Cold Fever Analysis of Hirata

In Cold Fever the main character Hirata experiences transcendent significance throughout his adventure to perform his parent’s ceremonial last rites. During his journey to the site of his parents death Hirata is continuously and mercilessly faced with roadblocks and obstacles that seem to test him and his dedication to his parents rite of passage. The adventure to the site in itself is a ritual. From the process of purchasing and overpaying for the Citroen DS from a self proclaimed psychic and subsequently traveling across the icelandic countryside, getting robbed, experiencing icelandic western culture, drinking the strongest liquor in iceland and traveling through the tundra for  a stent on horseback. All the twists and turns in Hiratas adventure would cause most people looking from the outside in to question why he doesn’t just give up or wait for better weather. As individuals we often refuse to quit once we’re headed for a goal, regardless of what inconvenient obstacles are thrown our way. It is even harder to see just how bad a situation is until you are out of it just like rituals of old that involved a great deal of pain and suffering. The whole purpose of ritual is to help one achieve that which they did not believe was possible and discover something deeper about themselves or the world around them.


The fact that the Citroen DS even starts when the psychic sells him the car is symbolically a testament to how journeys through Iceland toughen things that wouldn’t otherwise hold up under less stressful circumstances. The Citroen DS has a notoriously complicated hydraulic lift system which realistically shouldn’t be functioning but, this specific car is “special” as if it has been toughened by the years in Iceland. With almost a herbie esque charm the DS pushes Hirata past his breaking point with its stuck radio. Otherwise, the car serves its purpose of introducing Hirata to the easiest part of his journey.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Thin Red Line - Joseph Hancock

“The Thin Red Line” has many similar themes to “Apocalypse Now.” This makes sense, as both are war films focused on a squad of American soldiers with diverse backgrounds and personalities heading into enemy territory. However, although both films tackle similar ideas, they approach them from different perspectives. For example, “Apocalypse Now” views the natural world as a part of the sacred. Meanwhile, the arbitrary war between human countries is profane by going against nature and destroying it through bombs, napalm, and firefights. But while nature is sacred, that doesn’t mean it is friendly, as the jungle is hostile towards the main characters to the point that they only feel safe on their boat after an animal attack; even then, several squad members still die on the boat as a result from unseen attacks coming from the jungle.  Comparing these ideas to those found in “The Thin Red Line”, there is plenty of overlap. Many of the visual shots in the film focus on how nature...
Read more

Film Technique Joseph Hancock

Bunny The level of violence in the film really did not shock me that much when I saw it. It came off to me as very slapstick-like, which is a common theme in animation going as far back as early Warner Bros and Disney films. When watching it, the actual dirtiness of the bunny and her house was the most surprising aspect of the film. The animators made the house feel cramped and dirty through the set design, despite there being only one person living there. I got the feeling that this bunny was just tired of life without even needing to see the shot of her viewing the photo of her husband. However, I will say that her climbing into the oven to reach the afterlife was also something I didn’t expect, but I can see why it got the film banned. I do like the imagery of this bunny going through her final transformation into something new via the oven, much like the pie she was trying to make. Harold and Maud The single closeup shot between the mother and her son told the entire stor...
Read more

Rob Martine Film Technique

Bunny: Bunny is an animated short film about an elderly bunny who is trying to get rid of an irritating moth. Once the bunny captures the moth, she angrily mixes it with the cake she is making and bakes it in the oven. Tired from chasing the moth around, the bunny falls asleep and has a vivid dream about following the moth into the lit up oven. The audience then finds out that the bunny actually died instead of falling sleep. The bunny then reunites with her already deceased husband. This has an interesting irony showing that moths naturally are attracted to lights whereas "going towards the light" symbolizes death. Personally, I would be horrified of this if I watched it as a child. However, it is a creative film. Harold and Maude: Harold and Maude is full of symbolism and life lessons. Harold merely wants her mother's care instead of her trying to set him up with a girl. He constantly fakes suicides to get rid of the girls and finds pleasure in it. His grim outlook ...
Read more