'Natural Born Killers'- Oliver Stone

I tend to be the typical girly girl when it comes to my choice of movies, and generally lean towards the chick flicks.  That's probably why I'm so surprised that I LOVED a movie titled 'Natural Born Killers'...

     The unique directing style of Natural Born Killers addresses how violence is completely acceptable in the media, to the point of it being glamorized.  The elements of mise en scene do most of the talking, instead of relying on dialogue to convey the message of the film.  In this controversial movie, Oliver Stone points out that the violent media culture is what corrupts society, leading to increased crime rates, because people become so desensitized.  He suggests that we as an audience, are as bad as murderers, since we encourage them by giving them fame and importance. Mickey and Mallory remind us of Bonnie and Clyde, who were an actual criminal couple.  This works to remind us that even though Mickey and Mallory are fictional characters, there is an element of reality to this sort of violent story.  This same story could have been told in a more conventional style, but this specific style of storytelling, with television screens in the background, sitcoms, and channels being switched, creates a lasting impact on the audience and helps bring the theme of the story forward.  The cinematography and edits make it seem as if we are watching media coverage of the Mickey and Mallory murder cases, and it gives off a dream like vibe, constantly switching between parallel worlds of fiction and reality.  Oliver Stone views the world as a place where institutions like prisons and family upbringing contribute to violence, and media glamorizes murderers and gives them fame, creating a vicious circle where killers are naturally born into our society.  The media claims to be unbiased, but it actually glorifies violence, and this movie shows us exactly how, without actually stating it.  The movie is controversial because it is presented violently, although it is only done to prove to us how desensitized we have become. 

     The movie starts with black and white shots of landscape, showing us dry deserts and predators such as foxes, snakes and an eagle.  This gives us a little foreshadowing into the predator nature of Mickey and Mallory, and we see the snake repeated later at crucial moments in the film.  These shots then cut to fast- paced black and white shots of channels being changed on a television set, implying that people now have short attention spans, and lose focus easily.  The opening diner scene consists primarily of tilted and low angle shots with a lot of jump cuts, in order to show us the unbalanced world of Mickey and Mallory, and to make them appear intimidating.  The scene constantly switches between black and white to color, and the black and white shots often represent their interpretation of their surroundings, such as when Mickey thinks the waitress is flirting with him, or when Mallory imagines a man staring at her, even though he fades into thin air moments later.  Before the camera pans to the diner, parallel editing shows us a scorpion being run over by a car outside, foreshadowing that this movie is about the survival of the fittest.  Throughout the movie, Mickey and Mallory are dressed in leather jackets and big belts that reflect their personality, because not a lot of people dress like that.  In the diner scene, Mallory was wearing something resembling a bikini top, which may imply that she liked the attention she got from the shady men at the diner.  We also catch a glimpse of the scorpion tattoo on her waist, reminding us of the scorpion we saw, and showing us that she believes in survival of the fittest.  Their accents along with their outfits tell us that they are very American.  When the man next to Mickey asks who she is, we are provided with a glimpse of a newspaper headline that is about their murder spree, so we understand that they may do something wild and unpredictable in the diner, especially if the man hits on Mallory. 

     The most interesting edit in the first scene shows a flash of the bloody demon inside Mickey, as soon as the man next to him objectifies Mallory.  This foreshadows what is about to happen in the diner, and this inner demon is shown at various points in the movie to achieve the same effect of anticipation of violence.  We also remember these flashes when Mickey speaks of the demon within each of us, later in the film.  Another seemingly random edit shows us a shot of a dead deer, but we later realize that it was foreshadowing the murders.  The green of his pie is cut to a shot of the jukebox near Mallory which is, which is the same shade of green.  In my opinion, this graphic match was done to show us that they are very alike.  With each murder in the diner, the cuts get faster, heightening the tension in the scene.  This varying pacing within the opening scene helps build up anticipation, which is more effective than having the same pace throughout.  The camera angles are taken from various points of view, unlike most movies that focus on the protagonist’s POV.  For example, when a bullet is aimed at a woman, the shot almost appears to be from the gun’s perspective.  This gives us the feeling of being the culprit, which is the main theme of the entire movie.  Slow motion is not only used for suspense, but also for exaggeration, such as when the bullet moves slowly with opera music playing in the background, creating a cartoonish feeling.  The same unrealistic music and slow motion pacing is used when Mickey throws a knife at a man through a window.  The camera follows the knife, implying that we, as a society, are responsible for violence.  These exaggerated scenes also give off the vibe of old cowboy movies, to add humor to an otherwise bleak situation.  The slow- motion also help keep the scene visually appealing, as opposed to having only fast- paced edits. The switch between black and white and colored shots help to create a feeling of a parallel world, to show that the movie is giving us its message through a satirical approach.  The black and white also implies the debate between what’s right and wrong, since society almost celebrates violence through media, even though people know that violence itself is wrong.

       An interesting observation is that diegetic music is used even for the fight scene in the diner, because we see Mallory change the song.  This is intended to create humor because her choice of music is the type of music that is non- diegetic and often used for fight scenes in movies.  The violence is masked with humor, and we are also made to understand that the couple is egoistic and always leave one person alive to tell their story.  The themes of love and humor are portrayed when Mickey and Mallory start to dance right after they have killed a bunch of people, since it’s just a game to them, and the man that they have left alive looks shocked beyond belief, just the way the audience is.  The fast pace of the scene finally slows down after the murders, allowing the audience to breathe and take it all in, and be amused by the dancing amongst dead bodies in the diner.  The director highlights that we live in a world where murderers are famous instead of being infamous, and it’s exaggerated so that we know we’re dealing with multiple worlds and realities.

            The flashback to Mallory first meeting Mickey was portrayed as a television sitcom,

and this filmic style explained Oliver Stone’s perspective of the media in a way that reinforced his point.  Mallory starts by telling Mickey that she’s loved him since she first met him, and the image dreamily dissolves into the flashback, making us think that this will be a romantic flashback.  Initially, Mallory’s family looks like they belong on a sitcom, and the familiar set design makes us think it’s about a happy family and their daily, funny lives.  The father is dressed sloppily with stains on his clothes and a receding hair line, whereas the mother is wearing a nightgown with a purple wig, jewelry and makeup, which the type of thing you would expect of a regular family sitcom.  The tone of her father is something normal that we would expect out of such a show, but we are instantly disgusted by the words coming out of his mouth, and even more horrified when we hear the canned laughter that encourages it.  This stylistic choice that contrasted our expectations with reality, was picked to get a message across- media is desensitizing us to the point that we possibly think of domestic abuse and child molestation as entertainment.  Bickering or comical argument is normal for a sitcom, but the dialogue reveals that there is a much darker side to the family, which is not something you would usually ever see on a television show like that.  The canned sitcom laughter each time something awful is revealed, along with the elements of mise en scene, tell us that we should be laughing, but after hearing the dialogue, common sense tells us that the director is trying to convey a message. 

            A couple of words in the beginning of the “I Love Mallory” scene are bleeped out, but there’s an abundance of four lettered words in the rest of the scene.  That, along with the inappropriate nature of the scene seem to be poking fun at the act of censorship, since it doesn’t really protect the audience from the disturbing content.  Medium shots and close ups are primarily used in this scene to reveal that there is a darker emotion, and it’s not all fun and games like an ordinary family sitcom.  In a regular sitcom, there would be more medium and wide shots, so that the family would often share a frame.  That is not the case with the “I Love Mallory” scene, which shows us that they are a broken family without a loving relationship or family bond.  The close ups also help reveal character, especially when the father is speaking inappropriately to Mallory, which is done to help the audience feel the fear and disgust that Mallory must have felt.  The fact that this whole flashback was filmed as a sitcom sheds light on Oliver Stone’s claim that media often filters and paints a rosy picture and doesn’t portray the dysfunctional families, and washes it over with happy families and canned audience laughter to tell us what we want to hear, instead of the harsh realities that exist.  It also implies that we are addicted to hearing, reading or watching violence as part of the news, and it is regarded so normal that we are accustomed to it, and it doesn’t horrify us or provoke any empathy.

            We are a little confused while we watch this scene, because we realize that we are seeing Mallory’s family almost the way she remembers or portrays them.  We understand that she grew up in an abusive house, but it is still unrealistic for her father to be making certain jokes or for her mother to be as helpless as she was portrayed to be.  Thus, we understand that we are not necessarily getting the real story of Mallory’s world, but a biased account of it from her slightly exaggerated memory.  When Mickey and Mallory first lay eyes on each other, a dreamy dissolve is used to make it look romantic, which along with the exaggerated acting and cheesy dialogue creates humor, since we just witnessed a horrific scene right before it.  The black and white shots switch between both of their perspectives, showing us that this is a love story between two disturbed youths, and Mallory views Mickey as her savior from her abusive upbringing.  The cheesy line “You should change your name to beautiful” along with the canned “awws” from the audience show us that this scene is purely satire, and far from reality. 

            The theme of fate is repeated in Natural Born Killers, because Mickey implies that Mallory is dressed up for him because something within her told her that he was coming, and they were destined to meet, for reasons beyond their control.  In a later scene, Mickey claims that he kills because he thinks he is a messenger of fate, since there are a “lot of people who deserve to die”, and he’s just putting them out of their misery.  This implies that Mickey doesn’t believe he has complete control of his life, because it’s ultimately up to fate and whatever has to happen, will.  Mickey claims that violence runs in his family, and it was inevitable that he would turn out this way, suggesting that he doesn’t actually claim responsibility for the innocent lives he’s taking, since it’s all fate.  Oliver Stone uses this theme of fate to suggest how people are “fated” to be violent, and how they are naturally born killers.

            This “I Love Mallory” scene was not just done to portray irony, but also to give us some background information that helps establish why Mallory is the way she is, due to her abusive upbringing environment.  When she later asks Mickey if he still thinks she’s sexy may have something to do with her low self- esteem and her childhood during which she was molested.  Mickey also had a troubled childhood, which helps explain why they understand each other and are a perfect match.  With this scene, the director is trying to show us that we are a conditioned society, and we don’t question what the media exposes us to.

            In one scene, Mickey and Mallory are in a motel room, switching channels on the television.  The window in the room flashes with a montage of short videos that appear to be changing like a television set.  This suggests that the media mirrors what is happening in society, which, for the most part, is violence.  One of the videos shows us Mickey as a child, and we understand that he, like Mallory, grew up in an abusive household.  This is the director’s way of telling us that the environment we grow up in determines our future, and that at the rate we’re going, the future is likely to consist of troubled youths and a lot of Mickeys and Mallorys.  Slow music that was used at the beginning of the movie is repeated in the motel room not only to add to the vibe of dreamy romance, but also as a way to support the visuals.  When Mallory is upset about Mickey showing an interest in the tied up woman, the lyrics say “it must have hurt your pride” as she gets up to leave.  This was obviously an intentional choice of music, to make the video and audio complement each other, helping us empathize with Mallory.  In my opinion, the video montage was Oliver Stone’s way of telling us that we are as engrossed by the television as Mickey and Mallory were, to the point that we don’t notice what’s happening outside our little worlds.

            Most of the movie shows us how Mickey and Mallory feel no empathy for the innocent people who’s lives they have taken.  However, when the Native American takes them in and feeds them, and Mickey accidentally kills him, they are very upset about his death, and claim that they have “killed life”.  This shows us that deep down, despite their seemingly tough exterior, they do have a conscience.  The use of snakes as a theme of nature is prevalent in the movie, and the director shows us how nature is protesting the death of the Native American, by turning against them.  The snakes were on Mickey and Mallory’s side at first, since a snake had initially bit a horse and helped Mickey escape.  However, after the death of the Native, a snake bit Mallory, which was a turning point in the story.

            When Mickey and Mallory are being taken to court, the director has chosen to show us an exaggerated version of how murderers are celebrated.  We see a crowd of people holding up signs with slogans such as “Murder me Mickey” and we see the way the murderers are behaving like celebrities, with paparazzi following them.  This scene is intended to shock us and help us come to the realization that the lack of empathy of people is almost worse that the violent murders that Mickey and Mallory have committed.  We are also shown a policeman swearing, losing his cool, and not behaving in a way we would expect a conventional policeman to, which shows us that people in power aren’t behaving responsibly and that they too are at fault for this corrupt society.

           

     The director also points fingers at reality crime shows, like “American Maniacs” that want to interview Mickey and Mallory and give them a celebrity status for being cool mass murderers.  Wayne Gale, the corrupt host of the show, considers it junk food for the brain, and has no sympathy for lost lives.  Instead, he is instead excited about interviewing the couple, and is later influenced by Mickey enough to aspire to be like him.  Oliver Stone’s ideas are reflected well through Gale, as we understand that Gale represents the increasing corruption in media.  We, as an audience are beginning to understand Stone’s message, since we have seen Gale’s transformation, although he was corrupt to begin with.  Another corrupt character is Detective Scagnetti, who is trying to catch Mickey and Mallory, and is fascinated by murderers because his parents were killed when he was a child.  This helps reinforce Stone’s message of the vicious circle of violence in our society.  Scagnetti is portrayed as a combination of everything that’s wrong with society, and we get the feeling that he only became a policeman so he could feel some sort of power.  He is in awe of Mickey and Mallory, to the point of trying to seduce Mallory in the prison cell.  The director’s message is loud and clear- the press that behaves like paparazzi around criminals, the police, the prisons and the media are the reason violence is increasing in society.

 The world of Natural Born Killers is unpredictable, because it does not follow the rules of the conventional Hollywood movie.  We have jumpy, fast- paced scenes with slow- motion embedded within it, a family sitcom that does not meet our expectations, and the fact that the entire movie feels like it is being viewed through media coverage of the murders, and we are switching channels so as to have multiple perspectives.  It’s almost as if Mickey and Mallory are breaking all the rules, so the director does the same, in order to deliver his message.  The editing makes it much more visually interesting and helps push the boundaries of reality.  The upbeat music and jump cuts help make the film fast- paced, making it overwhelming for the audience to take everything in, which is the effect Oliver Stone wants it to have. The director uses effective imagery to draw attention to his message, leaving us with a movie that has a lasting impact, not because of the story, but because of the way it is presented to us.

Analysis of the Last Scene of "The Graduate"

            The famous ending scene from The Graduate made me want to figure out an explanation for it, since it didn't end with the cliché “happily ever after”.

     After watching the classic ending again, it dawned on me that Elaine and Ben wanted to rebel against their families from what they didn't want so badly, that they did not end up planning out what they truly wanted, and ran away only because it seemed exciting in the moment.  Ben used the cross as a deadbolt to lock everyone inside the church, which implies that he and Elaine were breaking free and rebelling against the holy church and the controlling norms of society.  It was also interesting because throughout the movie Ben felt trapped, until the very end, when he trapped people inside the church.

  When Ben and Elaine hop onto the bus, they’re laughing, ecstatic and proud of themselves for rebelling against their controlling families.  However, within seconds, their smiles fade and are replaced with worried expressions.  My interpretation of this ending is that the reality of what they have done dawns on them and they realize that they will have to get off the bus at some point and face the real world without jobs, money or even a change of clothes.

     When Ben and Elaine run from the church, they are surrounded by grass, trees and bushes, which reminded me of scenes of Ben and Mrs. Robinson, and the wild, forest-like green plants that were in the background.  After Ben realizes what he’s done and Elaine awkwardly glances at him before her expression matches his, there is a shot of the bus driving away, again surrounded by a jungle of trees.  In my opinion, this was done intentionally to depict the wild nature of what they were doing.

            There are no sound effects as Ben and Elaine run from the church, and all the audience hears is an echo of people banging against the doors and shouting.  However, as Ben and Elaine’s smiles start to fade as they are seated next to each other at the back of the bus, the song “The Sound of Silence” plays for the third time in the movie.  This song was played in the beginning of the movie as well as during Ben’s affair with Mrs. Robinson, both times when he was unsure of his feelings towards his life.  In my opinion, the song was played at the end to depict that even after taking the plunge and making the biggest decision of his life, Ben was not sure that this was what he wanted. 

            The director uses the element of movement at the end in an interesting way, which contrasts the starting scene of the movie.  In the beginning, Ben is on an airplane and then the moving walkway, which shows that he goes where he is taken without much effort on his part.  However, at the end of the movie, Ben drives, runs when he’s out of fuel, and then stops a bus without knowing where it will take him, all of which are done by his own willingness to make decisions, showing us how much the character has evolved during the movie.

     Ben and Elaine had only been on one real date, where he had humiliated her to tears by taking her to a strip club, and then kissed her for no real reason.  That, combined with the fact that Ben had an affair with her mother, should have been reason enough for Elaine to stay away from Ben, instead of leaving Carl at the altar for him.  In an earlier scene, Ben had confessed to his father that he was worried about his future, and that he wanted it to be “different”.  With this awkward expression on Ben and Elaine’s faces, the director shows us that they were running away only because it had seemed like a unique thing to do, not because they were truly in love.

     The framing of the windows on the bus is interesting because it divides the two characters, implying that they barely know each other and are not ready to run away with no clue what the future holds for them.  The lighting for the ending scene appears to be natural, with no shadows on their faces.  The camera follows Ben and Elaine from the moment they run out of the church, and the ending is a wide shot of the bus on an empty long road, which suggests that Ben and Elaine have a long way ahead of them, which they have not considered. 

     The end of the movie shows how Ben and Elaine were realizing that what they had done was irreversible, because they had cut everyone else out of their lives and caused a scene at the wedding, and were now stuck with each other whether they liked it or not.  Their acting and expressions were brilliant in the last scene, because it leaves an impression and you realize that a conscious effort has been made to make the ending have a lasting impact, instead of ending the movie with Ben and Elaine happily laughing in the bus.

     Throughout the movie, Ben has been dominated by his parents or Mrs. Robinson, and the first time he saw the chance to make a real decision for himself, it excited him and he didn't think it through.  This led to him having the same unhappy expression that he had had on the airplane at the beginning of the movie.  Mrs. Robinson tried to protect Elaine by keeping her away from Ben, but that just drove Elaine to let out her inner rebel.  I think the director is trying to convey that sometimes the older generation is right and they know best, since young people often don’t know what to do with their independence.  This is further re-enforced by the elderly bus driver and passengers that seem disapproving of them when they get on the bus to run away, since Ben and Elaine later realize that they made a mistake.

     The last scene leaves it up to the audience to figure out what will happen to Ben and Elaine, although it’s implied that although they didn't want to end up like their parents, they are probably going to end up in a loveless marriage like Mr. and Mrs. Robinson.