Four Weddings and a Funeral
Title of the film: Four Weddings and a Funeral
Director: Mike Newell
Main Actors: – Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, James Fleet, Charlotte Coleman, David Bower, Corin Redgrave, and Rowan Atkinson.
Imagery
The imagery presented in the film is depictive of how a wedding should be the source of joy and happiness, but the reality is that weddings harbor a lot of resentment, discovery, hidden desires, and new relationships bound to be formed. For instance, when Charlie commences the best man’s speech, he specifically stated how he was the best man twice and the first marriage did not end well. The crowd laughs to this only later on, are we introduced to the love affairs, heartbreaks, and marriages that would soon take place after the first wedding.
Poetic language
At the end of the film, at Gareth’s funeral, Mathew recites the poem “funeral blues” by a homosexual English poet, W.H. Auden. He was commemorating his relationship with Gareth calling Auden a ‘bugger like Gareth.” The poem was symbolic of the love affairs and broken relationships throughout the film. The reason is that the director wanted to emphasize that each marriage was a ‘funeral blue’ without each defining their perspective. All the characters wanted to marry and live a happy life, but as the director showed, it may not always be the proposed or eventual decision that everyone should make.
Natural Environment
The natural environment for a wedding is at the church followed by a symbolic garden party. With each wedding, the director, Mike, showcased the seriousness of each event. From the Scotland wedding to a British wedding. Each male character was dressed in formal suits while the female characters were adorned in wedding-appropriate dresses. Traditional weddings often took place in churches that were common similar to funerals. The formality of the process is religious as both man and woman are officiated by an ordained priest who pronounces married after they put on their wedding rings. For instance, the first wedding, Angus and Laura were officiated in a church similar to the Bernard and Lydia wedding in Scotland.
Physical beauty
The director uses the physical beauty of the lead female character to accentuate their beautiful contour. For instance, when Charles first encounters Carrie during the wedding. Charles was taken back by Carrie’s facial features and how feminine her body was depicted. It was also shown for the men where David, the deaf and dumb brother to Charles is eyed by a lady during the first British wedding. “He looks like a dish” were the words used to describe David which translated means he looked gorgeous.
Camera Angles
The director utilizes almost all camera angles to emphasize the emotions and dramatic effects of the reactions of the characters. The most used shot is the cowboy or the hip level shot. In most of the events including weddings and the funeral, the director wanted to highlight the emotions of each individual. From the first onlook, during weddings, people seemed happy whereas, for the funeral, they appeared sad. Each event was representative of the sentiment crucial to the specific moment. For instance, during the Scotland wedding (Bernard and Lydia wedding), the director used the cowboy shot to symbolize another wedding. Another prolific camera angles the director used is the shoulder level shot. It was specific to when either a male of a female character was observing the opposite gender. In interpretation, it may indicate that the characters were emphasizing their attractiveness (sexual or pure love) for the opposite gender. For instance, when Charles first-encountered Carrie and Scarlett with Chester the emphasis was the way they looked at each other to symbolize the beginning of a new love affair.
Special Effects
There was no imagery used in this movie. Each scene was intimate based on the location from the church to the funeral venues.
Art form
The color was used in the movie especially during wedding ceremonies. It depicted happy moments and individuals full of happiness. On the other hand, the funeral lacked any color to solemnize the event. Music was common in the movie with most of the music events being depicted during the transition of a scene. For instance, when Charles saw Carrie for the third time, it symbolized a dark moment for Charles as Carrie was getting married. The somber music highlighted the plight that Charlie went through when he realized he can no longer be with Carrie. For weddings, the traditional walk-down-the the isle song used at weddings was common. It may have symbolized the beginning of a new life. As for the costumes, the men adorned formal suits while the women adorned formal wedding dresses. The scenery to conclude, was in churches and gardens which is typical of traditional weddings.