Formal Film Study #2: Academy Awards Best Picture Nominees

This year was no doubt a magnificent one in terms of the much-anticipated Academy Awards. Scores of outstanding movies were recognized and nominated, yet only a few walked away with the coveted prize. One such area that received a great deal of buzz was the category for best picture. Nominated were nine fantastic films including Life of Pi, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Lincoln. In having the opportunity to view these films in a formal film study, I was given the chance to analyze each one and find connections that all of them shared. Thus, despite large differences in terms of plot and genre, I found that one area in which these films were united was their brilliant editing. In all three of these films, editing played a major role in either creating suspense, offering up a parallel storyline, or both.

First of all, take for instance, Ang Lee’s Life of Pi edited by Tim Squyres. Essentially, this film is a story within a story. In other words, the basis of this film is centered around the fact that Pi is an adult living in Canada. One day, an author who is intrigued in Pi’s story visits him. Consequently, the main narrative of the film is told through flashbacks of Pi’s traumatic childhood. In it, he shares how as a boy, he and his family owned a zoo in India. However, when his father saw that the business of the zoo was suffering, he decided to move the family and all of the animals to Canada. On the way, the boat that they are traveling in encounters a terrible storm. Most of the animals as well as Pi’s entire family drown, and Pi is left to fend for himself stranded in the middle of the ocean in a small lifeboat. Yet, Pi is not really alone. His only companion for the majority of the film is the zoo’s most feared and popular attraction: a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

Through the editing of this film, I found that the transition between past and present was extremely coherent and smooth. Unlike many other stories that I have read or watched in which the narrative is either a dream or a flashback, it can be easy to fall into the trap of getting stuck in one aspect of the story. Thus, the final shift at the end of the film can be disorienting and confusing. This was not the case with Life of Pi. The flashbacks were intermixed perfectly with the present in order to create seamless and believable transitions.

That being said, there were also other aspects of the editing that stood out to me in this film. Rather than simply facilitating a smooth story, the editing also added a great deal of suspense and pace to certain parts of the film. For instance, in the scene where the catastrophic storm hits the boat that Pi and his family are on, the editing was so intense that I truly felt as though I was drowning too. The fast paced and choppy jump shots emanated a sense of panic and chaos. It was as if it was impossible to escape the gigantic waves that were crashing down every which way. Each shift in the editing brought forth a new dimension of the storm’s strength and overpowering force. By the end of the scene, I vividly remember my own sigh of relief not only because the storm was finally over but also because I could actually breath normally again. I believe that had less emphasis been placed on the editing of the film, specifically in these scenes of intense emotion, the film would have lost a sense of authenticity and believability.

 Next, in Ben Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild edited by Crockett Doob and Affonso Goncalves many of the same techniques were also used. This film tells the story of a five-year-old girl named Hushpuppy and her father. Together, they live meagerly in what is known as the Bathtub because of the way it floods after huge storms. Hushpuppy’s mother has been gone since Hushpuppy was born, so even at the age of five, Hushpuppy is relatively independent. In fact, it is not uncommon for the young girl to take care of herself for days at a time because of her father’s shaky whereabouts. When yet another terrible storm devastates the region, Hushpuppy and her dad are among the few survivors. Thus confronted with the destruction of her home and her father’s rapidly failing health, Hushpuppy must quickly learn her own power in the world and gain the strength to take care of those who are most important to her.

As with Life of Pi, this film also has many gripping scenes in which rain and storms are powerful and fearful. One of the ways in which the editing was used in order to express this was through fast paced jump shots focusing back and forth on the pounding storm and Hushpuppy’s terrified face. Even though the young girl tries her best to be tough, the changing shots that represent the destruction outside in contrast with her fear help to portray just how dangerous the storm really is despite her father’s stubborn indifference.

This film also has a bit of a parallel storyline as well. Although in my opinion more metaphorical than literal, this parallel image is vital in understanding Hushpuppy’s development as an individual and leader. In interspersing the images of powerful prehistoric animals, called aurochs, making their way through the storm and triumphing over misfortune during times of despair in the film, the editors succeed in mirroring these beasts with the life and spirit of Hushpuppy as she comes to recognize her own fierceness as well.

Finally, although perhaps more subtle, Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, edited by Michael Kahn, is also a magnificent work. However, in this case, I found that the editing was used as more of a tool of juxtaposition rather than one to create suspense. In other words, throughout much of the movie, there were many scenes that were placed together in order to juxtapose each other and bring out greater meaning. For example, one such scene can be seen in Lincoln’s visit to the army hospital with his son. It opens with President Lincoln walking into the hospital and shaking hands with the wounded soldiers inside. He addresses each man by name, and begins a casual conversation with them. Then, the scene jumps to Lincoln’s son Robert following a pair of men wheeling a cart that is leaving a substantial blood trail in its path. Intrigued and disgusted, Robert follows the men all the way until the content of the cart is revealed to be a gruesome pile of amputated legs. Through expertly juxtaposing these two scenes, the editors are able to better portray President Lincoln as the caring man that he is. There is no amount of American suffering that he fails to recognize. However, rather than condoning or overlooking American bloodshed, he reacts by being a constant image of understanding and compassion.

Even so, despite all of the achievements that these films had in the area of editing, the film that walked away with the Academy Award was Argo. I think that this is incredibly interesting because it just proves how incredibly talented and competitive each film was, and how far we have come in this aspect of filmmaking.

Another connection that I found within all three films was the great cinematography. In each film, there was a large amount of contrast in terms of the lighting given the mood. I thought that this was commendable because in doing so, the films were given more depth and emotion while at the same time not going too extreme.  

In closing, it is no surprise to me that all three of these films received great reviews from critics. In fact, according to Rotten Tomatoes, the winner in terms of these three films alone was Lincoln with an 89% (Lincoln Rotten Tomatoes) just barely surpassing Life of Pi in second with an 88% (Life Of Pi Rotten Tomatoes) and Beasts of the Southern Wild coming in third with an 86% (Beasts of the Southern Wild Rotten Tomatoes). I truly enjoyed watching all of these films, and appreciate even more the incredible competition that was present in this years Academy Awards best picture category.