Monday, 20 January 2014

Byzantium

This weekend I watched the 2012 Fantasy-Horror Byzantium, directed by Neil Jordan.
This film told the story of a 200 year old mother and daughter fleeing from the law in a historic seaside town. The film is full of flashbacks - filtered making them look grainy and blurry, the edges fading leaving the center clear. These flashbacks often dated back to Georgian England, where the grey beaches give the shots an aged look - but the brothel was richer in colour which made the shot feel claustrophobic and gave you fear for the character entering the place.
The audience meets the character of the mother (Gemma Arterton) when she is a young 16 year old girl working in the beaches. Her clothing throughout the flashbacks seem progress in a time line. At first, a simple soft pink dress with many shawls on her waist and a head-dress against the cold. Second, when she is sent to work at the brothel, a slim Burgundy dress with little embellishment. Finally, once she has become a vampire, an elaborate blue silk dress patterned with white flowers and bordered with lace and long draping sleeves. This I believe shows her progression towards the dark/unholy side, and by the end it is as if the devil has rewarded her transformation by dressing her in finery as legends tell. It is eye catching and noticeable, making the audience aware which works well.
Many of the shots show death and destruction in the background (when the protagonists kill or are discovered, they douse the scene of the crime in fuel and strike a match), making the actors stand out in the foreground, often walking away from the blaze against the crowd  which highlights the mundane nature the task holds for them, which I found very effective.
Much of the action took place through glass, often clouded of stained. It gave the victims a less graphic ending which made it easier to watch and any dialogue was muffled. This was eerie in the sense that anyone else in the building (in one case a hospital) would not have heard if there was a cry for help.
The shots were also quite long, as many times characters are traced up a rock face, falling and stumbling before reaching the top. The lack of music and the mention of the curse on the rock builds the tension and suspense.
Overall I found the use of diegetic sound (mostly piano playing), the use of glass, the faded flashbacks and the violent background action worked well together to produce an effective fantasy-horror that spared no one.

 





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