Misery
Misery was made in 1990, and it is an American
psychological horror film based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name. The plot of the story is about Paul Sheldon, a best-selling novelist on his way home from his Colorado hideaway after completing his latest book, not realising there is a snow storm on the way, he crashes his car in the freak blizzard. Paul is badly injured, but is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes, Paul's "number one fan", who takes Paul back to her remote house in the mountains. Unfortunately for Paul, Annie is also head case that is in love with Paul’s novels called Misery. When she discovers that Paul has killed off the heroine in her favourite novels, her reaction leaves Paul shattered and vulnerable to Annie's psychotic mood.
Thrillers are designed to make the audience ask questions and give them a sense of nervousness for the protagonist’s safety. I think Misery does it well because it uses things such as difference in camera shots, from the beginning scene you get close up shots of a cigarette, a wine glass, champagne in ice, and then onto a typewriter that Paul is using. Paul is the protagonist of the story, you can tell he is as he is at mercy of the villain of the story Annie, and we throughout the film worry about his safety and care about what is going to happen to him. Another way to tell that he is a protagonist is because he is the character we follow throughout the film, which is usually the protagonist. Annie is the antagonist, an antagonist is the villain of the story they are usually quite manipulative and cunning and in most cases go out of their way to harm the protagonist. Showing the close up of the items I mentioned previously is important to the viewer as it is vital at the end of the story when Paul tries to escape using these elements shown at the beginning, so it shows that the beginning is important to the end. But it is not clear as to why at the beginning these are shown in close-ups, so in doing so, makes the audience automatically ask questions.
Halfway through the film, Paul finds a hairclip on the floor, and uses it, when Annie goes out, to unlock the room he is stuck in, and starts to explore the house, tension is built up during these scenes, and you get close up shots of Paul using the hairclip to unlock the door, and of a penguin ornament that is nearly smashed to the floor, Paul catches it, the camera changing to a close of us his face in relief, these shots are used often throughout the film as we get to see Paul’s thoughts and emotions by his expressions and also his body language which adds to the tension created. However when he puts the penguin ornament back, he puts it back facing the opposite way, automatically building tension with the audience as we know that that wasn't the right position and it makes us wonder if he will be in trouble for it. These scenes are also playing with the viewers mind as all the while you can see what Annie is doing as it is cutting back to her, so dramatic irony is also used in this thriller. Dramatic irony is basically when the audience knows more about what’s going on than the protagonist does. The closer Annie gets to her house, the more quicker cuts from one character to the other are used, creating suspense and really playing with the viewers mind, it is especially nerve racking for the audience as he only hears her what she pulls up, and he is still on the kitchen floor, so the audience wonder if Paul will make it back into his room in time. We worry about Paul’s safety as he tries his hardest to get back to his room, cutting from him wheeling his chair to his room, to her walking up the steps to her house. This film built tension really well especially when again we see that close-up of Paul using the paper clip again in the door, but this time panicking to lock it while Annie is unlocking the front door, this is good because it shows the panic that the situation is and it makes the audience's heart beat faster, it makes them feel awkward as they want to get out of the situation because they feel like they are in the film themselves. Panic is built from Paul right to the end, as he was sweating. Another thriller that uses quick cut shots well is the series "SPOOKS" as in one episode in a train station, there is a lot of flashing shots from the protagonist to the antagonist, showing the antagonist going out of his way to try and stop the protagonist and it makes us worry for the protagonist safety. Another good camera shot in Misery in the close up of Annie's face, it is useful as it shows the expression on her face, whether she is happy or angry, the camera shot is always tilting up at Annie, showing from Paul’s point of view, her dominance over Paul and how threatening she is to him. It is especially suspense creating when she is angry, as the close up shot shows the real psychotic look in her eyes, and it worries the audience because she could flip and hurt Paul at any moment as she is clearly dominant over him.
You can tell that this film as a thriller, as thrillers are designed to make the audience ask questions and feel awkward throughout and Misery does this from the very beginning with these close up shots, and also by constantly making you feel on edge and asking questions. From the moment Paul crashes his car in the snow you are left wondering if he will make it out, and when he gets rescued, you don't see the face of the person who saved him, so questions such as "Who is this person?" and "How did they find Paul so quickly?" comes to mind.
You can also tell that Misery is a thriller through the diagetic and non diagetic sound used. Diagetic sound is basically Sound of which the source is visible to the viewer on the screen or is implied to be present by the action of the film, for example a telephone ringing or music being represented by instruments on screen. Non diagetic sound is
where the source isn’t visible on the screen and hasn’t been implied to be present in the action. So this includes things like the soundtrack and the narrator’s commentary. Misery use classic non diagetic sounds, such as music that gets louder and faster as the tension builds, using instruments such as string instruments. The main example of this being used is when Paul is exploring the house, when the audience can also see Annie travelling back in her car, the tension is already high, but with the use of the music building up; it really puts the audience on edge. I liked the fact that the first soundtrack is really happy and bouncy when Paul is driving his car, which is good because it conflicts with the film as a whole as the film is the opposite of happy. It is good because it makes you think he will be ok, which he isn’t, and so when he crashes his car into the snow, the music dramatically stops and your left with the noise of the wind howling and the film becomes more intense.
Flashbacks of what Paul did previously is shown in this film, this is good because it shows how he got to where he is in the story, it shows him with items used in the film, such as his old script bag, and him with another character in the story, his publisher, and him talking to her about how it was time for him to stop writing the Misery books and start writing something new, there for he killed this character off, and in doing so puts him in danger later on with Annie. Another film that uses flashbacks just as well is the film "SHUTTER ISLAND" This film uses flashbacks throughout the film, whereas Misery only at the beginning. It works well for this film as it helps the audience piece together what is going on through objective character identification, as with these flashbacks you can clearly see how he feels, by the clear expressions on his face, and by the gloom and dark bland colours, showing that the memories are not good ones. It works for this film as it helps to show what is constantly going through his mind and why he acts why he does. Objective character identification is basically where you can see a characters thoughts and opinions through the use of flashbacks and/or flash forwards.
Colour is important in thrillers as it can help build tension and suspense, Misery's flashbacks are very bright and cheerful, showing he was happy in them memories, and then the present day in the film is much more blander in colour, showing the pain and suffering he is going through. Colour is also used well with the title sequence in Misery, it starts when Paul is driving in the blizzard, and stands out straight away as it is bright bloody red, showing the doom and gloom that the movie really is and that he is in danger from the blizzard and of Annie. It is a contrast because snow is referred to happier things such as Christmas and snow ball fights, whereas the title is much more depressing. It is also reinforced with cheerful, bouncy music, using instruments like a Saxophone and a Tambourine. So it creates questions for the audience as to why if it is such a cheerful scene, and why there is such a depressing title sequence. Then when Paul starts to roll down the snowy hill, car turning over many times, the music stops and you can hear the wind howling, making the scene seem much more negative than a few seconds before and making audience realise why it was as gloomy as your left worrying if Paul will make it out alive.
Misery is a chronological narrative, as everything happens in the right order, from start to finish. There is only a few flashbacks in the film, but they don't confuse the viewer as it just shows him in the past talking to his publisher about killing off his Misery character and moving on with different novels. But having these flashbacks doesn't make it an anachronic modular narrative, as an anachronic modular narrative is a narrative that relies on flashbacks and/or flash forwards and often repeats stories directly or via a different perspective. A good example of a thriller that uses this narrative is "MOMENTO" as throughout the film it repeats parts of scenes that have already happened, to make more sense to the viewer, and is based on flashbacks and flash forwards and is also set with the beginning being the end, and working it's way backwards showing the viewer how "Lenny" got to that point that we see at the beginning.
Thrillers are always restricted narrations, as I said before; they are made to keep the viewer guessing as to what's going on as it is unclear. Restricted narration is where the audience is given selective information, usually about a topic or a few topics of choice, unlike an unrestricted narration, where the narrative has no limits as to what information they can give you, things like a news channel. In Misery's case it is a restricted narration, as sometimes you don't know what Annie is doing when she isn't with Paul, also when Paul is writing Misery's resurrection for Annie, you never find out what he writes.
Misery also has the use of subjective character identification, as throughout the film we are given insight and are following Paul and the sheriff of the small town, also we sometimes follow Annie. Subjective character identification is where the viewers is given unique access to what a range of characters see and do. So with the sheriff, we follow him as he tries to figure out where Paul is, from driving around the roads he went, to being in a helicopter looking for Paul's car. We follow the sheriff until he starts to be suspicious of Annie and goes to visit her, it gets our hopes up when he hears Paul shouting just as he is about to leave, and goes to his aid, sadly he gets shot by Annie and the hope is gone again and the audience is left questioning Paul's safety once again. Misery’s also follows Tzvetan Todorovs theory of narrative, as step one is a state of equililibrium, equilibrium meaning normal occurrences, which is when Paul just finishing off his latest novel in satisfaction, and then drives off in his precious car. Step two being a disruption of the equilibrium, being when Paul crashes his car and gets badly injured. The third part is when there is recognition that there has been a disruption. This part being when Paul wakes up in an unknown room in a lot of pain and meets psychotic Annie. This stage of Todorv's theory occurs throughout the film however as Annie a flip at Paul a few times in the film and the calm state vanishes. Point four being an attempt to repair the disruption. This part of the film being when Paul starts to sneakily try and get his own back on Annie, but trying to put the medicine she has been giving him in her drink, which she spills, and then at the end attacking her in an effort to save himself. And finally point five being a reinstatement of the narrative structure. Being when Paul is back with his agent talking about another new novel he has wrote, everything is ok with him and his equilibrium is restored.
Twists and turns are quite frequent in thrillers, to keep the pace going and keep the audience on edge at all times and to keep them asking questions about what's going on, and what will happen. A good twist at the end of a thriller usually make the film that bit more interesting and gripping, due to the fact a lot of thrillers have them and it makes the audience wonder if what is going on is that simple or if there is something behind it all. Misery doesn't have any major twist at the end that we don't expect, other than Paul getting his own back on Annie, using his cunning mind and quick thinking to overpower her. There is however the turning point in the film, where Paul starts to fight back secretly, but hiding his pills and a knife under his mattress, waiting for that effect opportunity to strike back, which is good as their now obvious twists that the audience wasn't expecting, but there good twist as the same as it gives the audience hope. "THE PRESTIGE" has a really good twist at the end, being that one of the magicians seems to be the ultimate magician, when at the end we find out, his friend, was actually his identical twin brother, disguised so people would never know their secret, and he was helping with all the magic tricks, especially one where one brother walks through a door, and then is supposed to appear straight away at the other. It is such a good twist as we were never expecting it, and it pieces everything together to make it make sense.
There are two types of mysteries, the open mystery and the closed mystery. An open mystery is where the audience know who committed the crime from the beginning and we watch as the protagonist pieces together the mystery to find out them who committed the crime. A closed mystery is where even the audience don’t know who committed the crime, so a closed mystery is connected to the “whodunit.” The “whodunit” is basically a plot of the story where in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. From the protagonist Pauls view, Misery doesn’t follow either of these types of mysteries due to the fact no one committed a crime as his accident was of natural causes. However we could say form the sheriff’s point of view, it is an open mystery, as when the story goes on, the sheriff is convinced Paul has been kidnapped and is trying to figure out who kidnapped him, and the audience knows it is Annie, so there is also dramatic irony in the plot. As I said previously dramatic irony is where the viewer knows more information than the characters.
There are a few character archetypes in thrillers. We have all the different protagonists. As I said before protagonists are the good guys, they are usually the characters we follow is the story and are more than not at the mercy of the antagonist. The antagonist is the bad guy, the character or characters that go out of their way to stop or harm the protagonist. We have a few different types of protagonists; we have the picaresque hero which is a protagonist that uses wits and quick thinking to get out of unwanted and awkward situations. There is the unaware hero, which is a protagonist that accidently stumbles into a plot. We have the handicapped hero. This is a protagonist that either has a mental or physical state of disability. There is also the false hero. This is a character that you think is good, or they portend to be but, but turns out to be bad. There is also an unreliable narrator. This means if the protagonist we are following maybe is injured in some way or isn’t sure as to what’s going on, the information we are given. Paul is a handicapped protagonist in the story, as he is stuck in his bed or a wheelchair due to his accident. You could say he is also a picaresque hero, because he quickly realises a lot of the time he has to agree with Annie to get out of situations, and uses quick wit and thinking to get himself out of her mercy, by hiding a petrol canister in his jacket, and then asking Annie to get the things he always has when he has finished a novel. Champagne, a wine glass and a cigarette, so there for matches. And with these items he gets his own back on Annie by burning the novel and then attacks her. There are different types of antagonists also, like a false hero; we can also have the false villain. Like in “MOMENTO” we are convinced the character “Teddy” is a villain, when he is in fact a hero who was trying to help Lenny all along. But all the types of protagonists can be the same for antagonists. Also in “MOMENTO” Lenny is a handicapped hero and an unreliable narrator, as his injury, leaving him not being able to create new information, makes him vulnerable and unreliable with the information he gives us. Annie in Misery a handicapped hero, due to the fact she isn’t quite there in the head and she is also a villain that doesn’t think what she is doing is wrong, as she feels as if she is doing what God wants her to do.
When deciding the target audience for thrillers, you have to take in mind whether the audience would be able to understand a lot of the time what is going on, with thrillers like “MOMENTO” the film starts with the end at the beginning, so if the audience was young, they may not be able to understand what is happening, as with “MOMENTO”, sometimes they repeat scenes, and there is a phone conversation during the film in which we don’t know who he is talking to and at first what about. Because of this I’d say generally for thrillers I would set the target audience for a minimum of a 15, just because being an older audience they would be able to process what is going on better than a child. I would also set thrillers generally as a 15, because generally there is language used in thrillers that would be inappropriate for children to hear, alongside with maybe some graphic or disturbing scenes, “MOMENTO” have a few graphic scenes of when he shoots a person in the head at the beginning of the film, and when he beats and strangles another man to death. If a thriller was to be on TV they generally shouldn’t be on during the day, as most thrillers have some violence or bad language and also cause of what I said previously of it being too confusing for children. Because of this it should be on after the watershed at about 10pm at least so that by that time all younger children would be in bed.
With Misery I would say it should be at least a 15 as
the violence is infrequent in the film but is shocking for the audience and quite graphic. You see Paul in a car crash; his car rolls down a hill and he is knocked unconscious. His face is bloody and we later learn his legs are severely broken as you see his legs all battered and bruised. Also we see Annie break Paul’s legs, we see her put a plank of wood between his legs and then smacks his foot with a sledgehammer, you see is snap around the block of wood. This I think would be too disturbing for a child to watch so I would say Misery should be at least a 15. There isn’t much bad language in Misery. There is the odd time when “fuck” and “bitch” is used, but it isn’t frequent. Because of this Misery should definitely be on at about 10pm after the watershed, as Annie’s behaviour is unpredictable and could scare children, and especially because of the graphic scene of Paul’s legs being sledge hammered.
If a thriller was to be on TV at an earlier time, the “BBFC” would more than likely have to cut parts of the film out. The BBFC is “The British Board of Film Classification” and they sensor media and give it an appropriate certificate for the film and remove anything that could be potentially harmful to viewers. With a lot of thrillers, bad language would have to be cut out, and scenes that are graphic, such as in “MOMENTO” when he shoots Teddy at the beginning, and when he strangles another man to death. With Misery the only main scene that would need to be cut out is when Annie sledgehammers Paul’s legs as it would be disturbing to children. Other than maybe the tense scene of when Paul is trying to get back to his room before Annie catches him. So when a viewer see’s something they find shocking on telly at a certain time, they write to “Ofcom.” “Ofcom” is
the communications regulator and they generally regulate the TV and radio sectors, fix line telecoms, mobiles etc. One of their main duties is to ensure that people who watch television and listen to the radio are protected from harmful or offensive material. So if a viewer see’s something they don’t like, this is the place they complain to, and “Ofcom” sort the issue out.
Where things such as violence, drugs and strong language are allowed in thrillers, a lot of the time before the film starts, we are warned, usually by the age certificate and what the film has in store, for example strong language or violence. We are usually often warned as well if there is flashing lights, so people with epilepsy won’t be able to watch it, but they will be informed. There is also the issue when filming thriller with children. When working with child actors you need to consider their health and wellbeing. As they are young they can’t just work when they like. If they are under 16, they will need a license from their local authority, so that they can participate in the film. The licence will include a medical certificate and a statement on the performing hours; if they don’t have this then they can’t be in the production. There are also a restriction on how long a child can be on set for, this is due to maybe their education, which is important as a child as every child is entitled to an education and just because their an actor/actress doesn’t mean they don’t need qualifications, so the director will have to fit filming around that, also maybe to do with their health, as having a break every so often may be needed and having some free time to themselves.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100157/parentalguide
http://filmsound.org/terminology/diegetic.htm
http://www.youtube.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100157/
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/about/what-is-ofcom/
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/
