Friday, May 25, 2012

Classic Scene: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher, 2011)

I am heading away for the weekend so there won't be any fresh content on the site for a couple of days.

To begin my weekend I watched David Fincher's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, just out on DVD. There are many great individual moments in this film. Sure, the narrative is a little flawed - but I still feel like the source material is responsible - but when you have such a compelling mystery and characters as cool as Mikael and Lisbeth - and performances as spot on as Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara's - this is easy to overlook. It is a stunning production from a technical point-of-view, and it holds up very well. 

I thought I would highlight one of my favourite moments; one I find to be genuine and grounded in a reality I connect with personally. I could have mentioned the scene where Mikael comes back to the cottage after meeting with Lisbeth for the first time. He places something on top of his fridge and walks away, only to recognise that a bottle has been disturbed and has started to roll off the fridge. He jumps back and elegantly catches it. I feel like this was a complete accident, but because it was a moment of imperfection - and something that I think anybody can relate to - it made it through the cutting room. The camera continues its pan and the purpose of the shot is revealed, to introduce the cat, which Mikael has no reason to believe should be inside the cottage.


But the moment I want to highlight is another fleeting one. Michael has just collected the photos from the parade and put them together on his Mac to reveal Harriet's recognition of someone across the street, and her scared retreat from her friends and the festivities. At the point this discovery is made it is a big break in the investigation, and you can feel the chills present on the back of Mikael's neck. He then does something that I have found myself doing before. When I have been watching a suspenseful film, had a profound revelation, or found myself feeling suddenly anxious/nervous, I turn around and look behind me. I'm not sure whether it is to check and see if I am being watched and if my reaction has been seen by someone else, or if I am searching for someone to share the moment with, but Mikael does it in response to this revelation and finds himself alone. Many people might overlook this action, but I think it definitely adds something inherently human to his character. 




Hope everyone has a great weekend. I will be back on Monday to start another busy week, and with a lot of new content, including reviews of The Host for Cinema on the Park, What To Expect When You're Expecting, hitting cinemas May 31, and Sarah Polley's Take This Waltz, not out until June 14.

11 comments:

  1. Great scene. I was surprised by how much I liked the movie (I just saw it like a week ago), especially when the original was so bland to me.

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    1. I am glad. I am also not a big fan of the original. I think this is substantially better. Thanks for reading.

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  2. I have such a hard time telling people that I didn't really like the book, kinda liked the original but loved this version. It's like going against all the rules. I do love these scenes, though. I watched it again this week and warmed to Daniel Craig a lot more.

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    1. I really liked Daniel Craig. I think he pulled it off perfectly. Also, I preferred this to the original (which was easily the best of the deteriorating trilogy). I imagine you will pick up a copy on DVD?

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    2. Yup, once it's cheap enough at work I'll be getting a copy. I love the packaging!

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  3. These are great observations, I never noticted those two moments before.

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    1. Thanks! The first one I noticed on the first viewing, but it wasn't until the third viewing that I related to Craig's reaction to the images. It is a film I got a little bit obsessed with, actually.

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  4. Ah, this is such a good scene, arguably my favorite one in the film. Really good insight here, Andy.

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    1. Thank you! I am glad you also enjoyed that scene. It could easily be missed or dismissed as insignificant. I find even the smallest moments to be relay something in this film. There is some very clever writing and direction.

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  5. Great piece, Andy! I didn't remember this part, but I DID. If that makes any sense. Nice observation. I remember the last time I watched "The Blair Witch Project" (which always terrifies) me I looked over my shoulder right as it ended, just to confirm no one had snuck up on me and I was alone.

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    1. Exactly! Everyone's done it. I did it a lot during my Argento marathon earlier in the year haha.

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