Clayton George Wickham - final thesis

8
images and scenes in which, even though he may not have been present, the
spectator can still witness events that reveal more about the surrounding characters.
This differs from Sunset Boulevard (1950; dir. Wilder) in which the deceased
narrator, Joe Gillis, discusses events that were only witnessed firsthand. The
selectivity in Sunset Boulevard allows the viewer to experience the desperation of a
struggling Hollywood writer, and the grotesqueness of the mansion and its
occupants. If Sunset Boulevard were told from the point of view of Norma
Desmond the viewer would see a film about a proud, aging star clinging to an
ungrateful yet handsome young stranger. If told from the perspective of Betty
Schaefer, the viewer would witness the story of a woman torn between two men, one
who is stable and kind, and the other man is a mysterious character who she wants to
save from squandering his talent. The significance of the events that we witness,
even within the context of the same larger storyline, entirely determines the type of
film the spectator watches.
The second important factor that identifies perspective is how the events and
information are communicated to the spectator. Dances With Wolves (1990; dir.
Costner) begins as a gritty civil war film, with the opening sequence taking place in a
dirty medical tent. The viewer witnesses amputations, body parts caked in
congealing blood, and unsanitary conditions. As Lt. John Dunbar rejoins the battle
to attempt suicide instead of losing a limb, the film still retains the washed out muted
colours of the opening sequence. The spectator understands the horrifying elements
of war and the overall Western “civilisation” of the Americas, based on the events
witnessed by Dunbar. Once he moves out to the frontier, Dances With Wolves
reveals the sweep of the landscape, using compositions that encompass large masses
of land, along with vast expanses of sky. As Dunbar befriends the local native tribe,