Thelma & Louise

Director: Ridley Scott

Writer: Callie Khouri

Release Date: 12 July 1991 (UK)

Genre: Adventure/ Crime/ Drama/ Thriller

Producers: Mimi Polk, Callie Khouri (co-producer), Dean O'Brien (co-producer), Ridley Scott (producer)

Production Companies: MGM, Pathé Entertainment, Percy Main, Star Partners III Ltd. (in association with)
Distributors: MGM, NBC, Alamode Film, Chapel Distribution, Columbus Film,
Tobis Filmkunst, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Argentina Video Home, Columbia Home Video, MGM Home Entertainment, MGM/UA Home Entertainment, United International Pictures, Warner Home Video

User Comment:
********** - Steve (ruth.boaz)

"It is clever, exciting, and funny and is shot in the middle of the breathtaking scenery of the American Southwest. However, the thing that makes it special is its illustration of pure friendship."

User Ratings:

Males- 7.2

Females-7.7

Under 18- 7.3

Males Under 18- 7.8

Females Under 18- 6.2

Aged 18-29 - 7.3

Males 18- 29 - 7.3

Females 18-29 - 7.8

The Film:

Thelma & Louise is set in Colorado, America. The country music and landscape are cultural signifiers. The two characters are very different from one another; this is evident from the first few minutes of the film. Louise has a job and is dressed smartly; Thelma on the other hand has messy hair and is quite scatty. She is less independent that Louise and is controlled by her vein, conceited and cheating husband.

At the beginning of the scene we looked at, Thelma & Louise are in a well lit bar with lots of people- this is quite a safe environment. However, it then cuts to the car park- a generic location for a Thriller; the mise en scene is dark and the car park is deserted. The only people in it are Thelma, who is drunk and unstable and the man she had been dancing with. The "friendly" man automatically creates suspicion and this is proved when he turns violent and tries to rape her. Louise steps in to help- acting as the hero character of the film; reiterating the contrast between the two. Louise is like the male figure; she carries a gun which is commonly thought to be a male weapon.

Their characters personalities are reflected through their costumes also: Thelma wears girly, feminine clothing. Whereas Louise wears more masculine things; her clothes suggest that she is stronger than Thelma, her behaviour seems to be similar to the male also. She shoots Harlem, which is a very irrational reaction: a reaction that is more likely to come from a man as they are recognised to be more irrational than women.

The roads they drive on are dark, wet and seem to be enclosing in on them; a generic feature of the Thriller genre. The light is broken up, suggesting that their lives have been broken up- now that they are on the run. They are surrounded by huge trucks which are male signifiers; their small car is vulnerable compared and it sort of personifies them. This also suggests that there is a male vs. female theme to the film.

Ridley Scott seems to be representing the midwestern males as misogynists throughout the film. For example: Daryl (Thelma's husband) and Harlem (Rapist) The attitude of men in the era that the film is set is that a woman's role is to gratify and serve men; the quote "we don't live in that kind of world Thelma" backs this. Scott turns this on it's head by using two women as main characters- this is quite uncommon and adds a twist to the Thriller genre.

Essex Boys

Director: Terry Winsor
Writing Credits: Jeff Pope, Terry Winsor
Release Date: 14 July 2000 (UK)
Genre: Crime/ Thriller
Production Company: Granada Film Productions
Distributors: Buena Vista, Filmark, Madman Entertainment, Miramax Films, Pathe
Producers: Pippa Cross (executive producer), Paul Frift (line producer), Jeff Pope (producer)
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

User Comment:
******** - Donald Thomson

"Winsor's film, it seems to me, brilliantly evokes both the drabness and cruelty of the criminal mindset. It does this partly through the choice of dull, flat Essex landscapes with their coastal marshes, grey motorway links, flash nouveau riche mansions and the tawdry glamour of seafront locations."

"The characters are both repellent and yet curiously mesmerising. This is not a film in which it is easy to lose interest."


User Ratings:
Males- 5.9
Females- 5.9
Under 18- 4.9
Males Under 18- 5.0
Females Under 18- 4.7
Aged 18-29 - 6.1
Males 18-29 - 6.0
Females 18- 29 - 6.7


Essex Boys has a very authentic feel to it as it is based on a true story. At the beginning of the film, while the credit are on, there is a non-diegetic sound of perhaps a car being scratched; this automatically identifies the genre of the film. This is also backed up by the use of black and white on the screen. The first shot is quite ominous with dust, cobwebs etc and the mise en scene is overall very dark. The establishing shot is of Billy in a garage- he is lit by chiaroscuro lighting; also suggesting the genre and creating suspense. The garage is a good choice of location because it's a claustrophobic space and the darkness of it emphasises the corruption of the characters.

A voiceover is used as a cultural signifier; we automatically notice the Essex accent. The purpose of it's use is to engage the audience and to address them directly.

The first shot of Jason Locke is from a point of view shot. The image of him is very powerful as he stands out in the garage, staring straight through the car window towards Billy. As they are driving, you notice that there are wet, deserted roads, enclosing walls around them and a highly unglamorous industrial, grey look. All of these visual aspects show how Winsor is utilising the Thriller genre. The tunnel that they drive through is used as a kind of vanishing point; connoting claustrophobia once again but also could be a metaphor, as it looks like the barrell of a gun.

The "Welcome to Essex" sign is very ironic as the image given to the audience of the county so far isn't good. It is used to take the audience into "Jason's country". The light that goes across the car window as they are driving looks like jailbars; suggesting that billy is being blinded and corrupted by Jason. He has been brought into Jason's world through the job which he naively thinks is just chauffuering Jason wherever he wants to go. Another thing that could be suggested from that image is that the light is like piano keys; Billy is being played by Jason.
Jason is a very violent character, Billy finds this out when looking through the wing mirror of the van to see Jason attacking a man. This is done through a point of view shot and is quite a common feature in Thrillers. The violent behaviour of Billy tells the audience that he is a dark character; maybe a criminal or someone with a dark past.

At the end of this clip, the victim is left stranded, in a horrible situation. Jason and Billy drive off and a shot of Essex landscape follows, reitterating the statement that it is Jason's country. By leaving the victim stranded there, it suggests that he has been kept as a prisoner in Jason's world. You can see the white van driving off in the distance of this shot; the van is another generic signifier of a Thriller.

Once Upon a Time in America

Director: Sergio Leone
Writing Credits: Harry Grey (novel "The Hoods"), Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Benardi, Enrico Mediolo, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini, Sergio Leone
Producers: Claudio Mancini, Arnon Milchan
Release Date: 1 June 1984 (USA)
Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Thriller
Production Companies: Embassy International pictures, PSO International, Rafran Cinematografica, Regency Enterprises, Warner Bros, Wishbone
Distributors: Societe Noucvelle de Cinematographic (SNC), Warner Home Video, Ladd Company, Warner Bros. Pictures, National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Adams Films, Jugendfilm-Verleih, eauropean Video Corporation, Flashstar Home Video, LW Editora, Warner Bros.
Special Effects: Intrigue, Corridori G & A Cinematografica S.r.l
Sound Effects: Cine Audio Effects
Music recorded at: Forum Studio
Titles & Opticals: Studio 4

User Comment:
********** - Philip Van der Veken

"Sergio Leone is a real master when it comes to creating a special atmosphere, full of mystery, surprises and drama... He's one of the few directors who understands the art of cutting a movie in such a way that you stay focused until the end."

"The second reason why this movie is so great is the music. Ennio Morricone, who is seen as the greatest writer of film music ever, did an excellent job."


User Ratings:
Males- 8.4
Females- 7.6
Under 18- 8.4
Males under 18- 8.8
Females under 18- 5.6

Awards:
Won: Award of the Japanese Academy, BAFTA Film Award, Silver Ribbon, Kinema Junpo Award, LAFCA Award, Sant Jardi

Nominated: BAFTA Award, Golden Globe


At the very beginning of Once Upon a Time in America, while the credits are rolling, is a sound-bridge; it's of the song "God Bless America". The film is set in the USA, but the purpose of using that particular song is to establish an ironic tone as a girl gets shot within the first few minutes of the film,suggesting and creating an image of corruption. This soundtrack is also featured in "The Deer Hunter" (1978) to criticise the USA's involvement in Vietnam. Therefore, Sergio Leone is possibly using it to make a critical statement about the USA in the same way. It could also be a sort of tribute to Michael Cimino; a recognition and agreement of his work.

The film mainly focuses on gangsters and police corruption; this is easily recognisable within the first couple of minutes. The first feature of the film is the non-diegetic sound of footsteps, this is a generic convention of a thriller film; it creates tension. The following sound is of a door opening which increases suspense. The establishing shot is in a door way- the dark noir lighting also signifies the genre. This is followed by a high angle close-up of Eve's face; she wears shining pearls, a faux fur coat and red nail varnish; indicating that she is a femme fatale character. This is suggested by her glamourous look; the red nail varnish connotes danger. It is not until she puts the tiffany light on that her face is really revealed; the lighting is clear and simple, giving a beautiful image of her. Eve's costume reveals to the audience that the film is set in the 1930's.

You can see that something is bothering her, she pulls the bed cover back to reveal bullet holes in the shape of a human body on the bed (high angle shot). The bullet holes reinforce the genre of the film as it is a common visual device used TV crime dramas (such as CSI). The rule of thirds is also used here- she is on the right of the screen.

The next thing to happen is a gunshot; a man then comes out of the shadows, followed by two others. The body language of the three men connotes danger and suggests that they are definite intruders. The 3:1 ratio makes it a sort of bullying situation, especially seeing as there are three men and one woman. Their costumes are conventional; they wear long coats, dark colours and hats; the fact that they are all in brown also suggests that they work as a group/ team. The behaviour of the men is intimidating as they are all staring at Eve and their faces aren't very clear because their hats cover their eyes. The man standing in the centre seems to be the "alpha" male and leader of the group.

The camera then focuses on the intruders closing in on Eve. She is wearing light coloured clothing- they are wearing dark; this shows that they are the villainous characters. The camera then cuts to the body shape on the bed, suggesting that it has been put there ready for her. The lamp and her shirt are the same colour; when the light is turned off it indicates that she is dead.

The camera cuts really quickly to the next victim: who is violently assaulted. A close-up is used to show the vulnerability of the victim and the brutality of his attackers. The three men are still together, suggesting that they travel as a group and that they are cowards because they have to work as a trio. The fact that they choose easy targets (a woman and an overweight man) back this up.

The film then cuts to an Opium den; a scene with Noodles out of his on drugs. Furthermore reinforcing the ironic representation of America. The non-diegetic sound-bridge of the phone ringing links Noodles to a flashback of his murdered friends- the ringing sound is in his imagination.

The rain and dark mise-en-scene of the next cut signifies the thriller genre very strongly. The street lights and fire are shown through noir and chiarosciro lighting and the soaking street connotes death. The body bags and labels are another convention of the genre. Also, the fact that Noodles is watching tells the audience that he is involved/ connected to the deaths in some way- making him a generic thriller character.

Presentation On British Thrillers

In groups, we had to research into the three British Drama/ Thriller films: Red Road, London to Brighton and This Is England. We then had to present the information that we collected infront of the class. This is the powerpoint presentation that my group and I created:

Young Guns- Weight Of The World

I really love this song and it reminds me of the past few months.