Working with certain types of film will determine what kind of space in which the narrative will unfold. Such spaces are characterized as being either determinate or indeterminate. According to genre scholar Thomas Schatz, “The iconographic arena in determinate genres is entered by an individual or collective hero, at the outset, who acts upon it, and finally leaves. In contrast, genres of indeterminate space generally involve a doubled (and thus dynamic) hero in the guise of a romantic couple who inhabit a ‘civilized’ setting…,” (27). Some examples that Schatz provides for films with determinate space include westerns and gangster films, and some examples that he provides for films with indeterminate space include screwball comedies and social melodramas. Schatz describes how while films of determinate space have a hero who is trying to regain control over a given area, films of indeterminate space often deal with the characters trying to have their views connect with each other’s, or with those of the whole community.
Comedy is a significantly broad genre in film. Any other genre can be paired with comedy and still have the humor work, whether they are romantic comedies, horror comedies, science-fiction comedies or action comedies. According to Tamar Jeffers McDonald’s book, “Romantic Comedy: Boy Meets Girl Meets Genre, the author states,” “Genre is a French word meaning ‘type’ or ‘kind’. Thinking about film genres, therefore, employs ideas about different types or kinds of film…furthermore, genre films carry connotations flavoured with ‘American, low-brow, easy…,” (7). There are many directions that a comedy can go in because it has all of these other genres with which it can play off of. Therefore, these sub-genres allow for fresh takes on comedy.
In terms of the romantic-comedy subgenre, audiences expect for the couple to remain together in the end and live the rest of their lives together. According to a definition that McDonalds offers on the subgenre, “A romantic comedy is a film which has its central narrative motor a quest for love, which portrays this quest in a light-hearted way and almost always to a successful conclusion,” (9). In a traditional romantic comedy, the couple will end up together in the end, however, there are alternatives in the approach to this subgenre. There are neo-traditional romantic comedies, as well as radical romantic comedies. The latter will diverge from the genre conventions and prevent the couple from staying together in the end, while the former will throw some quirks into the formula, but will still come out with a traditional ending of the couple staying together. Two films that can be considered radical romantic comedies and transcend the conventional happy ending are Mike Nichols’ “The Graduate” (1967) and Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” (1977). The end of The Graduate has the protagonist, Benjamin Braddock, end up with Elaine Robinson, and it seems as though the film will have a typical romantic-comedy ending, however, this is not the case. McDonald states, “…The Graduate’s final moments imply that the impulsive elopement may have been just one more mistake. Ben and Elaine’s silence on the bus suggests there will be life after the happy ever after, but it may involve the couple splitting up,” (63). It is realized that this film is a radical romantic comedy after all because the camera lingers on the faces of Ben and Elaine as their expressions transition slowly from happiness to uncertainty. While The Graduate leaves its ending ambiguous, Annie Hall is more assertive in its denial of a happy ending. The last few seconds of the film involves the frame that is barren of both Annie and Alvy. McDonald says, “Significantly, the film frame stays empty for some seconds, creating a mood of longing and suggesting that either of the pair might return. However, the film ends without further action, Alvy falling silent just before Annie sings the final word of her song,” (79). This film has a more definitive ending in its separation of the two main characters.
Neo-traditional romantic comedies have end results that audiences are more accustomed to, but may be different in terms of execution and visual style, and McDonald provides a few examples. Sleepless in Seattle is one film that falls into such a category. In the film, the female character and male character, who are destined to be together, don’t officially unite until the end of the film. In the film “You’ve Got Mail,” both of the main male and female characters have partners that they live with, but these couples don’t have sexual relationships within them. McDonald says of the characters, “No sex with Joe is thus more fulfilling for Kathleen than sex with Frank; this downgrading of the importance of sex is greatly in contrast to the significance it attained as an index of individuality in the 1970s films,” (97-98). In the film, Kathleen and Joe e-mail each other instead.
Wes Anderson can be classified as a neo-traditional filmmaker because of how he presents families within some of his films. Throughout these narratives, he has the families go through times of turbulence that threaten to sever the connections that keep them together. In the end, however, he reasserts the values of family and the importance of having loving people in the characters’ lives. His style of comedy is vastly different from the mainstream because of its trademark and memorable eccentricity, which fits the neo-traditional criteria of having unique visual elements, however, underneath the unconventional ways of his comedy are realistic situations that the viewer can connect with on a deeper level. In the sense of indeterminate space, his films have their characters attempt to connect in terms of their views of the given situation within the characters’ families. I
In Wes Anderson’s 2009 film, “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Anderson tells the story of the title character whose family is going through some issues, such as those between him and his wife, as well as between his son and nephew. This is all occurring while the family tries to avoid three dangerous farmers. In his 2012 film, “Moonrise Kingdom,” Anderson’s narrative tells the tale of a lonely foster boy who leaves his Boy Scout troop to have adventures with his new love interest. He doesn’t fit in with his foster family or his family of troops, and his girlfriend feels alienated within her own family.
Anderson creates these situations that can connect with the viewer because both films present scenarios that viewers can find relatable, such as rebelling against parents, sibling rivalry and the first romances of childhood. Through subtle details in the mise-en-scene and the positioning of these characters, Anderson stages authentic situations that visualize what these characters are experiencing within their families. For example, the character of Sam Shakusky in Moonrise Kingdom feels out of place at a boys’ foster home. In “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Kristofferson is temporarily residing at his aunt and uncle’s house, much to the dislike of his cousin Ash, while his father gets over a case of double pneumonia. What both characters have in common is that they are very mature for their ages, almost like a mechanism to help them cope with being the “outsiders.” Kristofferson is athletic and intelligent, whereas Sam is fluent in wilderness survival skills that he has learned from his Boy Scout troop.
Animosity between Ash and Kristofferson can be detected at the start of the scene where the latter arrives at Ash’s home, because red and other “hot” colors are very present in the setting. The camera focuses on the Mrs. Fox vacuuming the kitchen where red is spotted on the curtain covering the area below the sink and the red in the red-and-black checkered floor, Ash sitting in a red chair, and the viewer sees the orange of the walls. When Kristofferson first arrives at Mr. Fox’s home, he’s wearing a sticker that says “Unaccompanied Minor.” While that can be taken as a comical quirk to this character’s first appearance, it’s a hint at how he’s without company in terms of people his own age with whom he can relate to at the time, meaning Ash. Although the cousins’ history isn’t detailed, the viewer can tell that it’s not a positive one, given Ash’s evident disliking of Kristofferson coming to visit. There’s hostility in Ash, and although they are cousins, there is still that feeling of sibling rivalry because Ash appears and feels inferior when in the presence of his cousin. According to Richard Brody in his article, “Wild, Wild Wes,” “Anderson, whose understanding of childhood is one of the hallmarks of his art…builds another axis of drama by giving the Foxes a nephew, a gallant young athlete, and setting him up as a rival to their more idiosyncratic son,” (13). Right away, Anderson presents the competition between them. During a diving contest, Mr. Fox says about Kristofferson, “He’s slightly younger, but a cuss of a lot bigger. That’s just genetics, I guess. Ash has a littler body type.” The film then cuts to the humorous visual punch line of seeing the two standing next to each other, with Kristofferson appearing taller than Ash, and the latter’s facial expressions conveying his aggravation. Red becomes a prominent color in several scenes where Ash is clearly angry. In this sequence, the color of the pool is red, as is most of his bathing suit. During this scene, Mrs. Fox is painting a thunderstorm. These paintings appear in several moments throughout the film when tension rises among the characters.
As in “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” the viewer sees a disconnection among young children in Moonrise Kingdom, particularly in the opening scene with Suzie and her brothers. As the film begins, there is a long take that tracks and pans through the upstairs level of Suzie’s house. In a medium shot of the room, the three brothers gather around a music player to listen, while Suzie is in the room with them. However, she brings her cat in with her as company, looking cut off from her brothers. She sits near a window and begins to read a book, which then cuts to a close-up of her. The expression on her face is one of deep concentration, and even a little bit of anger. Through her face, the audience can detect a feeling of separation she has from her brothers. Red figures prominently in this scene, as it defines the tension that goes on in Suzie’s home. Not only is she wearing a red checkered dress, but as the camera zooms out her window, it is revealed that her home is predominantly red. The framing of her in the window helps to convey her entrapment. Throughout this opening scene, which acts as a tour of the house in its tracking and panning shots, Suzie is never in the same room as her brothers, making the audience fully aware of their lack of a sibling relationship.
Just as the mise-en-scene of the house reflects the tension and disconnect between Suzie and her three brothers, the same goes for Ash’s bedroom when he and Kristofferson are getting ready for bed. In this scene, heated colors are just as significant here as they are in the opening of “Moonrise Kingdom.” There is an abundance of warm colors that compliment Ash’s anger and jealousy, such as the orange walls and his red bed. Ash is on his bed, which is stationed at the top of high bedposts. Now, it is Ash who appears to be bigger than Kristofferson and more in power. At several times throughout the film, Ash expresses his annoyance through a subtle visual clue, which is the twitching of his right ear, and it happens twice in this scene.
Later in the film, as Mrs. Fox is stitching a wound where Mr. Fox’s tail had been before it was shot off moments before by the farmers, there is another episode of tension between Ash and Kristofferson. Ash makes a joke about Kristofferson’s father’s illness, which upsets him. There are appearances of red in this scene as well, such as the first-aid kit, the bloody bandage, the red in the curtain covering the area beneath the sink and the red in the red-and-black checkered floor of the kitchen. After Ash gets told by his parents to apologize to Kristofferson, he says, “Me? Me have an apology? He just got here and got a bandit hat? Where’s my bandit hat? Why didn’t I get shot at? Because you think I’m no good at anything! Well, maybe you’re right, thanks.” He then exits through a door that has a painting of a thunderstorm, reflecting the anger that Ash holds against Kristofferson and his parents.
According to McDonald, “The basic ideology the romantic comedy genre supports is the primary importance of the couple,” (13). The significance of “Moonrise Kingdom”’s couple comes into full view during a brief flashback, where the viewer sees how essential Sam and Suzie’s love for each other is because they aren’t receiving that same love in their homes, which is similar to how Kristofferson isn’t receiving any kindness from Ash, and how Ash thinks he’s inferior to Kristofferson in his parents’ eyes. The audience sees how Sam and Suzie, much like Ash and Kristofferson, have a difficult time fitting into their living situations. In a flashback depicting Suzie and Sam writing letters to each other, the film cuts back and forth between the two as they narrate their hard times as they read letters they sent to each other. This shared narration between the two of them helps to convey the sense of connectedness they feel with each other, while at the same time, they are very disconnected within their separate worlds. The positioning of the characters helps to define how different Sam is from his foster brothers. At one point, we see Sam writing a letter to Suzie in a garage, while the other boys are seen in the background outside fixing a car. While the other boys participate in activities that can be considered more masculine, it is shown that Sam takes more interest in artistic endeavors, such as painting, and the viewer sees some of the paintings that Sam has given to Suzy. The viewer then sees Suzie writing to Sam as her three brothers play in the background. Both characters have brothers they can’t tolerate, whether they are foster or biological. The camera then cuts to Sam throwing away trash, while the other boys are at the top of stairs jeering at him, asserting their dominance as they look down on him. A few moments later, the camera cuts to Suzie in her classroom, describing how she got suspended for fighting with a classmate. In this brief take, the viewer sees that, while all of the other girls in the class are wearing blue plaid uniforms, Suzie is wearing mostly red plaid, the color setting her apart from the other girls, placing her in the same outsider status as Sam experiences at the foster home, and also emphasizing the tension she holds. Every time the viewer sees Sam, he’s wearing an outfit that is different from that of the other boys, emphasizing his own outsider status. Despite their shared contempt for their lifestyles, there is a difference between Sam and Suzie. At one point in this scene while Sam is on his bunk bed, the viewer can see a black-and-white photo of his parents on their wedding day, which then cuts to Suzie arguing with her parents. The difference is that Sam, an orphan, wishes to have true parents, but Suzie longs for freedom and fantasizes a life as an orphan. In a later scene, she even reveals her envy for Sam being an orphan, telling him, “I always wished I was an orphan. Most of my favorite characters are. I think your lives are more special.” The “opposites attract” notion works well here because the characters each have something that the other wants. They have opposing desires.
Besides the rivalry in the two films between the child characters, there is also the tension between children and their parents. In “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” this tension is shown between Ash and his parents. This is first seen towards the beginning of the film when the family is getting ready for the day. Ash stands at the kitchen threshold several times and speaks in a dissatisfied tone, saying he doesn’t want to go to school and expressing concern about having to share his room when Kristofferson visits. Every time Ash appears, he is framed within the threshold of the kitchen. There is a sense of his entrapment, conveying the idea that he’s not good enough to satisfy his parents’ expectations, to break out to reach his potential. Before Mr. Fox leaves for work, he and Ash are both visible within the shot. Ash fits perfectly in the frame because of his size, while Mr. Fox is only visible up to his waist. This continues Ash’s sense of entrapment because he is confined to the frame, whereas Mr. Fox’s figure extends beyond the frame. Between them, leaning against the wall, is a painting of a thunderstorm done by Mrs. Fox, the contents of the artwork reflecting the tense dynamic between Ash and his parents. Part of Ash’s outfit is a cape, relating to his want of being something more than he is, for him not to be seen as inferior when in the presence of his cousin. He wishes to me something of a superhero because later in the film, the viewer sees him reading a comic book titled White Cape vs. the Black Dog, and his bedroom has posters of this comic-book character.
Just as in “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” there is a child-parent tension in “Moonrise Kingdom.” The animosity between Suzie and her parents comes after they find her sleeping in a tent with Sam. As Suzie and her family are sailing back to her home, Suzie and her father are sitting across from each other. The camera first frames the father in a medium shot from Suzie’s point-of-view, which is then followed by point-of-view focalized through his perspective. As the two begin to talk, the camera frames them in close-ups so the viewer can get a taste of the tension that’s brewing between them. Suzie is sitting on the side of the boat with her mother on her right and her brothers on either side of her. Suzie’s family is closing in on her and limiting her life experiences. The viewer realizes Suzie’s feelings about her family in this bit of dialogue:
Mr. Bishop: “Be advised, the two of you will never see each other again. Those were your last words. Do you understand?”
Suzie: “I’d be careful if I were you. One of these days, somebody’s going to get pushed too far, and who knows what they’re capable of.”
Mr. Bishop: “Is that a threat?”
Suzie: “It’s a warning.”
One of Suzie’s brothers: “You’re a traitor to our family.”
Suzie: “Good. I want to be.”
Following this is a scene where Suzie’s mother is giving her a bath, almost as to cleanse her of what she’s been feeling for Sam. Suzie is in somewhat of a fetal position, as if she is trying to close herself off from her mother. In this scene, however, the viewer gets the sense that the mother is the more reasonable of the two parents, whereas Mr. Bishop decides to take out his anger by trying to chop down a tree. Suzie and her mother begin to bond, albeit slightly, over their current romantic encounters, which are Suzie with Sam, and Mrs. Bishop with Police Captain Sharp. There is a lack of intimacy between Mrs. Bishop and her husband, as exemplified in the opening scene in their house, where the two are constantly separated within the frame. As a result, Mrs. Bishop tries to form a relationship with Captain Sharp, much to the obliviousness of her husband. It is here where there is a glimmer of understanding between Mrs. Bishop and Suzie, especially as Mrs. Bishop comes closer to Suzie, which then sparks a hint of an intimate mother-daughter bond.
In the two films, some younger characters find others to fill in for the role of an absent parent(s). In “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Ash thinks that his father prefers Kristofferson over him (although this isn’t the case) because Kristofferson has more character traits that connect with his uncle, like his smarts. In one scene where Mr. Fox is stealing cider, he tells Ash to turn back when he follows him and his dad’s friend, Kylie, however, Mr. Fox allows Kristofferson to stay with them when he catches up moments later. The bandit hat that Mr. Fox gives Kristofferson to wear acts as an emblem for a rite of passage that allows Kristofferson to join his uncle on his adventures. Mr. Fox is really one of the only characters that Kristofferson can relate to because they’re both smart and athletic, the latter trait is displayed in a previous scene where the children at school are playing a game called whack-bat. Kristofferson excels at it and Ash does not, and the viewer gets knowledge of Mr. Fox’s talent for the game upon seeing a trophy he won when he was in school.
In “Moonrise Kingdom,” Sam finds a father figure in Captain Sharp after the foster home refuses to take him back. As the two are having dinner, the connection between them emerges through costuming. Both are wearing white t-shirts and glasses. Also, the dull colors of the trailer in which the captain lives help to emphasize the loss of vivaciousness in both of their lives when they aren’t able to be with those whom they love. For Sam, it’s Suzie, and for the captain, it’s Suzie’s mom. Captain Sharp knows that he can’t be with Suzie’s mom because she’s married, whereas the love between Sam and Suzie is still there. Their costuming plays a part in this notion as well. Both characters have a position that calls for them to help others, with Captain Sharp working in law enforcement and Sam being a Khaki Scout. While Captain Sharp isn’t wearing any significant part of his policing outfit, such as his badge or hat, Sam is wearing the yellow scarf that he wears with the rest of his Boy Scout uniform. In Captain Sharp’s case, this could be a symbol that he has, at the moment, lost his manhood because he is unable to be with the woman he loves, whereas Sam is still wearing his scarf, representing his version of manhood in terms of the Boy Scouts, and still having a chance with Suzie. Also, the place settings for their dinner reveal that half of the table is folded down because there is only a need for one-half of the table with only two people using it; the other half is unused. Showing that only half of the table is used, Anderson calls to mind that neither of the two characters in this scene have anyone to share dinner with, except each other. This is also the first real interaction that Sam has had with an adult who understands what he is experiencing in this stage of his adolescence:
Captain Sharp: “Look, let’s face it. You’re probably a much more intelligent person than I am. In fact, I guarantee it. But even smart kids stick their finger in electrical sockets sometimes. It takes time to figure things out. It’s been proven by history. All mankind makes mistakes. It’s our job to try to protect you from making the dangerous ones, if we can. What’s your rush? You’ve got your whole life in front of yourself. Ahead of you, I mean.”
Sam: “Maybe so. Anyway, you’re a bachelor.”
Captain Sharp: “So are you.”
Sam: “That’s true. Did you love someone ever?
Captain Sharp: “Yes, I did.”
Sam: “What happened?”
Captain Sharp: “She didn’t love me back.”
Reconciliation within these families commences in the face of impending danger. In “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” the characters are being threatened by the three farmers. The first time the viewer sees this reconciliation is when Ash approaches Kristofferson to ask for his help in getting Mr. Fox’s tail back from the farmers. During this scene, the costuming plays an important role, and Ash’s costuming has a different meaning than it did in the beginning of the film. Ash is wearing the cape that he wore earlier in the film, and Kristofferson is wearing a plain buttoned-down shirt. For someone his age, Ash wearing the cape in the beginning seems juvenile. However, now it has switched to a more significant meaning. It helps to display the act of heroism that Ash is proposing. Meanwhile, Kristofferson is now the one who seems ordinary compared to Ash because of his clothing. Ash realizes that he is meant for something. When they go to steal the tail, Kristofferson puts on the bandit hat his uncle gave him earlier. However, Ash now has a bandit hat he modified out of a tube sock. Because it’s white, it matches his cape and the rest of his outfit, and because he made the hat himself, that shows he’s taking his own initiative to reach a potential he didn’t realize he had at first.
When Mr. Fox almost gets his friends and family killed in a flood underground, he has a moment where he thinks about how his mistakes brought them to this situation, and his wife comes to comfort him. Although this is a comedy, there is still that emotional depth that comes with his marriage. According to Brody’s article, “For instance, Mr. and Mrs. Fox…bring to life a view of marriage – of a couple whose extraordinary complicity is threatened by ambition – that’s as bittersweet and insightful as that of any live-action romantic movie of recent years,” (13). Mr. Fox clearly sees the mistakes he has made since the beginning of the film, such as lying to his wife, stealing chickens and trying to embarrass the farmers. His character develops in a way that has him realize that he has cared too much about having others be “…completely knocked-out and dazzled and intimidated…” by him, and how that can’t always be the case. In this scene, there are sections that have Mr. And Mrs. Fox framed in close-ups, which express the love and intimacy they still have for each other, even though Mr. Fox is at fault for everything that has happened. As the two are standing in the sewer, there’s a waterfall that can be seen in the background. When Mr. Fox is explaining his theory as to why he is the way he is, he is framed in a medium shot with the waterfall in back of him. He has realized his mistakes in life, and the waterfall acts as a cleansing mechanism for his change.
In “Moonrise Kingdom,” the reconciliations among the characters come during the storm that has been predicted throughout the movie. By placing this storm into the story, Anderson once again uses water to symbolize the change in people’s behavior in order to make them better. Outside of the scene with Captain Sharp and Sam, the viewer gets a better understanding of how much Sharp cares for him and how protective he is towards him. In this scene, everyone has gathered in a church to seek shelter from the storm. Sam and Suzie are hiding from the adults inside the same church. At one point, Sharp turns to the balcony of the church, and sees a group of children wearing disguises, two of whom he thinks are Sam and Suzie, with Sam’s raccoon hat in plain sight, giving them away. This is framed in a point-of-view shot that zooms in on the two characters and then a reaction shot from Sharp, letting the viewer know that Sharp realizes where the two are. Throughout the film, Captain Sharp can be seen as a pushover and someone who, even though is a police captain, doesn’t display an aura of tough authority. When Social Service wants to look for Sam, however, there is a shot of Captain Sharp framed at a bit of a low angle as he holds a stick with nails in it, and the balcony with Sam and Suzie is seen in back of him, as if he’s protecting it. His character development in this scene has him stand up to Social Services, revealing a protective nature in him that has been brought out by his caring nature for Sam.
In the film’s closing scene, the viewer is brought back to Suzie’s house, where the feeling among the family is less tense than in the beginning. Suzie and her brothers are in the same room together as they were in the first scene. The brothers and Suzie are doing their separate activities. As Suzie is reading, she doesn’t have as intense of an expression on her face as she did before. She seems to be more at peace with herself. The cat that she brought into the room with her in the beginning is now in the hallway, so she doesn’t mind having her brothers as company. Her yellow dress in this scene draws comparisons to her red dress in the beginning when there was a lot more tension within the family. The yellow of her dress helps to present a more optimistic side that her character has for her life. In terms of Sam’s clothing, he is dressed in a police outfit similar to Captain Sharp’s, solidifying the father-son relationship that the two share, as he is now Sam’s guardian.
Although these two Wes Anderson films are seen as comedies, they still have distinct elements of realistic drama to which viewers can relate. Behind the quirky wit, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Moonrise Kingdom” reveal the tension that all families are susceptible to experiencing. Through Anderson’s use of mise-en-scene and shot composition, he provides lush details that present an in-depth look at these broken families and their new-found connections.
Works Cited
Brody, Richard. “Wild, Wild Wes.” New Yorker November 2009: 48-57.
McDonald, Tamar Jeffers. Romantic Comedy: Boy Meets Girl Meets Genre. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007.
Schatz, Thomas. Hollywood Genres: Formulas, Filmmaking, and the Studio System. New York: Random House, 1981.
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