Rebecca (1940)

Rebecca (1940)

Alfred Hitchcock

BRONZE

Subtle, wicked, haunting, thrilling, scary... That's the way to describe Rebecca, Hitchcock's masterpiece. Oscar winner cinematographer George Barnes creates an eerie atmosphere where the sense of intimidation is palpable. We descend to Mrs. de Winter (Joan Fontaine) madness as she becomes convinced that she's replacing a ghost. The thin line between good and evil is disturbed and broken, and we get that from the exquisite black and white images and the composition of elements and gothic style.

SILVER

The story is quiet and builds pure suspense towards the damaged ending. That mansion gave me chills as well as the presence of Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), because everything is there for a reason. That's Golden Hollywood narrative. Hitchcock uses the camera to recreate the death of Rebecca, but most important, he moves it, like nobody else does, to stay with the heroine of the movie. It seems like she's locked in that house, trying to escape, and finally overcomes all the obstacles and succeeds as the new wife.

GOLD

And that personal journey was essential in my choice for best shot. The bronze spot is for the service shot. Look closely. The men in black, the women in white. A clue? The silver spot is for Mrs. Danvers most iconic moment in the entire film, as she seems to be always watching, even behind the curtains. And gold is Mrs. de Winter watching her honeymoon video, extremely upset about what's happening in the house and around her and trying to communicate her feelings to her husband (Laurence Olivier), while her face gets softly lighted up. It's a moment of extreme tension as the character is about to explode. A perfect, cinematic moment.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Wes Anderson

BRONZE

You can find strange my choices for best shots in Fantastic Mr. Fox because the selection is dark and features realistic imagery for an animated feature, given Anderson's tendency and love for bright colors and smart composition. I really liked the movie, it's pretty entertaining and touching, sometimes funny and special in the treatment of the characters relationships. I really wanted to post a shot of Mr. and Mrs. Fox together, but I thought these choices told more to the story. They were more important, adding meaning to the theme and motifs. Anyway, the cinematography work in this movie is exquisite. Tristan Oliver really understands the universe of Wes Anderson and explores Roald Dahl's story with precision and freedom.

 

SILVER

I remembered Chicken Run when I watched this, but only because the characters were animals and their action took place in a farm, amongst other locations. The visuals are simply outstanding. I really wanted to get inside that world and play with the foxes! There were wonderful characters and Anderson presents them and puts them in specific positions, sometimes to make us laugh, sometimes to make us understand their own loneliness because Fantastic Mr. Fox is, above all, a story about loneliness and the meaning of life, even if they're (wild) animals. This decision causes a result of charming experience.

GOLD

The bronze went to a very visual, painting, colorful shot. I chose it because it gives the audience the sense of company for Mr. Fox in his robbing activity. Also, the shining yellow moon gives the characters a place on Earth, on (comedy) misery. The silver was for a devastating moment that Anderson creates with the big shot of the rain falling over Mr. Fox in the climax. He has been silly all the story, as her own wife says, "You never listen to anyone", but in that moment you can feel sorry for him. And the gold was for a comedic relief, Mr. Fox invading the farm, and making the farmer look like a total inept. I think it's the perfect conclusion for this Wes Anderson movie. It keeps its spirit of pathetic characters, great visual composition and the idea of a perfectly imaginary world.