Th 1051: Introduction to Film
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Set in a high school in small town Texas, Varsity Blues tells
the story of 5 football players, their coach and the town that
idolizes them. The theme of Varsity Blues is about gods and heroes:
how you become one, how you fall from being one, and how we worship
them. Director Brian Robbins uses angles, distortions, color,
sound, and editing to pull this movie together. The combination
of these different techniques in each scene completes the total
effect of the movie.
In the opening montage you hear Mox, the main character, talking as you see images of West Canaan, Texas. One of the images is of a referee, the god of the football field, from a very low angle making him seem even more foreboding. In fact, all images of the ref throughout the movie are from low angles. When we first meet Lance, the star quarterback, the camera is at a low angle again. He steps out of his house into the light of the sun while trumpets are sounding, all in slow motion. Later in the movie it is said that Kilmer, the coach, has made Lance a god and the sound, along with the camera work in this moment, accentuates this statement.
When we have finally met all of the characters, we move to the
school and find out just how obsessed the town is with the football
team, the Coyotes. In the pep rally scene, you get an almost Naziesque
feeling. Everyone is wearing blue, and going crazy for these players,
and the coach. There is chaos until a hand enters the shot and
it cuts to Kilmer at a podium standing like Hitler looking out
over his followers. Throughout the film Kilmer is depicted like
this; from low angles, which make him very menacing and evil.
Before the first game we see how the different players prepare
by following Mox around the locker room with a steady cam. When
we get to Kilmer's office it cuts to the inside, and the shot
is from behind Lance's leg, as a needle goes into it, looking
out at Mox so that we can focus on his reaction. Then it cuts
to Kilmer closing the door in Mox's face with an echoed slam and
the only thing you see on the door is the word "Courage."
After the first football game, we go to a BBQ, where we see the
pressure that Mox is under from his father, while, at the same
time, trying not to ruin a friendship with Lance. The two fathers,
fighting over which son is better, cause a contest in which Lance
and Mox have to hit beer cans off of their fathers' heads with
a football. When first confronted with the contest there is a
pullback/zoom in shot of Mox, that lets you know that no matter
what the outcome, it is a no win situation for him, and he knows
it. As Mox is trying to put it off we see a montage in which we
have low, oblique angles of the two fathers, Mox's mom, and Lance's
brother, taunting Mox with the words echoing. These effects make
it more taunting, and you can feel the tension building inside
of him.
During the next game, Lance gets injured. During this scene the
camera has many jump cuts, which makes it very chaotic, along
with slow motion, which makes it more agonizing. The only sounds
you hear are the announcers, music, and Lance screaming in pain.
These effects make you feel like the world is ending for everyone
in this town. A god has fallen. After the game we see Mox wandering
around the town and finally ending up at his girlfriend, Jules',
house. In the background you can hear, Mickey Mousing the scene,
the song "Run" by Collective Soul. It interjects with
Mox's speech; when he stops talking you hear the words "have
I got a long way to run." He has become a god, and with the
use of the song you don't know if that's what he really wants.
You can tell that he feels lost and he doesn't know what to do
with this newfound "fame."
During another game, the players are all drunk and hungover. During
this scene the director uses a slow motion montage, and there
is no sound except for the song "Thunderstruck" by Sprung
Monkey. You see the all of the mistakes and the frustration of
the game, the slow motion makes it more agonizing and frustrating
to watch. Kilmer throwing things, members of the crowd looking
shocked, the fumbles, etc. At the close of the scene you see Mox
wiping his face with a towel and throwing it into a laundry bag
with other bloody towels. The image of the bloody towels emphasizes
how tormenting the game was for them.
In the scene where Mox gets his letter from Brown University,
there is a low angle shot of him reading it. After that it cuts
to a shot of the letter in the lower left corner of the screen,
and his fathers head in the upper right. His father is trying
to interrupt the reading and talk about the game. This shows that
his father cares more about winning the game than his son's success
in school.
In the scene before the final game there is another montage of
the town before the game. You see oblique shots of the town, with
signs all over, set to the sound of church bells and the team
saying the Our Father, which once again emphasizes how important
the game is to the people of the town. After the pep talk by Kilmer,
you hear the announcers, the yelling of the team and the song,
"My Hero" by the Foo Fighters, while the team is running
into the stadium in slow motion.
During the game you see Wendel running the ball, he is unstoppable,
and the only sound you hear is the song "Every Little Thing
Counts" once again Mickey Mousing the scene. Some of it is
in slow motion, to show how hard he has to work to get there.
Then when he gets the touchdown you see him celebrating in slow
motion again, as if savoring the moment. Then we see Wendel in
slow motion again when he gets injured. As he is helped off the
field we see Kilmer conspiring with the trainer, and behind him
we see Wendel, but not in focus. Showing that he is about to become
a victim. During halftime we go into the locker room again, following
Mox on a steady cam into the office. When Kilmer attacks Mox for
rebelling, there are many jump cuts that give a sense of chaos.
Then you see that Kilmer has lost his team, he leaves the room
hoping that they will follow. He stands out in the long dark hallway
waiting for them. When they don't come we watch him walk down
the long hall, very isolated and alone. The game begins again
with a montage of plays that don't tell you much about who's winning
until there is a shot of the scoreboard. During a crucial play
the camera switches to slow motion again. This is one my favorite
moments in the film. The camera is level with the field, and the
shot is in slow motion, you see Billy Bob put his hand down on
the ground, there is no sound until his hand touches. When this
happens all you hear is "Hero" begin again, and the
camera pans up to his face, and you hear, behind the music, his
breathing. From the low angle he is very menacing, and you know
that you do not want to be the person standing in his way. This
is a wonderful moment in the film. During the final play, which
is again in slow motion for suspense, there is no sound except
for heavenly music. Billy Bob falls to the ground, tackled by
three people, and you don't know it's a touchdown until you finally
see a referee make the sign for one.
Varsity Blues is an excellent movie. It has a wonderful use of
low angles, montages, slow motion, sound, and color. The way Brian
Robbins combined these aspects in each scene, hightens the emotion
of the scene. Ultimately I think you're supposed to realize that
we put too much pressure on people to be a hero for us, and if
they let us down, our whole world can fall apart. We need to learn
to stand up for ourselves, instead of waiting for someone to come
along and do it for us; otherwise we'll remain followers all our
lives.
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