Review of Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl (1919) by Josip M — 22 Apr 2008

Since my last update, I have seen in my (fairly horrible) Film Studies class - I still can't get behind my professor and his wanna-be funny remarks - [i]Singin' in the Rain[/i], which I've seen before and hence did not take notes on, but suffice it to say that it is one of my favourite movies of all time; [i]Broken Blossoms[/i], my introduction to D.W. Griffith, and a splendid one at that; [i]Shaun of the Dead[/i], a fun recent romp that I've also seen a few times before and didn't take notes on; and finally [i]Touch of Evil[/i], a famously marred corrupt detective story from Orson Welles. My random study notes for [i]Broken Blossoms[/i] and [i]Touch of Evil[/i], both of which I loved, follow...

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[i]Broken Blossoms[/i]:

[list][*]interesting subtitle... [I was referring to the fairly racist subtitle of the film: "The Yellow Man and the Girl"].

[*]blatant moral message (political) at start.

[*]Chinese man delivers message of peace to American soldiers, but it falls on deaf ears and even backfires.

[*]gorgeous cinematography of ship sailing.

[*]almost purple-ish hue in some more atmospheric scenes.

[*]very psedo-poetic/racist title cards.

[*]Battling as square-jawed villain --> very wacky face.

[*][He is] very wealthy, looking for "girls of the street".

[*]repeated shot of man sawing wood on docks.

[*]aww... she has to visibly force a smile for Battling... heartbreaking.

[*]Gish: very deliberate, mousy performance ("the shopping trip").

[*]lighting becoming brighter when Lucy looks up at Yellow Man.

[*]Gish has wonderfully horrified, nervous expressions.

[*]shift btw. blueish hue of exterior shots vs. golden/sepia hue of interior.

[*]iris shot of dried flowers: importance to Lucy, and the story.

[*]both racist [u]and[/u] shunning racism --> quite peculiar.

[*]Gish: miraculously self-possessed (playing with doll) --> immersed in character and her neat little habits.

[*]Yellow Man's creeping, intense figure seen close up --> very strange effect --> he seems almost like a stalker.

[*]Battling's anger in boxing ring heightened after learning of his daughter & Yellow Man.

[*]vivid matching close-ups of Battling and Lucy's intense faces.

[*]different settings/atmospheres lent different "hues".

[*]her eyes are amazingly expressive --> her whole face, really.

[*]final shots of bell being rung far off, ships sailing away to signify death, "passing over".

[/list]In spite of the racism of the title cards and portrayal of Cheng ("The Yellow Man"), the film is a wonderfully touching and naturalistic love story that in many ways even comments against racism, especially in terms of its story. It is both advanced and stuck in the past (both in terms of ideology and style - specifically the acting of the man playing Battling), and that tension makes the film intriguing. Specifically, Gish's performance is one of the finest I've ever seen, which is why I kept coming back to it. Emotional and intense, it really makes the movie, which might itself sneak into my all-time favourites list. [b]A[/b].

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[i]Touch of Evil[/i]:

[list][*]virtuoso opening tracking shot/crane shot is cool.

[*]great, sexy music percolating through the streets.

[*]ooh! cool explosion!

[*]white woman hurtling angry, racist invective.

[*]upbeat music somehow becomes ominous, frightening.

[*]group of shady men looking straight into the camera, but at different angles.

[*]Orson Welles is fatter, always eating, inhabiting shadows, just gnawing on scenery.

[*]humourous, down & dirty dialogue.

[*]suspenseful, low-rumbling, snappy, dangerous music.

[*]masculinity of husband questioned: can he adequately protect his wife against dangerous figures.

[*]Grandy under arrest? why? which group is the shady one in this?

[*]stolen dynamite! sensational!

[*]Welles seems to dominate every room as he enters it.

[*]camera looking down a lot -- seeming to sniff the ground.

[*]various grotesques, stereotypes: blind shopkeeper, fat detective constantly asking for doughnuts.

[*]deception! seedy surroundings!

[*]gasp! planting evidence!

[*]showdown btw. Welles & mustached, thin man to come?

[*]lighting showcasing woman's creamy curves in motel.

[*]leather jacket-sporting, grease-haired Mexican gangsters... quite blatantly stereotypical.

[*]Welles pretty much fills up whole frame as he drinks & chomps on cigar.

[*]Welles's anger & weary blusteriness in face of other officers questioning him mirrors his [real] response to producers over final cut of film.

[*]loud music & close-ups of faces & quick editing turn motel into drug-fueled, terrifying purgatory.

[*]"rebel" women join in taunting & staring at woman.

[*]pulsating light, oblique angle as Welles discovered to be implicated in situation with blonde wife.

[*]---> depths of corruption become staggering.

[*]"I told you I brought you up here for a reason." -- repeated phrase before Welles mauls Mexican man & music reaches feverish pitch.

[*]mustache guy's outburst is also quite intense.

[*]display of masculinity to show he can defend his wife ---> "I'm no cop now, I'm a husband. What did you do to her? My wife! My wife!".

[*]bison head juxtaposed with Welles's pudgy face.

[*]"Read my future for me." -- "You haven't got any." --> comment on Welles's film career?

[*]really wacky angles towards climax show crookedness of players.

[/list]Basically an exteremely entertaining, stylistically thrilling B-movie that's been turned into A material through Welles's acting and filmmaking techniques, as well as the crackling dialogue. It also shows Welles's vision struggling to overcome the constraints of his producers, and the tension adds another layer of interest to an already very exciting film. After [i]Citizen Kane[/i], [i]F for Fake[/i], and now this one, I think it's safe to say I am officially in awe of Orson Welles. [b]A[/b].

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Well folks, I hope you enjoyed getting to know the crazy way I think via these notes (posted essentially word-for-word as they came out of my head and onto paper)! And if not, I'll hopefully have some more exciting new entries coming out this summer, since I am now pretty much done my second year at university.