http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH2QQ4Pj8oE
I think the theme of this movie (and this scene) is, in short, to live in the moment in order to appreciate the little things in life that can bring you joy. The theme is exemplified in this scene extremely strongly, largely through George’s closing monologue. Because of this, I’d argue that the theme is expressed didactically in this scene. However, there are also countless things actively enforcing the theme as well, such as extreme close-ups of Kenny (the younger man in the scene) which artistically reinforce the concept of taking in your present surroundings and truly appreciating them.
In my opinion, this scene is extremely well done. The director, Tom Ford, made sure to make use of lines in order to frame in important objects or people (both George and Kenny), therefore enhancing the thematic importance of these things and the moments associated with them. For example, he frames George’s face with a doorway that is behind him when George notices how beautiful Kenny looks when he’s sleeping. We can see the emotion on George’s face illustrate this, and the usage of lines further draw our eyes towards his face and therefore his emotion. This very strongly actively enforces the theme because it encourages the viewer to see that George is experiencing a simple kind of happiness from taking in the present and experiencing life fully.
Another element that Ford took advantage of and used quite well is movement. One example of movement that strongly enforced the theme for me was the slow-mo shot of the owl flying away (an example of movement through the frame) when George walks outside. This use of movement shows us what George was seeing and draws our attention to the beauty of the bird. Ford also used several camera movements that subconsciously enhance the viewer’s absorption of the theme: for example, there is a subtle zoom towards Kenny when George is observing him. This sort of usage of movement manipulates our attention. While the viewer may be conscious of the affects of these movements in enforcing what we visually focus on, I believe these movements also subconsciously affect the viewer by enhancing the concept of taking in the present. The viewer may or may not be conscious of this, but I find it unlikely that they would be without a decent amount of thought being put into their viewing of the movie.
I applaud the artistic choices used in A Single Man. Something I greatly appreciate about this movie as a whole is its stylistic feel: it is very fashionable, perfectly composed, and just plain stunning. Everything from the way it’s shot to the art direction is somehow flawlessly clean. This actively and inherently enhances the theme as well, because it shows how lovely something can be.
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