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MONDAY 3:35 SCREENING
it's the movies that have really been running things ... ever since they were invented. they show you what to do, how to do it, when to do it, how to feel about it, and how to look how you feel about it. --andy warhol
BILL COSFORD CINEMA
MONDAY 3:35 SCREENING
The French film, La Maternelle, was an enjoyable story, but not a recommended example for film technique. There were multiple areas of directing fails, but it seems like the screenwriter deserves the praise of this film. The sweet character Rose, the over-qualified maid of the orphanage, was the drive in this film. I agree with Trae that this film about Rose alludes to the film Amelie with the similar heartfelt storylines about their loving others and the ending of them falling in love themselves.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion of this film is completely biased because I love children very much, so despite the epic fails in cinematography, I was drawn by the film’s content. There’s nothing like watching kids taking care of other kids, picking their noses and singing and dancing together. It always gets me.
The truths portrayed make this film successful, but I can’t pinpoint more than a couple shots that were composed well. The small transition effects were good attempts and some of them worked, but the only reason I find the cinematography inexcusable is because M was made before this and the film quality bar was raised in that time period.
-Allison Basham
What was with the picture and the sound? La Maternelle was just ok. I didn’t love the story but some of the scenes in the film are so typical of young school children. Some examples are when the kid ate the nickel, when another kid was being checked for lice and the play that was put on for the parents. I think that all of us have experienced something like that in elementary school days. After working at a summer camp for a few years and watching this movie I have a further understand that kids do certain things because they can get away with it. In other words kids and don’t understand the consequences of their actions thus they don’t have responsibility. I would say that the performances of the children were spot on, it wasn’t over acted but rather natural in a realistic setting. The film follows the story of Rose who takes a job at a school for poor children, over time the children grow very fond of her especially a girl named Marie. Marie and Rose form a very close relationship but when it comes time for Rose to help the other kids Marie gets jealous and fights with other children. The camera work and editing were fairly simple, nothing to crazy or really memorable except for the sequence when Marie jumps into the water. The director’s use of reflection and montage editing help to convey the emotional state of Marie and show why she jumped in. The film ends happily as Marie and Rose become good friends again.
ReplyDeleteI thought La Maternelle was overall really cute. The children were fabulous as was Madeline Renaud, perhaps I am just a sucker. Looking deeper into the film, I realized La Maternelle is somewhat of a feminist commentary on early French life. Rose, a woman who after a series of unfortunate events is left to fend for herself even though she has a college education and comes from a well off family. She is put into a predicament where she has to swallow her pride and becomes a ‘maid’ for poor school children, and she does so beautifully- along the way finding true happiness in her newfound work. When the head of the school finds out rose has a college education, she insists that Rose resign as a maid is no job for someone who has been educated. I thought the line where she comments about Rose having no morals or self respect because she is working a job that’s beneath her was especially ironic, as Rose has just the opposite- she is so self certain that she does not care what status her job is. She explains that she had to take this job, and that there was nothing else, a bold, respectable move. The story definitely made up for the somewhat off transitions and confusing jump cuts.
ReplyDeleteWatching this film knowing the limitations of early sound movies was interesting. You can clearly see the limitations of the camera in framing and mobility, which I’m assuming is due to the ice-box the camera is housed in. Still, the story was engaging and the acting never felt unnatural. If anything, the lack of creative cinematography made this feel like a documentary in certain scenes. A director doesn’t need to direct a room full of children, just putting a bunch of kids in a room and filming it is the most realistic you can be.
ReplyDeleteEven though the intercutting of close ups and inserts felt out of rhythm, the close ups on Rose reminded me a lot of The Passion of Joan of Arc, only in this case, it’s the portrait of a loving woman instead of an afraid, suffering one. There was an interesting connection, intentional or not, between Rose’s high-exposure, glowing close ups, and the close up to the little girl after she almost drowned, who’s face was half lit in the style of Rose’s glow, while the other half had the darker shadow. Perhaps a statement on Rose’s love finally starting to reach the small girl, even though she still has a side that is in pain.
Unfortunate that the screening had issues with the audio, because compared to M, this film had much more atmosphere and heart in its soundtrack.
This was another one of the screenings that I thought was much too long. To me it seems like these types of stories would have been better suited for a shorter run time, like on television. The scene where the little girl, Marie, attempts suicide by jumping off of a bridge was very well done. I liked how they did not show her actually hit the water, but conveyed this through other characters reactions and leaves it to the viewer to infer. There was another really well done scene where there is some sort of confrontation between Rose, Marie, Dr. Libois, as well as a few others where a series of rapid cuts shows each character observing another character. Otherwise, the camera seemed to be mostly stationary and did not use many advanced techniques. The film’s audio and subtitles were in some of the worst condition I have ever seen or heard which I feel greatly diminished the experience. The English subtitles were written in white, which was nearly impossible to see in close to half of the movie, which I am sure is no fault of the original filmmakers. The audio would boom in and out, on and off throughout the film also which was not incredibly distracting but really annoying. Otherwise I thought the film’s use of sound was better and less noticeable than in M. I can really appreciate seeing a film like this now even though it was in bad condition, because who knows, this film could be in even worse condition down the road.
ReplyDeleteLa Maternelle
ReplyDeleteSarah Garcia
This film really grabbed my attention with its shot composition, acting, and blocking. This filmmaker did an excellent job of getting the audience to pay attention with artistic shot composition, tremendous performances from the little children, and the blocking especially of Marie was amazing. I really think that if you could take out all of the dialogue it could really be a horror film, because the little girl Marie freaked me out with her obsession with her teacher Rose. I thought that she was going to kill her the first time she slept at her house, because if she could not have her all to herself then no one could and she did not want anyone else to get the opportunity to kiss her. This little girl reminded me of a girl in one Law and Order episode who was obsessed with one of the detectives and she ended setting her apartment of fire the night that she had her sleep over because the same thing happened her that happened to Marie she had an absentee parent and was all on her own.
Also, I noticed the cinematography in this film more then any other film we have watched this semester. They were more artistic and developed the story more so then the other films we have screened. For example the shot of the coats where they are there and then gone shows passage of time. Also the shot of all the empty bowls was not only aesthetically pleasing, but it produced the emotion of wanting how the children often want more than what the maids or teachers could give them, more then what there parents could give them.
The blocking of Marie was incredible. The way she carried herself showed the neglect she felt on a daily basis, which made her, feel almost paralyzed, and it showed her trying to melt into herself so that she could be as small as possible so that people would not notice her in any way. She wanted to hide from men especially, but she also did not enjoy being around her classmates because she was often jealous of love they received because she wanted to be the only who received attention.
Finally I am sure everyone is going to mention the picture and the sound, which were horrible. If the loud scratching of the film was continual through out the film, but because it was on and off it almost made it annoying because the audience is always thinking about that if it is going to stay or not, so it took the audience away from the story. Also the picture kept messing up and that was frustrating.
Well, what can I say besides that I really didn't like this movie at all! As far as cinematography and overall technique "La Maternelle" is nothing special, in fact it does nothing new or interesting as far as I can tell except that it has sound.
ReplyDeleteThe premise of the film was a fairly simple one. A young college educated woman named Rose finds herself unemployed and resorts to taking a job as a children’s maid at a school. Dr. Libois, the school’s doctor ends up falling in love with her (and ultimately marries her) because of her understanding and dedication to the children.
It was difficult for “La Maternelle" to capture (and hold) my attention with merely shot after boring/static shot of little children. Not much really goes on and all we really see are children being de-loused, picking their noses, or playing/beating up on each other, and although in some instances this was all kind of funny it really didn’t go beyond that. So needless to say I was pretty bored. I did however find it interesting how the headmistress of the school made such a big deal out of Rose being college educated and working as a maid. This was probably one of the only real “substantial” things about the film, as it comments on societal views of women and social status at the time in France.
The sound for some reason was terrible. I'm assuming it was due to poor DVD quality, but nonetheless it made it a little difficult to really appreciate the film (especially since it is only the second sound film we've seen.) The subtitles were very hard to read at times; many times I couldn't read them at all so I missed portions of the dialogue.
Overall "La Maternelle" wasn't a very pleasant viewing experience for me.
La Maternelle also known as Children of Montmartre… I loved it. I always thought that silent films were the ones that I would always love but La Maternelle was mind blowing to me. I liked everything from the way the camera was set up to the way the children acted in the film, I was taken back by it so much that I felt like the children were not acting that everything was appending for real and that the children were really in love with Rose. I don’t know if in “real life” the actors really love the children but in the film it looked like they were playing game when the camera stopped rolling. I also love the way that Jean Benoit-Levy and Maria Epstein catches the children that made me feel everything that they were felling and thinking. I have to say that when I was younger I was just like Marie; the way she is with Rose, I was just like that with my mother. So I really loved this film for the reasons being that it made me think of my mother and how children are when they are little and what they will do to get there point across to the person that they are trying to talk to. I really liked the chair in the film; how it would start to play I song every time someone would sit on it. There is only one thing that just made me think, and that is… why wont the camera look up at the older people and why did the film look so much at hands. I guessed that the reason behind this was that, the film was trying to give you a “feel”. Like if the cameras were the children. Maybe that’s the reason why I felt like I was 10 years old all over again. And the reason for showing the hands… I really don’t know maybe the film makers like body parts. I read that Jean Benoit-Levy would always cut of (when making a film) his actors body parts, by not showing their face, feet, or legs. Or maybe that’s just want some may say about film makers like Jean Benoit-Levy, I just know that I like the way Jean Benoit-Levy and Maria Epstein work together and the way they made La Maternelle it come out really good, and it did not feel long at all. It felt like as if I went in to see the movie and came out ten minutes later.
ReplyDeleteApart from the issues with sound and the jumpy frame rate during some scenes of the film, La Maternelle, was an interesting study of character. There was a lack of action or really interesting events until the end, where Maria tries to kill herself because she is consumed with jealously. The plot serves more to reveal characteristics, rather than take the audience on a journey. I believe this is a technique that the French do very well in their films, even today, as opposed to American films that are based more on action or adventure. In addition, the filming style was very simple. There were no complex camera angles and the camera did not move around much. Although, the film pacing was slightly slow, I enjoyed the children and the relation that forms between them and Rose.
ReplyDeleteRose’s dedication to the children is mainly shown by how warm the children are to her and how she denies to leave the school even though she is a college graduate and is suppose to be a teacher.
The performances from the actors were very natural and not exaggerated. I was impressed by Marie’s performance. She truly portrayed the turmoil she was going through due to her jealousy and love of Rose. Marie’s character arc was evident when Dr. Libois sets the mouse free and shows that he means no harm. Marie warms up to the idea of Rose being with Dr. Libois.
I can see where Rose is similar to Amelie. Amelie, like Rose, is innocent and kind, and she goes out of her to help others. Just like Rose dedicates herself to better the lives of the poor children, Amelie is determined to help those around her be happy.
La Maternelle had a very typical storyline that has been done and overdone today. Therefore, watching the first was interesting and boring at the same time. It was intriguing to see where the later versions such as Amelie emerged from, but since I had already seen it done a few times, I was bored by the story line. The frame rate was a bit jumpy at times, which was slightly distracting, but I do not think that it was due to the film but rather it was due to the DVD. The sound was also distracting--there was unremitting static that overpowered the actors' voices, so when I went to look at the subtitles (besides the fact that someone's head was in the way), it was difficult to read because there was usually a white background on the white text.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I did not enjoy this film. Partly because of the sound and picture quality flukes but I found it difficult to follow although it appeared to follow a very simple plot line. I think they tried to capitalize on the cuteness of the children by shooting them for extended periods of time, which made the plot linger for too long. For example, the play the children were in could've been cut by at least a minute. It was cute at first, but you can only watch little children for so long in a film.
Marie, the child that Rose takes under her wing, is an interesting character, but I do not think she fit the film, specially with Rose. They either needed to make Rose a little quirkier or dim down Marie's eccentricity. She gave off a creepy vibe, rather than that of a child that needed saving-at least to me. I feel like the characters didn't vibe well with each other. I don't think the film truly allowed the audience to care for the character, as an individual first, before they threw them into a character interaction.
There was, however, one shot I fell in love with in this film. The director put some sort of ribbon in front of the camera to divide the scream when Marie runs away. It shows up again when she returns and Dr. Libois is going to set the mouse free. That was my favorite shot! It was ingenious to divide up the screen to attract the viewer's attention to where Marie was heading and what she was leaving behind, as well as when she returned because it showed the new home she was coming back to.
Although I did not enjoy this film, I have no problem looking at the silver lining! Every film brought us closer to what we have today, and we could learn something from each one we see. :)
Nathalie Fernandez
La Maternelle was a very interesting film. It demonstrated really well the concepts of love and caring for another human being and the effects these could have on us. Rose was a very influencing character and La Maternelle established really well how the kids loved her. This film had tremendous realism and made me feel as if I also depended in Rose’s love.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I noticed several flaws like for example the subtitles were late most of the times and sometimes they did not even appear so it was hard for me to catch on but it is somewhat understandable since in 1933 when the film was produced sound was an innovation. Also at times weird sounds that did not let me understand the dialogue came up. Characters, especially kids acted really well and made it seem as if it were all happening right in front of us. This movie was really sweet and compelling and made me realize the importance motherhood and femininity. Humbleness was also an important theme in the film. I liked this film because even though it dealt with real themes and problems it was also a bit comedic and made me laugh at times. Although it had weird jump cuts and transitions I believe it was relatively well made.
La Maternelle was a really mixed view for me. It didn’t help that the sound quality jumped all over the spectrum throughout and the movie got stuck on a few frames fairly often. One particular scene must’ve take twice as long to watch and I was worried that we were going to be stuck watching the movie until 8 o’clock at night. The subtitles where difficult to make out. It was almost as bad as trying to watch the Kite Runner with tan subtitles. It takes place in Afghanistan… All there is, is sand! Anyway, those problems are to no fault of the filmmaker but they may have influenced my viewing of the film. Because of how frustrating those problems where, I found myself begging for the end maybe without just cause. There was a lot of good stuff within the actual film including brilliant performances by the leading ladies, especially that little girl. Really, all of the children were so brilliantly presented. Their mannerisms and just everything they did was so real, and rather adorable, I must add.
ReplyDeleteIt was hilarious when Marie looked like she was trying to get a little too intimate with Rose. Hilarious due to the audience’s reaction. The instant she said Rose was beautiful I thought to myself, “Ya know what would be really funny right now? Pedophilia!” And then it looked like it was going there. All of a sudden the little girl is asking if she ever kisses the students, they get in real close, and I could hear jaws dropping and people shuffling in their seats. It was wonderful. This movie however, was French poetic realism, not French extremism, so it didn’t happen. Instead we got a heartwarming story of a woman who comes from good standing and doesn’t necessarily need to work this job, which says something about her character, and she ends up taking care of a lonely and neglected little girl who needs her. It was a nice story, but it just felt like it moved so slowly and they tossed in a romance story line far too late in the film and almost in a half assed manner so they could have a moment of conflict where the little girl thinks she is being abandoned again.
La Maternelle, directed by Jean Benoit-Levy and Marie Epstein was a surprise for this week’s screening choice. I found myself looking for some sort of innovation of technique, cinematography or style, but found myself struggling to find what made it outrank other films of the same time period. Despite this, Madeleine Renaud gave a wonderful performance as Rose, but the movie itself didn’t seem to have a strict plot… I kept expecting more of an investigation into the disappearance and whereabouts of Marie’s mother, but the sequences of Marie’s obsession over Rose really seemed to define the movie.
ReplyDeleteCertain scenes of the film reminded me of the “actualities” we viewed at the beginning of the school term. The camera captured the children playing in the school-yard, hanging up their coats and teetering to and fro, simply going about their business and not necessarily acting. These cutaway and transitional shots blended very well with the acted scenes. While Rose was the protagonist, I think some of the children really stole the show. It was these simple interactions between Rose and the children stood out the most. For example, Rose’s scene with the boy who never learned how to smile was an innocent and beautiful sequence that was very simple, yet none-the-less effective.
The little girl, Marie also gave a very naturalistic (yet very intense) performance. During close-ups, she and rose often looked right at the camera.
The reaction of the principal when she found out the “true identity” of Rose was mildly hilarious. It was an interesting perspective into that time period that a college educated female would not even be allowed to hold a position of such a nature (child care) because she was “over qualified”. I also found it a little humorous that within basically two interactions, Dr. Libois was so taken with Rose, he was ready to propose to her. The intercut reactions of various characters at the school to his proposal were quick, intense and (perhaps unintentionally) quite funny.
The character of “Mme. Pauline” was an effective contrast to sweet, gentle Rose and the interactions, disagreements and scuffles between “Mme. Pauline” and Marie set the stage for the drama that was later to follow when Marie’s obsession with Rose went to new heights. Mme Pauline, who was almost always singing or humming, reflected back to our viewing of “M”, where we learned about character association through song or noise.
^^^ Brianne McKay (I forgot to put my name!)
ReplyDeleteLa Maternelle was an odd movie. Its bizzare in that everything happens, but it seems detached. Marie's relationship with Rose takes a backseat and then comes back full force, and the romance seems shoe horned in. All of a sudden they are getting married because she touched the doctors hands and sang with the children about a rabbit.
ReplyDeleteBut I did like it nonetheless. I thought that the performance by the lead actress was very, very good. It was very natural and was transfixing. I thought that it was The Passion of Joan of Arc inspired in they way that they situated the lights so that you can see the gleam in her eyes.
I also loved the Marie storyline (even if it wasn't handled as well as it could have). Its unique to have a character that is yearning for a mother that will only kiss her. There is nothing sexual about the relationship in my mind, it is that Marie is so used to seeing her mom kiss everybody and then leave her alone that she equates the kiss with devotion and a kiss to anyone else means that she could be losing her mother. To all those that say that movies now are much grittier, here is a girl who is the daughter of a prostitute who becomes extremely sensitive and disturbed by normal gestures of love. Sounds pretty gritty to me.
I must say that I would have liked the movie better if the copy in the library had been better. It was on a VHS tape, the frame was off so that most of the time I was looking at the bottom half of faces or headless bodies. Not only that, but the subtitles were few and far between and they were completely white, which in a black and white movie means that they were rather hard to read, if they were readable at all. This probably kept me from full engagement in the story, guess I learned to make all the screenings no matter what.
I liked the use of the camera. The shot where the hats and coats appear and disappear in a fade was awesome, so was the moment when she throws out her hands and the kids run in as the camera pulls out. It created a very cool effect.
I did like this movie, but school dramas really are not my cup of tea, so I can't say I would rush back and see it again.
In addition I wanted to say that these filmmakers during this time, and coming from the roots of silent film, really were in tune with telling a story through the visuals, rather than explaining all of it. Pixar has tapped into this talent, but it seems to be lost sometimes, and its a very good talent to have. I do remember hearing about Clear and Present Danger and how they had this whole scene of dialog for when Harrison Ford walks into a room with all of these monitors. He told the director to scrap the lines because he could do it with just a look, and he did. I like when you don't need to use words to convey your story (but not the Ozu way), and I wish more films would use this idea.
ReplyDeleteOn Monday we watched La Maternelle. I liked the film but what was going on with the sound? It seemed like the right speaker was damaged but in the middle of the movie the sound miraculously got fixed and went back and forth between good sound and bad.
ReplyDeleteThe film showed, the main character, Rose who worked at an elementary school and a young girl who is not loved and grows and attachment towards Rose on night when she Rose helps her. But Rose doesn’t play favorite and treats all her students the same, which causes feelings of jealousy in the young girl. By the end of the film, Rose finds a man who is interested in her, but the young girl becomes extremely jealous, and it’s not until the man saves a mouse from Madam Poulin that she realized he is not a bad man and lets Rose go with him.
This movie has definitely influenced other French films. The first one that came to my mind were those of Francois Truffaut, especially 400 Blows and his portrayal of children. The other film that was influenced by this one is Amelie, besides the obvious, there’s a character in La Maternelle called Madam Poulin. Poulin is the same last name Amelie has.
Overall I enjoyed the film, it wasn’t great but it was charming, and his portrayal of kids was certainly enjoyable. Although it would be nice to see a version of the film without the sound defects.
This week we watched the French film, La Maternelle. The film was about this recently single girl, Rose, who went from riches to rags and now has to find a way to take care herself. She takes the first job that is offered to her, a maid at a school. Once again, I was not too fond of the film. First I just have to say that sound and the static would turn anyone off no matter if it is the greatest film ever made. It was way too loud, screechy, and just mostly annoying. Though in the screening you did glimmers of hope because it would stop but forty seconds later it was back. Another thing that I had a problem with was the weird Lesbian undertone. I could be totally wrong, which I probably am, but if I recall the head maid told Rose that she was very attractive and fun to stare at. Rose was thankful for her compliment but this conversation never happened again or was even addressed. Then there was a child in the school, Marie, whose mother was always meeting up with guys and leaving her with babysitters who did not care for her. Though the film never said it because it tried to be clever and fade into the next scene but I think the Head Maid was telling Rose that her mom was a prostitute, once again I could be very wrong. Rose takes in Marie after her mom leaves with another man and then that’s where things get weird and I mean like “Orphan” weird. Marie hated guys and anytime she saw them trying to talk to Rose or her mother she would get angry and do something crazy. Her actions and character seemed very weird to the genre this story was in, and I am not sure it fitted. I think the story would have still been interesting without the Marie character going insane and falling for Rose. The film could have taken a, “To Sir, With Love” approach and been about the teacher’s struggle with the class or even the school system itself. Also I found it very odd that it was a big deal that Rose had a college degree so therefore she could not be a maid. Maybe it was just the sound that turned me off from, La Maternelle, but I was not a fan and I don’t think I would watch it again or even recommended it.
ReplyDeleteThis weeks screening--La Maternelle--was one of the first french films to successfully utilize sound. I enjoyed the film and it served as a stark contrast to the german films seen recently.
ReplyDeleteThe sound during the film was distracting. I am not sure if this was because of the film negative or if it was a recording issue. That said, I was able to tune it out.
The film's focus on the lives of children reminded me of Truffant's 400 blows. I enjoyed 400 blows more because of the subjective narrative--from the child's point of view.
I enjoyed all of the characters in the film and felt they all brought something unique to the story.
The sound issue was distracting, but overall an enjoyable screening.
La Maternelle proved to be quite the contrast from the sound films we have been viewing recently. Presented as the first French film to utilize sound, La Maternelle shows this through the many flaws of its soundtrack. Perhaps it was this particular cut of the film, but I found the sound of this film to be distracting. The quality was poor and their were frequent pops in the recording. This was the first sound film were I felt it would improve the film if it were silent. At times I felt like covering my ears, just because the sound was either too loud or screechy. While the sound was poorly mixed the film itself suffered from mediocre cinematography. Many of the camera positions were alright, there was never a moment were I was taken aback by a camera shot. The acting in the film wasn't anything special either, but I did find the different characters used in the film to have interesting contrast. Rose was the quite, sweet teaching character while Mme. Paulin was the brash and jolty character. They played off well with each other with the situations that arose between them. All in all, I felt this was an okay film, nothing too spectacular from it. Hopefully the quality of the sound improves with the later films being shown.
ReplyDeleteThe French film, La Maternelle was okay. The technical errors in the movie spoiled it the most. It was already bad enough that it was a foreign film with subtitles. Then the fact that I couldn’t even read the subtitles because of the white color of the text and the white background in some of the scenes, made it even worse. All of the dialogue focused my attention on trying to keep up with what was going on with what they were saying that I didn’t have a chance to catch everything visually going on. The language barrier was just really a challenge. From what I did catch and could actually read, the story line seemed interesting. The visuals that I did pay attention to were okay. It was too much white for me. I don’t know if that was what the director was going for, for some artistic purpose but it didn’t work for me. These characters weren’t pure and “holy.” Rose had some great characteristics about her but still she wasn’t working in this sanctified place to the point, all of that white was necessary. I’m just glad it wasn’t another cliché French film where all they do is have erotic sex. So it was good to see something refreshing for a change. The character Rose was kind of boring and bland to me. She was trying to seem like this caring woman that the kids could turn to but she didn’t express that emotionally enough. I liked the little girl who was jealous of Rose kissing the other children. She really clanged to Rose because of her mother’s absence due to prostitution. I was really upset and almost cried when the little boy died in the beginning of the film. Rose was the only person who could get him to smile and I automatically connected to the little boy’s innocence. He was picked on, beat up, had to deal with the treatment of the head master and probably even had a rough life at home. But then the film kills off the little boy; that was depressing and I didn’t agree with that decision at all. The film could have incorporated him into the story more later on. The head master was a typical antagonist. Later you see her soften up and really try to make things a little bit easier for Rose.
ReplyDeleteLa Maternelle was a tough one for me to sit through. While this was not intended to be part of the film, the static in the background was overwhelming and overpowered the tenderness and beauty of the film. What was worse was that every now and then it would cut out giving a quietness and breath of fresh air that the film really seemed to embody, only to go back to static a second or two later. While this was not meant to be a part of the film it did impact my opinion of the film.
ReplyDeleteI loved the actress the played the maid in the film. There was a beauty and simplicity in her acting and the way she was depicted through camera work that was quite beautiful. Her entire set-up made the audience understand that thirst for the love and attention she gave to all of the children. The interaction and use of children in such a simple setting added to the lyrical nature of the film – it was very light, airy and ethereal. The best play of characters was the relationship she had with one borderline orphan girl, Marie. The relationship was cute and served as the narrative manifestation of how desirable Rose was to those around her. Eventually Rose and one of the school employees (physician, I believe) fall for each other. It was nice to see Rose go with someone else after giving so much of herself. Marie could not handle the extra attention and thought of losing her new parental figure and chose to toss herself off a dock. I thought Marie was great in the beginning of the film, but she gradually grew stranger and more creepy as the film progressed until the point where I finally did not like her as a character – she felt like a complete antagonist to the film and its progression at the end.
I did see the elements of French Poetic Realism throughout the film. From the long shots, quiet and romantic scenes, and an awareness of the space and meaning of the frame.
La Maternalle was a cross between really tragic and really cutesy. I was a little confused by the tone. But, I did appreciate the film for what it showed me. It was touching and interesting to just witness the scenes where kids are allowed to be kids. It takes you out of the crappy lives they all have because they still have a childhood of some sort.
ReplyDeleteI thought the acting was really good, and story well written. It's not all that fascinating to look at visually, it's fairly basic and limited in it's cinematic choices, but, the story and characters are really what carry it off.
It was also interesting to consider the collaborative work that went on behind the camera, and how maybe a female hand influenced the direction of the film. There's a tenderness to it and I couldn't help but wander if the one-half female directing team had anything to do with that.
Overall, I connected to this fairly well, although not as much I would expect from a story like that. There were a few things that distracted me here and there.
La Maternelle had too many physical problems to really even breakdown the storyline and think about the different camera angles. I’m not sure if it was due to the movie or that’s how the actual film sounds but it was horrible. Unfortunately directors sometimes look to deep into their storyline without actually worrying about the basics of film. On top of that I’m not really a huge fan of French cinema so overall coming into this film I did not have an open mind. Aside from all these errors the storyline was pretty interesting. You can definitely tell that a college education was regarded as being intelligent and with it there should be a higher standard for oneself. Today its not uncommon to see people with college educations working lesser jobs in hopes to save money for something better.
ReplyDeleteThe school seemed like an enclosed world for the movie. Whenever someone left the school the outside world seemed like a scary and unknown place, especially when Marie was on the pier and decided to jump into the water. The character of Marie seems like the epitome of jealousy, if one were to have no restrictions on the emotion. She’s a wonderful character to watch unfold, she has nothing that she is striving towards nor any responsibilities in her life, this leaves a lot of time for thinking. Her obsession with Rose can fully mature and she can think about Rose all the time. It’s interesting to see a character so committed to their goals because when conflict arises it will be devastating for one of the individuals.
La Maternelle was a very cute film. Rose was a very sweet and modest young lady. She had money and was well educated, yet she still looked for a job and tried her best. At the beginning of the film, the kids didn’t seem to have someone to trust or sit and talk to. Everyone in the school seemed too old or too strict.
ReplyDeleteMarie, the little girl, seemed to have everything she wanted. Her mother wasn’t strict and gave her child everything just so that she wouldn’t hear from her. The daughter-mother relationship reminded me of the same relationship Dakota fanning had with her mother in Uptown Girl. But in this case, Marie’s mother disappears leaving the child alone. Dakota Fanning and Marie are alike because both are very stubborn and want things their way.
Rose, being the lovable woman she is, decides to take care of Marie. Marie begins to change the way she is after receiving love from Rose. She becomes a very charming girl and is extremely attached to Rose.
Finally, the school’s physician stops seeing Rose bad when he finds out she is well educated. After the two start spending time together, you get to see the jealousy feeling Marie is feeling towards the school physician. Seeing Marie’s reaction, we notice how important it is the love and time others give us. It was very sweet in the end when the physician and Rose decide to take her under their wing after they see that she not who she tries to be. Not letting a rat be killed is an act of kindness that no one thought she was able to do. Again, the film was very cute, it felt short and the plot was very simple but it was a heart warming film. I loved the act of kindness everyone in the film had.
I, like the rest of my classmates, thought that La Maternelle was a very cute film. However, it also comprised of very dark undertones of orphan life as well as what it was like to be a woman during this French time period.
ReplyDeleteThe movie narrated a character named Rose, a recently penniless woman of high class and education, who is forced to forgo her ego and work as a maid for an orphanage. There, she learns that true happiness does not equate to how much money she has, but by the richness she receives from the children and her love for them as well as Doctor Libois.
La Maternelle did a fantastic job at emoting the audiences’ feelings towards the children and their happiness and unhappiness. In other words, sometimes child actors can be overplayed and unbelievable after a while, but the director and actresses did a good job at the more subdued and natural approach to acting. This is especially the case with a particular orphan, one whose name escapes me at the moment. In any case, this orphan girl is so scarred by the fact that she has no real permanent parents that she clings on to every single member of the working staff so that they may never leave her.
Despite warning form a fellow maid, Rose pays particular attention to this needy child. Then, in a series of misunderstood incidences, the child believes that Rose has left her and attempts to commit suicide.
I thought that this particular scene was incredibly dark and well directed. I actually believed the movie could have ended there, with the orphan’s crown drifting away in the water. Call me a cynic, but I felt that that would have struck a stronger chord with the audience.