Bright Leaves (2003)

Bright Leaves (2003)

Directed by Ross McElwee as a reaction/response to the 1950 Gary Cooper film ‘Bright Leaf’. The documentary/biographical film looks into the tobacco industry.

Notes on viewing:

• Voice of filmmaker narrates

• Interviews with family

• We can hear the voice of filmmaker in in interviews (stand up on the move interviews)

• Filmmakers view, and perspective shown in narration

• Has preformative aspects as well as participatory

• Slow pacing, rather dull voice

• Cuts away to follow interviewer’s thoughts (‘black cat’)

• Covers many aspects and themes, family, tobacco addiction, history, film  

• Many shaky hand-held shots

• Questions to self in narration

• Can see camera in glass (reflective?)

• Shows setting up of camera (when seeing film critic/theorist)

• Chased by a dog (comic elements)

Overall, I liked some moments in the film, but I felt it tried to cover too much with no real outcome in any theme. I enjoyed the moments of comedy and the shots that captured personality (i.e. the girl on the cover smoking in sunglasses). Although the film had to many themes in my opinion I felt that having more then one helped to keep some moments from getting boring, but they perhaps should have choices two or three. Lastly I enjoyed the link to film itself and the discussion of cinema, this is something i'd love to add to our documentary as I myself have a personal connection to film and I feel that when we create what we love the end result shows passion.