RED CLIFF REVIEW

The last film i saw was John Woo's historic war epic. The film is based in china in the 3rd century AD at the end of the Han dynasty. It follows the historic battle of red cliff, where an alliance of the southern warlords; Liu Bei and Sun Quan fight of an invading army from the north lead by prime minister Cao Cao. I thought the film was very good it balanced brilliant battle scenes with a underlying story of twists and betrayal. I thought the performances were excellent as even though the whole film is subtitled the characters emotions are portrayed very well. 

this shot was for the lonely place brief. the long road suggests a lonely road whilst the hedges cut the road off from the outside world. the fence on the hill also suggest this idea of separation.

This shot was for the children lost in the woods brief. the shot implies depth of woods and the winding path suggests mystery.

WE used this shot for the ghost story brief. I like this shot as it shows grave which suggest death also the old church adds to this effect. also the trees give darkness and add an air of mystery to the shot.

This shot was for the spying brief. We chose this shot as it implies that the we are hidden and the bushes frame the shot nicely.

500 words on the performance fo an actor/actress in a scene

I have decided to look at the actress Natalie Portman in the 2005 film v for vendetta. The film directed by James McTeigue is based on the dark horse graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore. The film is set in the near future, in London. The government is a totalitarian regime led by chancellor Sutler (John Hurt). The film follows the activities of freedom fighter V (Hugo Weaving) who sets out to change society whilst pursuing a vendetta against those who have wronged him. A woman called Evey (Natalie Portman) is swept up in this conflict and helps V exact his plans which culminate in the death of the chancellor and the destruction of the houses of parliament.
I have chosen Natalie as I believe her performances in this film help add to the realism and help us as an audience get lost in the world created by the film.
The scene I have chosen to look at is scene 21 when Evey leaves the ‘prison’ that V placed her in to help her lose her fear of the government. This scene sees Evey emerge from the prison disgusted at what V has done to her but then she begins to realise how he has helped her. I have chosen this particular film as I think it is one of the best performances in the film and brilliantly showcases Natalie Portman’s abilities as an actress. I think the range of emotions and how it is done is amazing.
Firstly her costume helps the believability as it is an orange prison dress that is dirty and ragged this helps us visualise how she has been in a prison. Her shaved head also adds to this. Her reddened eyes make it look like she has been crying.
Body language and facial expression are also used effectively. When opening the door she appears to be very wary and confused by what is going on. She is also very limp and tired. When she sees V and begins to question him she becomes very angry at him for imprisoning and torturing her she shows this by exaggerating her shouts using her arms. When he tries to explain she shakes her head in disbelief. When he moves to comfort her she backs away now scared of him. Also when she talks she bares her teeth in anger, she also stares at him. When she breaks down as he realises how V has helped her she curls up into a ball for security and begins to hyperventilate. She rocks as V comforts her. She gasps for air as she cries showing she is truly distraught when she thinks about it more she becomes relaxed and calm. When she asks to go outside she looks up at him as if begging. When she is outside she stares up at the sky, we can see she is happy to be outside she smiles as the rain hits her. When in the rain she also looks very serene and at peace with herself. She laughs and raises her arms as she realises she is free from both the prison and her fears.
Natalie Portman delivers her lines very well as she changes between her paces, tone and emotion with relative ease. When she was angry she shouts at him but in such a way that she gives of a feeling of hate. She also interacts well with V showing they have a trustful relationship even after all the things he has done she shows this by letting him comfort her when she breaks down even though she has just been yelling at him for all the things he has done