Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Samantha Hoh: SHERLOCK HOLMES (Mystery)
Those from the last few generations have been entertained by the exploits of the famous British detective, Sherlock Holmes. As the decades pass, new films depict the same character with the benefit of newer technology to appease the more contemporary audiences. As part of one of the newer audiences, your task is to relate some of the elements of the "MYSTERY" genre discussed by Samantha, to the film. It is valuable to note any specific techniques used by the director or choreographer too. One often used devise is to transition one scene to another just as witnessed when Blackwood was hung and died. The last scene shows Blackwood, eyes closed and dead. The immediate next scene opens with Sherlock Holmes asleep, but waking. Discuss Samantha's presentation, her choice of film to illustrate "mystery" as a genre, and your observations about cinema as it relates to this film.
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"How did you achieve it, Holmes?" This line adequately describes the movie Sherlock Holmes and many other mystery films as depicted in Samantha's presentation. We frequently wonder how an individual such as Holmes can unravel such in depth mysteries with seemingly little trouble. This is a trait of many myster films in that they make one character so intelligent that the audience cannot help but wonder how they did it.
ReplyDeleteIn Samantha's presentation, I learned that there are two key types of mystery. The first being open mystery and the second being closed mystery. They reveal the culprit at their own times, the closed mystery leaving it to the very end and the open mystery just announcing it. It was interesting to hear of the two types solely because I had originally classified them as simply mystery and found little difference in them.
The story of Sherlock Holmes was intense and puzzling. I loved every bit of it and even though I had seen it before there were still some parts that baffled me. I found it interesting how the director choreographed the fight scenes and detailed out the way Holmes' mind worked by using a slow-motion explanation. It was something I had never seen before this movie and I love it.
Samantha picked a perfect film to describe the mystery genre. There was action, suspense, confusion, crime, and obviously mystery. It is a type of movie that keeps the audience guessing and I appreciate that. It keeps the mentality moving and the viewer always has to be on the ball.
When I heard that Sam was doing the Mystery genre, I wasn't really that interested because I'm not one of those people who grew up watching mystery movies or craving the next Nancy Drew. I was never particularly intrigued by mystery itself, until Sam showed this film, Sherlock Holmes. I don't have any prior history or knowledge of Sherlock Holmes myself, but I was still able to enjoy this movie and clearly see why it fit into the Mystery genre.
ReplyDeleteFrom this presentation, I learned what a "sleuth" was. I never knew it was a word actually. The sleuth being Holmes himself fit perfectly into the description of a mystery film. The femme fatal was also something I never knew mystery films could include. I loved the chemistry between Holmes and Irene Adler. I think it added a sort of romance to the film that was very relatable to many diverse audiences. Also, the romance of Emma and Watson was another instance where romance was added to the film.
I think Sam did a great presentation. My favorite part was the symbolism of the crow/raven/other bird. It is something I would have never noticed if she wouldn't have pointed it out. I loved how the blackness of the bird and the flight of it added to the symbolism of death either coming or going. It was a nice way to add some ideology to the film, and was a little hidden so it wasn't picked up on right away. Another thing I loved was the struggled friendship of Holmes and Watson, and how their loyalty and friendship to each other was a great bond that can never be broken despite outside forces.
Overall, I loved this film. I cannot wait to see it again, and now it's sequel that is just coming out. Sam picked a great film for the genre that included the crime, mystery, some action, and romance. I can easily see how this movie would appeal to a mass audience, including myself. I'm surely a converted mystery fan now. Also as a side-note I think the cast was perfectly picked for this film, and I find it very impressive how convincing Robert Downey Jr's accent was.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you talked about the two parts of a mystery (open and closed). That was something I never knew mystery films included, which was interesting to learn about.
I also liked what you said about the film including the choreographed action to incorporate how extensive Holmes' mind was and how planned out his every move was. I think this action and fight scenes also appealed to a large audience which added some suspense to the film.
I loved it
Sam chose a perfect historical representation of mystery by picking Mr. Mystery himself, Sherlock Holmes, a fictional detective whose name is known around the world. Along with the other genres we have seen so far, I have not seen that many forms of mystery cinema, if any at all. However, I was intrigued when I discovered that Sam chose the mystery genre, as I watch numerous crime dramas on television. In my opinion, those act as short weekly mystery films.
ReplyDeleteThe most important piece of information I found to be was the two different subtypes revealed to us in Sam's PowerPoint. Open mystery "opens" the viewer's eyes near the beginning of the film as to who the criminal is. This subtype of mystery then builds suspense through the drama that is involved in catching the criminal. Closed mystery AKA "whodunit" is just the opposite. The suspense literally is anticipating the identity of the criminal or murderer. I would consider the film Sam presented to be open mystery, considering the audience is shown Blackwood committing the murders.
A key element and symbol to "Sherlock Holmes" was the raven that was shown perched outside of a scene where a murder would take place. It was an excellent clue to the audience that foreshadowed what was to come (the murder). I also found the glimpses into Holmes's mind to be very interesting and crucial to the viewer's true understanding of how a detective's mind is constantly racing 24/7.
Overall, Sam could not have picked a better choice to represent the mystery genre of cinema. Even though I was not present for the conclusion of the film, I enjoyed the part I did get to see. The presentation was well done, and I think I am hooked! Bravo, Sam!
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI think we can all agree on the importance of the open and closed mysteries. I think you touched on this very well, and I agree. I also think the raven was very important in the film, being the simple for death.
I think this film was a perfect representation of the mystery genre.
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ReplyDeleteWell Sam, you couldn't have picked a better film, no doubt about it. As one of us that had already viewed the film on several occasions, I was quite able to quote the whole film so I figured that I wouldn't really need to watch it again. How wrong I was. Even though I have watched this movie over and over again, I did not pay much attention to how deep the film was.
ReplyDeleteI had previously picked up on the foreshadowing with the crow/raven/ominous black bird, but I had never, like Sophie mentioned, payed attention to the femme fatal. Irene's role was very interesting, since she had the most power over Holmes. Instead of letting the pig slaughterhouse machine take her life, he decided not to chase after Blackwood, Holmes saved her. He was most definitely captivated by her, which also led to deepening his characterization. In his intellect, he is also inhuman and quite out of the ordinary, but his attraction to Irene made him more believable.
I really enjoyed the filming of the thought out fight sequences and the scene where Sherlock is finally figuring out the whole case. In the action bits, it was made obvious how quickly and cunningly Holmes thought. His moves and their effects on his target were figured out in a manner of seconds. Then, when he finally figured out where to find Blackwood and how all the prior murders had been committed, the sounds and actions on the screen were extremely overwhelming. It felt as if one was actually inside his head.
So fantastic job Sam! Way to pick a good movie and bring its finer points to life!
Alex- I agree with your comments about the two different types of mystery. I, like you said, had just classified all mystery as mystery and left it at that.
ReplyDeleteRyan- I liked what you said about weekly crime shows, I completely agree! I love those kind of shows and think that you're correct in saying they're "short weekly mystery films".
Sophie- I, too, enjoyed the friendship of Watson and Holmes. It was interesting to see that no matter how many times they pulled away they always came back. I guess, in this case, friendship can overcome anything.