Listen now | Today’s movie is Magnolia directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Magnolia has a tendency to wander into the kind of melodrama that can feel like it’s trying a bit too hard. Compared to PTA’s later work, the movie feels messy and unfocused, and there’s a confidence that he finds in his later films that feels like it’s missing from
I have mixed feelings for Paul Thomas Anderson's movies and it's the first time I rewatch Magnolia since its release. I was actually pleasantly surprised but I agree that some of the melodrama is over the top. Some of it though felt like a subdued or implied horror movie more than a melodrama and that's the part I liked the most. The scene with the cadaver in the closet is an example of that, there's a sinister undercurrent running through the whole movie. There's also the scene with the kid in the library at 42 min, the music is very similar to the Khachaturian piece in 2001: A Space Odyssey, I thought it was a very effective way to portray complete loneliness. And the scene where all the characters sang the same song reminded me of the end of Path of Glory, like they needed nursery rhymes because of trauma.
In general, the music is not overbearing when there are more dramatic moments, which is something I prefer over music that emphasizes emotion. One example of that is the kiss at the restaurant, there's no music and I think the scene is more powerful because of that.
I'm curious, where did you see problems with strobing, is it everywhere?
I looked on the internet, the genre I would associate with what I try to describe is "existential horror". Another example is when Tom Cruise's character tells the journalist that the conference room is not safe. It's not the main idea of the film but I liked those touches.
I watched again for the shaky dolly shots and I see what you mean, it's not smooth. I didn't see the strobe lighting though, is there a scene where it's particularly visible?
Ok yes now I see, it's pretty noticeable. That's not good and they knew better than that. I haven't seen movies from DOP Robert Elswit in a while but he worked on a few major films before Magnolia, so I would guess it's not because of a lack of knowledge from the DOP but because of tight scheduling.
For the dolly shots, I looked at the making-of and it's pretty funny, I don't know much about camera rigs but it looks makeshift to me. https://youtu.be/-sG40zsq3kI?t=2633
I know Fincher uses more sophisticated equipment for dolly shots, maybe they didn't have access to that. https://youtu.be/VmnzUAXUQ5w?t=1264
It's funny, for me it's the reverse, I'm surprised when I see very stable images, I'm less sensitive to shakes. But you're right, it would have looked way better if he stabilized the shots.
I have mixed feelings for Paul Thomas Anderson's movies and it's the first time I rewatch Magnolia since its release. I was actually pleasantly surprised but I agree that some of the melodrama is over the top. Some of it though felt like a subdued or implied horror movie more than a melodrama and that's the part I liked the most. The scene with the cadaver in the closet is an example of that, there's a sinister undercurrent running through the whole movie. There's also the scene with the kid in the library at 42 min, the music is very similar to the Khachaturian piece in 2001: A Space Odyssey, I thought it was a very effective way to portray complete loneliness. And the scene where all the characters sang the same song reminded me of the end of Path of Glory, like they needed nursery rhymes because of trauma.
In general, the music is not overbearing when there are more dramatic moments, which is something I prefer over music that emphasizes emotion. One example of that is the kiss at the restaurant, there's no music and I think the scene is more powerful because of that.
I'm curious, where did you see problems with strobing, is it everywhere?
I looked on the internet, the genre I would associate with what I try to describe is "existential horror". Another example is when Tom Cruise's character tells the journalist that the conference room is not safe. It's not the main idea of the film but I liked those touches.
I watched again for the shaky dolly shots and I see what you mean, it's not smooth. I didn't see the strobe lighting though, is there a scene where it's particularly visible?
Here’s an example of the strobing, if you look at the three lights in the background of this scene, you can see it.
https://youtu.be/_3VH5wfAoKA
It’s fairly subtle, but it was happening throughout the movie. I watched it on a pretty large screen as well, which probably made it more noticeable.
Around 1:20 in that clip it gets pretty noticeable.
Ok yes now I see, it's pretty noticeable. That's not good and they knew better than that. I haven't seen movies from DOP Robert Elswit in a while but he worked on a few major films before Magnolia, so I would guess it's not because of a lack of knowledge from the DOP but because of tight scheduling.
For the dolly shots, I looked at the making-of and it's pretty funny, I don't know much about camera rigs but it looks makeshift to me. https://youtu.be/-sG40zsq3kI?t=2633
I know Fincher uses more sophisticated equipment for dolly shots, maybe they didn't have access to that. https://youtu.be/VmnzUAXUQ5w?t=1264
It's funny, for me it's the reverse, I'm surprised when I see very stable images, I'm less sensitive to shakes. But you're right, it would have looked way better if he stabilized the shots.
Wow - you can see the camera wobbling all over the place on that "dolly"! So bizarre...
- Casey