After watching Christ in Concrete, I really got a sense of how broad the world of cinema can be, exploring film noir this week. Completely different from some of the past movies such as The Landlord and Do The Right Thing, Christ In Concrete had its own style, with visual aspects and symbolic devices I haven’t seen before. Stylistically, the film employed low-key lighting, close camera angles and closed scenes. These were some of the key elements of film noir, as read in the article by Place and Peterson. These effects emphasized the emptiness and bleak feelings felt toward the end of the movie, a literal blackness.
Visually, Christ In Concrete gave off a cold, close up vibe. The first thing I noticed was how close the camera angles were. Shots were usually from the shoulders or chest up, highlighting facial expressions and the “grit” of being a bricklayer, and of being an immigrant in a tough city. In addition to the close-up shots, the “two-shot” was used. Scenes frequently involved conversation between Geromio (Sam Wanamaker) and another character, in front of a plain backdrop. This gave off a closed, empty look to scenes, leaving only two characters on screen, with nothing to distract the viewers’ attention. Further emphasizing the emptiness in film noir was the lighting. The black and white scenes were poorly lit, usually by backlighting or low key lighting. Shadows, silhouettes, and shapes were shown in every scene, a product of the low key lighting. The color of the film was marked by two sharp colors, either a black or white. In that sense, most of the film can be stylistically characterized as “sharp.” The figures were outlined clearly, with no fuzzy area. Every aspect on screen could be seen during the film. This also helped to portray the facial expressions previously mentioned. The film quality in Christ In Concrete really surprised me for a film from over 50 years ago, and I think that without the clear, sharp figures in the film, the effects of film noir would not have been as impactful. Additionally, the way scenes were shot and its backgrounds added a closed, tight feeling characterized by film noir. If some of these frames were made into a painting, its composition would be closed. (Uh-oh, it’s like Feiner’s class again :P) Frequently objects appeared that restricted characters and actions into the center of the shot, whether it was a wall, post, or door. The figures were placed in these shots, making them seem lonely and isolated. The coldness of the film was greatly enhanced due to the visual, film noir aspects seen in Christ In Concrete.
While the film can be characterized as film noir from a broad and visual sense, it can be further categorized as film gris, after reading Maland’s piece. It’s a more specific reading of the film’s subject, like how Skrillex is a dance/electronic artist, but more specifically a dubstep artist. (BTW, Skrillex isn’t that good.) Christ In Concrete wasn’t the usual crime or femme fatale storyline as I read in this week’s pieces. It was about the loss of a dream, and basically how one man can change because of an ideal, or a goal. The imagery and references presented some symbolism, which was one aspect of film gris. Furthermore, it wholly demonstrated the social and psychological effects of American culture, as shown by Geromio and Anunciata’s gradual transformations. It was a shot at the American dream, and the danger’s associated with it (like falling into cement.) The film’s ending showed the coldness and bleakness of film noir, and more specifically film gris. Money can change everything, and it’s a cold world.
And yeah, the ending was really shocking, with practically no build up at all. Sinking into cement/quicksand/mortar shows Geromio being sucked in and becoming a victim of a consumption-centered world. It really showed the pessimistic view on life film noir had, in my opinion. Yeah, song lyrics. “This quicksand it pulls me under, It pulls me underneath her. And I’m learning how to live with my unintended consequences. While you’re busy jumping fences”
