Well, this is different. We're a long way from the Napoleonic Wars and ships-of-the-line and little boys without arms and flightless fowls...or are we?
The fact that many of you walked out utterly perplexed after the first 35 minutes of this 1977 made-in-Australia film, Weir's third feature (a disappointing box office following the success of Picnic at Hanging Rock, which we will watch next), is not surprising. I'm perplexed as well. But I would argue that this is exactly the state of mind Peter Weir wants us to be in as we watch this strange film. David Burton, its lawyer protagonist, is perplexed too. Who wouldn't be with the massive rainstorms buffeting usual dry Australian and with the dreams he's having? I don't know about you, but I'm perplexed in the way that I want to know what the heck is going on in the world of this film.
1. Your reaction to this film so far? And—please answer this—what image or moment in the first part of this movie jumped out at you? How so?
2. What echoes of Master and Commander do you see in this film made 26 years earlier? Imagery? Theme? I know I felt as though this was a film made by the same director, different as the two movies are. What here reminded you of, brought you back to, the more recent film?
Write a couple hundred words. We'll see you tomorrow and—I hope—find out what the heck is going on in this movie.
1. I really like this film so far, a lot more than Master and Commander. I just think there are a lot more interesting visuals and themes in this film. Whereas Master and Commander glossed over the theme of race when it could have really said something about it, this film is beginning to more directly approach it with the “Big White Boss” written in the law office and the man talking down the Aborigines. The image that really struck me was when it was raining frogs. The image of frogs raining from the sky directly evokes Exodus, and I’m curious to see if as the film goes on there will be more events with religious connotations.
ReplyDelete2. In both films there is the idea of the power of water. In Master and Commander, they are on a ship and their fate and success is determined by how the water treats them. In The Last Wave, the rain is shaking and disrupting the community. Water is something need to survive and we are dependent on it, and in both these films Weir is playing with idea that it harms or has the potential to harm us. Water also symbolizes rebirth and new life, but in these films it is much more ominous and life-threatening. In both films you also get the tension between people with power (Hollom, David Burton) and the people without power (the crew, the Aboriginese men), which shows that conflict like this between two different groups of people is inevitable.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I like this film in the way that I liked Hitchcock's The Birds. I don't want to stop watching, and it's interesting enough, but I just kept thinking, what's the point. Is it going to end in some profound idea that will somehow change my life forever, or is it just really weird? Both films seem to be horror films, but neither are particularly scary, they're just confusing and a bit weird. There must be some underlaying theme that I haven't picked up on yet, and surely it will be better once that theme is clearer, but right now, it just seems like a horror film gone wrong. My associating The Last Wave with The Birds may just be because of the image of the kid being cut by glass and the image of the birds pecking at people (and somewhat unrealistic blood that follows both events), but it seems like there's something bigger that would put them in the same category. The most striking image so far has been Burton's dream; the image of the shadowy figure standing in the rain. It was such a strange image, but so memorable in a way that you would only understand after you had seen it. Coupled with the cats meowing in unison, this image is very creepy and, I believe, will come up many more times before the end.
Both films have a theme of a power struggle between races and classes. In Master and Commander, the race struggle is less of a struggle, but there are slaves on the ship. In The last Wave, there's the struggle between the white people and the Aborigines. In both films, class is a struggle, although it's not as prominent in The Last Wave so far. The main difference between the two films is the colors. Despite the blood and gore, Master and Commander had much softer images, and colors that were easier to look at. In The Last Wave, the scene changes are sudden. The colors are sharp and almost jarring to look at. In Burton's house, the colors are bright, almost what you would expect from old I Love Lucy episodes that have had color added to them. However, in his dreams, everything is dark and ominous. The colors don't run together and have smooth transitions, like Master and Commander, they change suddenly and stand out from each other. Overall, Master and Commander was much easier to look at, and The last Wave has colors that might reflect the themes once more is revealed. I sincerely apologize for not underlining or italicizing movie titles. It wont let me.
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ReplyDelete1. So far, this movie is not quite as exciting as Master and Commander but is intriguing and mysterious. I have not the slightest idea of what's going on but I feel suspense as I watch it. I can't really tell what the lawyer's personality is but I already like him because he's so sweet with his kids. The image that I keep returning to is the shadow of a person outside of the lawyer's window. It's very creepy and disturbing as if someone is watching him. The scene in which the sewer man sees the shady, evil looking man sitting in his car also is very intriguing. Was it a wand that the man held? Why was he parked there in the pouring rain?
ReplyDelete2. In both Master and Commander and The Last Wave, the action scenes abruptly shift views and inspire a feeling of excitement and involvement for the audience, or at least, for me. Also, there is a clear sense of who has the power in any given scene. When the Aborigines visit the law office, it's clear that they are at the mercy of the "Big White Boss." Also, the leader of their group (I don't know what his name is) is clearly the head of the other four men. He's taller than them and talks. It was always clear on the boat in Master and Commander that Capt. Aubrey, though sometimes he seemed to level with his crew, was more important and more powerful than everyone else.
ReplyDelete1.This film had me very intrigued. I stopped trying to make sense out of everything that was happening and just went with the flow of the movie. During the first 20 minutes or so, it just seemed like a series of random events that were occurring and being shown to us. In the last fifteen minutes, we saw a few loose connections between the story lines presented. The scene that stood out most to me was when the main character saw an alien-figure standing outside in the rain. Before that, I was trying so hard to make sense of everything. Once there was an alien man involved, I gave up. However, I am very excited to see how all of this plays out.
2. In both Master and Commander and The Last Wave, there seems to be a lot of focus on detail. There is a lot of imagery on things that the viewer may not have picked up on at first. Through these details, it becomes obvious that water is a hug theme in The Last Wave like manhood and hard work is a theme in Master and Commander. The cinematography tends to zoom in on small symbols or actions that will most likely mean something later in the film.
I like this movie even more than Master and Commander. Although in many ways Master and Commander transcended its genre with its complex character development and its critiques of tradition and masculinity, it still fit the basic cookie-cutter action movie plot. After you see the opening scenes of the movie, you know exactly how it is going to end. In contrast, The Last Wave seems completely original and less derivative. I have no idea what’s going on or what’s going to happen, but I’m so intrigued with the movie’s puzzling style that I want to know what is going to happen. Like Jenny, my favorite scene was the one with the frogs. I also noticed this scene as an allusion to Exodus, and am curious to hear what Weir has to say about religion.
ReplyDeleteThere are many similarities in the presentation of Master and Commander and The Last Wave. One of the most striking similarities is in the way both first scenes are shot. They are both mysterious and devoid of significant dialogue. The viewers are furiously trying to figure out what is going on. As Clark said on the first day, Weir has this tendency at the beginning of his movies to just plop you right down in the middle of the movie’s world, without explanation or judgment. Another significant similarity is that both movies have water as an important symbol. In both movies, water develops this connotation of dangerousness, darkness and unpredictability.
1.
ReplyDeleteI do not really like this movie this far. I’m intrigued by it and I’m interested to see how it plays out, but I’m confused by the seeming lack of plot in the movie thus far. I agree with Coles that I think that with this movie, you have to give up your knowledge of the world right now and just immerse yourself in the movie until it’s over, just to fully flow with it. The scene that stood out to me most was the sequence with Burton at home on Sunday working while his family is outside playing. I think that showed the first glimpse of a real background to any character in the movie.
2. In both movies, there is a great attention to detail, yet still bringing the viewer back to the big picture. There are so many minute details that Weir incorporates into his films, yet in both movies we’ve seen beginnings with wide sweeping shots of the location and situations that our characters will be in. I agree with Katherine in particular: the lack of dialogue in the first few frames really helps put the viewer in the place of the movie.
1. I’m enjoying this film so far mainly because I don’t really know what’s going on. It’s very mysterious, and I love it when movies make no sense and then suddenly become clear. There are so many things that have been introduced that I hope will come together. I’m most wondering why the bathtub got clogged with toys. It can’t just have been the kids can it? Please let it be something creepier. Perhaps it’s some sort of sign from that magical guy in the car. Water is obviously very important (the bathtub floods and it’s pouring at night). I can’t really say much more than that since I’m waiting to find out so much.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with Jenny. Water is very important in both movies. Water is something to contend with, and it’s something to try and harness. In Master and Commander they had to survive on the sea and in this movie someone/something is controlling the rain to do…something (send a message?). There are also clear class divisions in this movie just as there was in the last one. There were the different classes on the ship and now there are the clear racial divisions. However, our main character is much different.
I'm not sure how much I like this film, but I really want to know what's going on. I think I'll like it better when (or if) everything comes together and makes some sort of sense. One moment that stuck out for me was when David and his wife are trying to figure out how to defend the Aboriginese men and his wife is researching the Aboriginese people. I see a connection with Master and Commander because both movies provide some sort of social criticism: Master and Commander made the audience see masculinity and hierarchy in a new way while The Last Wave is doing the same for racism. The racism against the Aboriginese in this film is thinly veiled but very much a part of the setting. The Last Wave also has sort of a documentary feel, but the fact that no one stops to explain what's going on adds to the confusing tone of the film rather than allowing us to focus on the characters. This film challenges the audience to try to figure out the plot and the characters and the themes all at once.
ReplyDeleteI like this movie so far. Sort of. I don't dislike it. I actually might have seen it before, but I'm not quite sure and I feel like I would have remembered a film like this. I know for certain that while many scenes jumped out at me, I also jumped during many scenes. One part of the movie that I can't stop thinking about was the bathtub scene. I mean, I liked the suspense of the water trickling down the stairs. Peter Weir did a good job with that direction. He didn't just film water on some stairs, he made it artistic with different views and angles. Then when the girls see the water they say, "Look, it's raining!" which was adorable and innocent, but also shows the different reactions. The parents were both concerned about the water (as they probably should be) and the girls found it entertaining. This made me think a lot about the transition from childhood to adulthood.
ReplyDeleteAs for similarities, there seem to be many. Both movies opened in similar ways. Sure, one movie is set on the ocean and the other in Australia and while this is not similar, the mood feels the same. Both movies start without dialogue and appear to be a bit mysterious. I liked that. There are so many movies that start immediately with dialogue. I think it's nice to let the movie absorb you and THEN start dialogue. In this case, I didn't even understand what was being said at first. Another similarity is the water. So. Much. Water. Everywhere. In the scene where the men are entering (what I think was) the law firm, there is water dripping down on them and they payed no attention. In Master and Commander, the men on the ship seem to be completely use to the sea water. It's interesting. For a final example, there is definitely a class and race difference. There wasn't really a race difference in Master and Commander, but there was a very large class difference.
I don't really know about this film so far. I'm very confused with what's going on, but it looks like that's intentional. The main character will most likely figure out what's going on later, but with the current state of events, everything needs an explanation. The odd man in the car and the dream that David had really jumped out at me.
ReplyDeleteI noticed a lot of water in both of these films. It seems to be very important in both. Weir also seems to like using scenery shots and big views of the settings. Also similar to at least the beginning of Master and Commander was the large lack of dialogue. Both movies seem to be very successful at making a point without too much talking among the characters.
1. I don’t really even know what to think of the film so far—it’s just so bizarre and I don’t understand what’s happening at the moment, but then again, maybe we aren’t supposed to understand it yet and I can accept that. The movie definitely doesn't have the element of excitement like Master and Commander does, but it is intriguing nevertheless and I have so many questions I want to be answered in the remaining parts of the movie. So far, I can say that I don’t like The Last Wave as much as Master and Commander due to the fact that there seems to be no point and, as Molly said, the lack of plot. The image that made me almost do a double take was the writing on the wall of the lawyer’s office which said “Big White Boss.”
ReplyDelete2. In both movies Weir noticeably pays a great deal of attention to the details which appear obscure at first but have meaning later in the film. I agree with both Molly and Katherine in saying that the lack of dialogue in the first frames of both movies, which makes them mysterious and frustrating to the viewer at the same time. Also, like pretty much everyone else has said, both Master and Commander and The Last Wave have water everywhere. Thirdly, both movies successfully portray class differences particularly with the crewmen and Jack and then with the Aboriginals and white men.
Last Wave, thus far, has overwhelmed me with a sense of oddity particular to films from the 70s and 80s. It can almost be labeled as a sort of cheesiness, but with respect to the period, I know this was not the intention. I am big into silent scenes in films, so I would have to say the audience's introduction to David Burton has been my favorite— so telling of the man's character without a word spoken. I have not particularly enjoyed the sheer bizarreness of the Aboriginal conflict. I must say, at this point, the two stories here (Burton and the Aboriginals), are meant to mesh, but they seem to clash.
ReplyDeleteThe similarities of Weir's creations, to me, lie not in the films at all. Obviously, one could hardly find two more unrelated pictures. Nevertheless, one can see it around the edges—in the framing. So I will not look for similarities in the plot, for I don't think they are there. I can't point precisely to what I am referencing, for I feel that it is the tone, the driving force, that has a similar feel, as different as the films may be.
I had read the IMDB synopsis for the movie before class, but once we got into the movie, I had no idea what was going on. I remembered the rain and hail scene from the trailer, but nothing else really made sense. However, after thinking about it, maybe Weir likes to introduce the setting in all of his movies, and like in Master and Commander, he does so without bias so the audience can make their own conclusions. Like other people, I found the lack of dialog and the eerie images really creepy. The scene when Mr. Burton is dreaming of a man in the rain was probably the creepiest, and it didn’t help that he yelled out right after! But over all, I’m really looking forward to see whole this story line is going to role out and how Mr. Burton is connected to the aboriginal man that keeps appearing in his dreams. I thought I was interesting how Mrs. Burton was reading a book on the aboriginal people while Mr. Burton was explaining the case, and how we are shown the specific pages that read: “the fatal impact… then… and now…” This scene kind of reminded me of when Aubrey was learning about science from Dr. Stephen, where Burton to the aboriginals as Aubrey to science, and both must learn to over come their obstacle.
ReplyDelete1. I am so confused. Like, I got nothing. I don't understand anything. No, I mean, okay, there are certain things I understand. Clearly, the main character is a lawyer and he's got his families and there's crazy unusual rainstorms but how did that one guy die? And what was he doing in the sewers or wherever? Why were those other guys chasing him? Why is David having weird dreams????? These are things I don't understand. I get the feeling it's going to be a movie where everything connects in the end in a way that'll make what's confusing now seem totally brilliant but at the moment I can't form an opinion because I just don't understand anything. The moment that stayed with me the most was the dream, where David actually sees a person instead of just a figure and then that person turns out to be the missing member of the group he's supposed to be helping even though he had never seen him before I'm very curious about that. David's tennis outfit also stuck with me.
ReplyDeleteAgain, not sure yet. I think we're probably gonna see some echoes of the theme of classism and in that vein also power and tradition, but aside from that I haven't been able to draw any connections yet. I imagine that this movie will also end up being more than what it seems, though.
From watching the beginning of the movie I don't really understand it. I don't understand all the rain and his dreams. An image that really stuck out to me was when it started hailing. That was really strange because there were no clouds in the sky, so where did the hail come from? In both the films we have seen a lot of water. They both start out with water, like in master and commander because there on ships, and in the wave it starts hailing and raining. Also later on in the wave there was the scene with the bath tub, and all the water flooding everywhere. Personally, from seeing not that much of the movie, I don't quite know what the theme with water is yet, and I don't know what it could be representing, but I do think that water is going to play in later on.
ReplyDelete1. As you said I was definitely confused by the movie, but I found some of the imagery very interesting. I like the theme of water that is persistent in almost every scene. That is a very good way to tie the movie together. I am not really sure what I think of the plot of the movie because I am not entirely sure of what the plot is. The one scene that really stuck out to me was the one with the overflowing bathtub causing water to run down the stairs. It was a scene that was misleading because the movie (so far) had had a rather supernatural way about it, so we were tricked into thinking that something else strange was going on. When we discovered it was only a bathtub overflowing that was (in a way) more disconcerting that if it had been raining inside. Another thing that made this scene a bit creepy was the fact that there was no readily apparent way in which the bathtub had been turned on. Over all I liked this scene because it was a creepy scene disguised as and unimportant and possibly irrelevant scene.
ReplyDelete2. One thing that I now notice is that The Last Wave, like Master and Commander, did not really have any important dialogue for the first part of the movie. I have inadvertently seen several other movies directed by Peter Weir, but I can’t remember if it is also true for them. I think that it is for some of them. I also noticed that both movies had a seemingly strong, but also distinctly human main character. I don’t really know how close to Aubrey the main character of The Last wave really is because I have not really had time to get to know him, but I suspect that he will be similar.
This movie has such a different setting and tone than Weir's other movie, Master and Commander. So far, I don't know if I like this movie with the rain coming from no where and frogs falling from the sky. The music itself is eery. It definitely is much more intriguing than the last movie we watched, but I know very little about what is going on, plot-wise. Unlike Aubrey, the main character seems to be a small, nervous man. He is having nightmares and is afraid to sleep, whereas Captain Jack seems to fear nothing. The scene of the water trickling down the stairs stuck with me the most. David Burton thinks he hears something when he is at the dinner table and finally gets up and is the first to discover a strange amount of water coming from upstairs. In the bathroom on the top floor, he finds the bathtub overflowing with water and a toy covering the drain. His girls deny having anything to do with the incident. I have a feeling this is foreshadowing what will happen later in the movie--a flood, perhaps. It also helps set the dark, mysterious tone to the movie. It has us wondering why all these strange things are happening all of a sudden.
ReplyDeleteThough the movies are both directed by Peter Weir, they having shockingly different settings. Both movies do in fact have a setting with water being important in both, though. I'm not sure of the significance of the water yet but it seems like there is some impending doom having to do with it. Also, the Aborigines seem to be of a different class, and in fact, are of a different race. That touches on Master and Commander's theme of the importance of tradition and maintaining order among classes.
I actually found myself enjoying the movie a lot more than I had originally thought I would. I love the emotional roller coaster that I've been through in just the first half of the film. One second i'm scared because somebody just popped up on the screen, then suddenly i'm laughing because there's a goat. The scene that stuck out the most to me was when the Aborigines were in the legal office. It was so clear that the crappy legal office was all that they could afford. This scene highlights the obvious class and racial discrimination in Australia at the time.
ReplyDelete2. There were two main similarities that I found in the two Weir films. The first was the class discrimination. Almost all of the crew in Master and Commander was from the lower class. There was also a clear segregation of the classes. The same is in the Last Wave. The Aborigine children that went to school with the white children didn't interact between races. It was clear that the children were segregated. The second thing was the water. When I was leaving the room today I heard john talk about what water represented. Its clear that there is water in both films. In one it's the sea and in the other it's a monsoon. It's unclear what the water represents in the Last Wave because we don't know what's causing it, but it represents something. My best guess would be redemption.
1. I'm excited about this movie. It definitely has the potential to either get my hopes up and then flop (like Children of the Corn) or be really brilliant. I don't know what's going on, but I feel pretty confident that aliens are involved. The water spilling over the stairs stood out to me, because it was very unnerving and remains unexplained. The dream scenes with the figure outside Burton's house, and especially when he appears in the den, were certainly memorable, especially when viewed alongside the scene when Burton's father talks to him about the dreams he had had as a kid of being taken in the night. (I'm telling you, aliens.) Those scenes were particularly creepy. I can't wait to find out more, but I have to say, if there isn't a really good ending where everything is explained, I'm going to be disappointed.
ReplyDelete2. One immediate connection I made between the films happened in the first few scenes of the The Last Wave. This film, like Master and Commander, begins with a series of images without music or significant dialogue. Weir seems to set the stage for the rest of the plot with the opening images. This is an example of his interest with detail that some people mentioned previously. The major difference in the way he uses this technique between the two films is that in The Last Wave you have no idea what he's trying to show you... I also see morality as a surfacing theme, although it's not quite clear yet how it will present itself. Clearly, in Master and Commander, Jack faced multiple decisions that had no obvious moral answer. It seems that Burton may face similar problems in his attempt to help these men, especially since one has haunted him in his dreams. This will certainly be interesting...