wildtales Flashcards
what is the Spanish way of saying wild tales?
Relatos Salvajes
who is the director of Wild Tales?
Damian Szifron
where and when was is made and produced?
made in Argentina/ spain
released in 2014
background information on Wildtales ?
the title means ‘savage tales’
its a portmanteau of 6 deadly stories on revenge
extreme acts of violence from protagonists
its vicious, bloody, funny, satirical black comedy
it shows that small lapses of self control can change the course of multiple lives
relatable and global, shared frustrations and we can all lose control
Oscar nominated (lost to Ida) and BAFTA winner.
who is Szifron?
he is an Argentinian film and television director and screen writer born in 1975.
his influences behind wild tales were: Roald Dahl, Tarantino, Coen Brothers, Almodovar and Looney tunes
what are the common themes in Wild Tales?
self contained narratives and enigma twists
Macabre, dark, sinister
extremely violent, often comically so
thrilling and mysterious
relatable but caricatured characters
themes of injustice and revenge and inhibited losing of control.
what inspiration did Szifron use for the road rage tale?
‘duel’
Argentinian context?
guardian 2015: ‘ truly tales from a branca nation’
a rage at the complacency and mediocrity of Argentinian ruling class.
social contexts?
Argentinian social order. individuals are itching to take a stand against a country that demonstrates both backward and social constructs.
economic decline halted but periods of inflation and uncertainty.
political and historical contexts?
recent history in Argentina of military junta and the so called ‘dirty war’ (state terrorism) in 1976-1983.
human rights violations , later investigation into war crimes and the ‘disappeared’ by the ruling military.
mistrust of officials and government in recent history
contemporary Argentinian corruption and bearocracy.
institutional context?
film production in Argentina supported by the state , i snow on of the major film industries in the Spanish speaking world.
budget of the film $4 million
locations in cities of Buenos Aries, Salta and Jujly prainces.
the film s composed of 6 short segments, what are their names?
pasternak las ratas el mas fuerte bombita la propuesta hasta que la muerte nos separe
quote from Szifron?
’ i like to see the wildness… we are human animals’
‘vital organs of the same body’ ( about the stories)
audience response
often horrified , sometimes amused
realistic characters are relatable but exaggerated sometimes surreal narratives
representations in Wild tales
individuals have no real power and natural; savage instincts make them lose control.
bastards rule the world- Argentinian society , ruling middle class just out for themselves. a corrupt system
characters erupt in a liberating way, but come off worse and not looking good.
only represents Argentinians , they face injustice, inequality, stress and make wrong decisions.
combination of mundane and the extreme. violence erupts but is so uncontrolled as to be comical.
abuse of power takes different forms and links the tales which all have a different aesthetic.
mise in scene in general in wild tales
opening pre-credits sequence set the black yer comic tone. the credits consist of a series of mages of animals.
editing in general in wild tales
editing between sequences as well as within
sound in wild tales
music by Gustavo Santolava theme over the credits and background music.
representations in wild tales
‘bastards rule the world’ Argentinian society just out for themselves.
corrupt system and petty officials.
cinematography in las ratas
use of focus pull and camera movement to reinforce narrative and preferred reading.
rule of thirds, focus pull, and depth of field used to introduce and emphasise characters.
eg cook in the window has warm lighting aswell as villian in window has warm lighting. both devils?
light and colour, warmth to a sickly cool green.
close ups to emphasise key objects and for shadow their use. eg rat poison, food and Knife.
camera tilts up from knife to capture reaction shot of cook saying prison ‘isnt too bad’ (humorous yet shocked response)
match on action again to emphasise the poison and the temptation
slow zoom to increase tension
audience are protected from graphic shot of vomiting but then a close up warms eye views of waitress in pool of blood.
circulating aerial shot of carnage (Tarantino like?)
mise en scene in las ratas
establishing shot of cafe at night in rain, stormy night , typical horror genre.
mundane, domestic scene
green and orange, dated almost sickly
dirty kitchen, missing tiles, like a filthy morgue
erie light in kitchen
cold, grubby deathly grey of cook and kitchen
close up on knife foreshadows its importance later
rat poison fitting as men like the loan shark are like filthly rats.
sound in las ratas
diegetic rain and thunder
dialogue: cook ‘ shall we do the community a favour?’
non diegetic music to add tension and set tone and mood.
volume of sound increases with tension
diegetic sound of cook stabbing loan shark
mournful music
editing in las ratas
breaks the 180 degree rule (unsettling )
shot reverse shot -reaction shots to introduce enigma and exposition
editing combined with non-diegetic sound in post production
ellipsis from cooking to taking out the food (did she poison the food or nah?)
editing get quicker -violence escalates very fast
transition into next take, graphic match of cars
performance in Las Ratas
loan shark- running for mayor (respectful position but corrupt system) audience will immediately be sympathising waitress.
bullying, rude, controlling, sarcastic, patronising
rude (clapping for attention)
waitress, seems torn, conscious. facial expressions and non verbal codes
