Film Analysis Silence by Director Martin Scorsese

According to their informant, it is rumoured that Father Ferreira had already chosen the ways of the world and had decided to live amongst the Japanese together with his wife in the vast Japanese society. Surprised by the ongoing rumour about one of their own, Garrupe, Rodrigues and Ferreira seek their superior’s permission to visit Japan so that they may be able to go and check up on their friend’s situation. After being granted the permission to do so, by the church, then travel to Japan in 1639 which happens to be a period when the local government had laid a hefty ban on the practice of Christianity in the country (Martin 102). This also meant that any Christians present were not allowed to declare their religion in public as this would automatically lead them into trouble.

To their luck, the priests are lucky enough to collaborate with a local fisherman, Kichijiro, who works towards assisting them to reach an island close to Nagasaki by the means of sneaking in the country. In order to save the lives of the public, Rodrigues is forced to denounce his faith or else all the people would be killed. He is left with no option as he prefers to save the life of the masses. His answer, however, goes unanswered. Setting The film is a drama based on events that took place in the historical period. Directed by Martin Scorsese the 2016 film’s screenplay was set up by Both Scorsese and Jay Cocks in reference to a 1966 novel by Shusaku Endo.

The film displays different scenes which may be considered as award-worthy craftsmanship. The whole film attempts to tell a story about to priests who undergo a series of struggles all in the name of trying to save one of their own. The director goes ahead to showcase different instances where the two servants of God wonder into the wilderness in the vast Japanese landscapes in an attempt to avoid being detected by the local authorities. The director makes use of vivid nature to his advantage in order to pass some of his main themes in the movie. Lighting Back in the year 2002, Scorsese had hinted on the possibility of filming the film using 3D technology. As a means of dealing with the challenge, the cinematographer option to change the filming time for different scenes.

This involved filming during the night so as to allow the filmmakers to obtain scenes that were lit for sunset or dusk. This also meant that the cinematographer would be forced to find probable means of ensuring that he was able to effectively shoot or simulate night scenes. This was thereby done through the use of blue-green lights referred to as UFO which is normally hung on moving cranes (Ward 170). Rodrigo Prieto expertise with regard to cinematography can be said to be phenomenal owing to how he was able to establish a painterly picture quality. In addition, research indicates that the costume designed for father Rodrigues was a clear representation of a married, middle-class Japanese man during the 17th century. This was also important as it portrayed a poor Japanese and living in the villages.

In addition to this, the filmmaker was also able to make use of additional expertise in coming up with Dutch and Portuguese bourgeois costumes for 80 characters in the film. The costumes used in the film were initially designed and put together In Italy, Ferreti’s homeland, before being sent to the filming locations (J. Martin 44). Camera Work The cinematography of the film “Silence” adequately complements its genre. Some of the key aspects that enabled the cinematographer to effectively manage to come about with conclusive camera work include the well put camera movements, camera angles, point-of-view shots, off-screen and onscreen spaces, framing as well as the duration of the shots. Throughout the film, the director, in collaboration with the cinematographers saw I necessary to incorporate the use of different camera angles throughout the film so as to ensure that they would be able to cover the beautiful natural sceneries in the shot locations visited.

In addition, the two filmmakers were in an agreement to use such camera angles so as to ensure that they would be able to bring about the symbolism of power and suspense among the various characters used in the film. This was also so as to provide increased off-screen and on-screen spaces in order to illustrate the various traits of the characters involved. The positioning of cameras showcased the cruelty portrayed by the prisoner’s captors. They showed minimal cases of remorsefulness towards the prisoners as they saw I necessary to set a good example for any European planning to get into the country (Grierson 22). Prieto’s choice to use a digital camera in the film can be said to be a contemporary trend in the modern age.

His choice of camera was crucial to the film as well as the location of the film as this enabled him to effectively film low-light shots or come up with scenes that utilize digital means of depicting the required lighting. This trait was particularly essential as it enabled the filmmakers to effectively manoeuvre in dark scenes (Ward 170). Among these includes Kim Allen Kluge and Kathryn Kluge for the task of coming up with the film’s soundtrack. In order to come up with a precise soundtrack, the two made use of oceanic as well as nocturnal sounds in the various tracks that they were able to compose. This enabled them to come up with a 51-minutes long soundtrack made up of 25 tracks (Ward 170).