating the fractures that will inevitably appear in their relationship, and this notion of an intrinsically flawed romance adds to the bittersweet tad of the film. Finally, many elements of the mise en scene are skillfully utilized within subjective shots to portray the erasure of Joels memories characters suddenly disappear, text on signs and letters fades or vanishes, objects are deleted from shots in fragments, and facial features are smeared . For example, in the beach-house scene, Joels memory of the event literally crumbles piece by piece in his mind.The use of atmospheric lighting is one of the most important filmic techniques employed by Gondry to construct the subjective memory scenes in Eternal Sunshine. In the present, lighting is generally each natural or realistic, but memory shots adopt a more unique lighting approach, emphasizing this narrative opposition. Firstly, low-key lighting and darkness often play a major role in such scenes, with lights either gradually fading to black or suddenly turning off to represent the removal of memories. The most prominent and effective use of atmospheric lighting, however, is a clearly recognizable spotlight effect that pervades memory scenes and becomes a lighting motif throughout the film. This peculiar device ranges from a small, torch-style light, through to a very large and powerful spotlight reminiscent of a helicopter searchlight (the best example being in the Char les River memory scene). The spotlight effect seems to serve a dual function in one sense, it represents an intrusive, artificial intervention in Joels memory (implying the operation procedure), and he and Clementine are often trying to melt its glare. Also, especially in darkened scenes, the restricted glow of the spotlight could represent the limits of remembered detail in Joels mind, as is argued by Jason Sperb in his article Internal Sunshine Illuminating Being-Memory in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, when he statesThe spotlight signifies the limited perception of Joels remembering, which remains in and of the present. He cannot again completely recognize the moments he thinks he remembers Joel can only see limited illuminations, fragments in his imagination vaguely informed by his understanding of the past (7).The circular grade of the spotlight could also bear some importance, perhaps signifying the cyclic nature of Joel and Clementines relationship. Finally, throug hout the film, this and other lights occasionally turn red to imply a state of urgency or alarm. Hence, the combination of the elements of the mise en scene succeeds in creating atmosphere and crafting the effects of memory erasure within Joels mind.Perhaps the most striking element of cinematography in Eternal Sunshine is the almost invariable use of hand-held cameras. This imperfect, sometimes clunky technique often creates the illusion of genuine blank space video footage an aspect that undoubtedly increases the authenticity of subjective memory scenes. As Ellen Kuras (the films cinematographer) stated in an interview, the camera movement is not always the most fluent with the entire film shot handheld, we ended up using sled dollies, wheelchair and chariot dollies, but no traditional dollies at all (John Pavlus, 2). In terms of movement, the camera often wanders freely, glancing around objects and tracking characters using mobile framing. Such techniques are most evident in m emory scenes, and some scenes in the present utilize more conventional framing, perhaps serving to accentuate the stark juxtaposition between memory and the present. In the scene where Joel and Clementine meet on the train, initial long and medium shots become more intimate medium close ups and close ups as the awkward tension between them reduces and they begin to recover more comfortable conversing. Similarly, clever tricks of size perspective are used in the childhood kitchen scenes to achieve the illusion that Joel is child-sized. Cinematography techniques are also work to convey the effects of memory erasure in subjective scenes, and the most notable of these are disorienting blurring effects and racking of focus, where the lens is refocused at mixed planes adjusting perspective relations (Bordwell and Thompson, 243). Finally, speed of motion is also occasionally altered within memory scenes, with normal and reverse fast-motion effects used (for example, when Joel is sketchin g the skeleton picture) to suggest an atmosphere of distorted temporality.The soundscape throughout the film is similarly used with great effect to evoke atmosphere and provide cues that generate audience reactions. Firstly, an internal diegetic voiceover is sometimes used, with Joels diary entries narrating certain scenes from both the present and within memories, encouraging viewers to sympathize with his plight. Some clever sound-image relations are also present, for example, when Joel hastily decides to weight-lift through the doors of a leaving train, his voiceover ironically declares that he is not an impulsive person. Similarly, in a memory scene, Joel yells, its all falling apart to Clementine, as a car actually falls from the sky in the background. Indeed, a series of interesting sound techniques are implemented within memory scenes. For example, off-screen voiceovers of the memory technicians workings in the present are often heard, reinforcing the fact that certain scen es are occurring subjectively within Joels mind. Effects such as degrading the sound quality, middling asynchronous sound, which occurs earlier or later than the events which we see in the image (Bordwell and Thompson, 337), and the use of a digital deleting sound-effect all serve to depict the erasing of Joels memories. Finally, in film, the rhythm, melody, harmony, and instrumentation of the music can strongly affect the viewers emotional reactions (Bordwell and Thompson, 325), which applies throughout Eternal Sunshine. For example, a playful woodwind scherzo accompanies Joel and Clementines meeting on the train, adding to the flirtatious tone of the scene. Similarly, a chromatically sliding cello often signifies disturbing moments, and the dissonant yet beautiful broken guitar chords in the beach-house scene serve to heighten the bittersweet atmosphere and affect the audiences emotions.The final stylistic element that requires analysis is the use of editing throughout Eternal Su nshine. Continuity, which is the style that generates the illusion of a smooth, unbroken persistence across cuts by focusing our attention on story and characters and away from style (Budd, Craig and Steinman, 112), is rather varied in the film, with certain memory scenes and most present scenes adhering to the conventions of this style. For example, in the dining dead scene, a series of shot-reverse shots and eye-line matches are used to depict Joel and Clementines tense conversation. Such techniques give the scene a paced interest and put out balanced character perspectives, whilst remaining easy and natural for viewers to follow. Also, a montage is used to convey a large quantity of information to viewers in a short amount of time when Joel goes home to gather all Clementine-related objects. Unlike scenes in the present, continuity is often radically altered in subjective scenes. For example, when Joel tries to turn Patrick around to face him in the bookstore, a series of quick limit cuts repeatedly prevent the action. Also, jump cuts are often used to suddenly change memory locations, or to entirely erase characters (especially Clementine) from scenes. Finally, it is necessary to examine the films closing scene and its implications. The ending, although slightly ambiguous, seems to be a rather tragic prediction of Joel and Clementines future. The final shots observe the couple walking away together along the snowy Montak beach, suggesting the possibly of a happy ending. Suddenly however, quick jump cuts loop and replay their actions multiple times, indicating that their relationship is destined to continually fail and recommence in an inevitable cycle of love and pain.Thus, with particular attention employ to the opening shots, it has been argued that via its mise en scene, cinematography, sound, and editing, Eternal Sunshine successfully evokes atmosphere, defines character, and provides cues that generate audience reactions. Ultimately, these stylisti c elements, in conjunction with the fragmented narrative structure of the film, subjectively portray the effects of memory erasure within Joels mind, whilst constructing a bittersweet tale of an inevitably failing romance.List of Works CitedEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Dir. Michel Gondry. instruction Features, 2004.Turner, G. Film as Social Practice IV. capital of the United Kingdom Routledge, 2006.Bordwell, D. and Thompson, K. Film Art An Introduction. Fifth Edition. BostonMcGraw Hill, 1997.Budd, M., Craig, S. and Steinman, C. Continuity Style Editing. ConsumingEnvironments Television and Commercial Culture. London Rutgers University Press, 1999. 112-123.Brooker, P. and Brooker, B. Postmodern After-Images A Reader in Film, Television andVideo. Sydney London, 1997.Sperb, J. Internal Sunshine Illuminating Being-Memory in Eternal Sunshine of theSpotless Mind. Kritikos. 2 (2005)1-12.Pavlus, J. Forget Me not American Cinematographer 85.4 (2004)1-3.