Abbigail Azirou

 Buster Keaton's scarecrow, some of the most iconic conventions are used such as props, chase scenes and animals. In the "one room house" sequence, props play a key role in the comedic elements, like in "One Week". As the two men sit down to have breakfast, they begin passing each other props such as salt. yet just as every joke has been made out of everything possible in the framing, Keaton changes the framing so it is more zoomed out and he manages to make another joke from another propane the frame. During this scene, Keaton displays his enthusiasm for modern technology with the props he uses which is why Keaton could be associated with the concept of modernism. Once again, Keaton exhibits quite a progressive mind-set in relation to the representation of women through a character played by Sibyl Seely. Her character is simply shown dancing for herself and her own enjoyment. Although the men watch her dance, she seems to be in the position of power as the male...

 Buster Keaton generally avoided using title cards in his films, yet when he did, alliteration was popularised in the era of silent comedy, this is why Keaton utilises sibilance with "such a sweet sound but such a sour echo" as well as antithesis. In this film Keaton uses his small stature to provide commentary that him and his wife are both equal in the relationship, which is unfortunately quite an uncommon and progressive concept in the 1920's. In the opening sequence, Keaton relies on a prop to deliver a joke which satirises the tradition of throwing shoes before the newly weds. Of course, there is a chase scene which is very typical considering the era of silent comedy.  The narrative is relatively simple and definitely linear- Keaton and his new wife are gifted a portable flat pack house in which they must build themselves, yet Hank, "The fellow she turned down" sabotages the construction (which ultimately results in the house referring to Cubism in the hou...

 Due to sound not being used in cinema until almost 1930, filmmakers had to improvise- and with that came genre conventions. In silent comedy, they used their body language to deliver visual jokes rather than facial expressions and dialogue for obvious reasons; those being sound was not invented as well as close-ups being quite difficult to do at the time. Because of this, many key figures adapted a characterising prop to distinguish them- such as Charlie Chaplin's hat and moustache or Buster Keaton's dead pan face. This is also why slapstick comedy became popularised within silent comedy, as well as stemming from Vaudeville (in addition to the use of animals as props and an array of stunts and chases). This greatly appealed to the mainstream working class audience since Vaudeville was seen as the working class version of theatre. Because of these conventions, the use of mise-en-scene became essential to the narratives, which tended to be quite basic and linear.  Many silent c...

The shot-reverse-shot which has the fawn in the frame of the shot, yet not in the reverse shot in Captain Vidal's p.o.v can be used to argue the underworld is in fact in Ofelia's mind (although Some may argue due to him being under the influence this can't be used as evidence to support this argument- it is left very ambiguous and open by Del Toro for interpretation for the audience to decide). The cinematography of the final scene blends both the warm toned lighting of the underworld with the golden hues of the real world. It is evident as Ofelia runs towards the icy toned portal as a roaring fire burns behind here. She is literally and metaphorically running away from the mortal world. The dietetic noise of Mercedes' lullaby which plays in the opening scene aids the cyclical nature of the film. The man speaking through voiceover beckons Ofelia, his daughter, to the underworld. A golden hue fills the screen and a blur is used to transition. The shot is finally both war...

The pale man scene is an iconic scene for the horror genre. The scene is full of symbolism, art references, beautiful use of cinematography, traditional use of the horror genre conventions such as sound, and finally it represents the key theme: Disobedience.  Ultimately this is the most ambiguous scene in terms of meaning. The audience questions who the pale man is, who he represents and whether or not he belongs to the underworld or is part of something else. From the very beginning of the scene, when Ofelia remains in the cool-toned real world, the rules are made explicitly clear: "Don't eat or drink anything during your stay". As soon as Ofelia's chalk door opens, the sinister orchestra music plays as the camera zooms out through a long corridor, adhering to the genre conventions of horror. The shot is symmetrical and utilises the rule of thirds. Although we are in the underworld and there lighting is warm-toned, it's still not inviting or cosy. The first signi...