Sunday, October 14

Memento: Was i right?

I analysed the cover of Memento before i watched the film and after watching it i realised that most of the presumptions i made from analysing the cover were correct - i believe this is probably due to representations - the type of signifiers which are universal - e.g. black which always symbolises the unknown/mystery/darkness

'All of this is set on a black background
This suggests a very mysterious/murky background to the story - the reason/logic behind it is very unclear'
- This is particularly true because the film is backwards, so we have absolutely no idea of any of the reasons for the events.

'The man is wearing a very stylish cream and black suit, yet it is unclear what she is wearing. This suggests the film is set in a high class area - possibly a very corrupt one with lots of skeletons, the enigma in the narrative is again presented through her unclear dress. The fact we know more about him than her shows that perhaps she is more mysterious than him.'
- this is half correct, it isn't set in a nice area at all, but quite a run down one, but it is very corrupt because people take advantage of the Leonard even though he has disabilities. For example, the motel owner charges him for 2 different rooms, and Natalie takes advantage of him by getting him to kill Dodd.

' The man looks quite handsome and rugged - stubble/shaven head/suit
The suit shows that he is respectable but that perhaps he is a little rough around the edges (stubble) - this could possibly be how he used to be - and old life is trying to escape from.'
- This is right just in the wrong order - he used to be respectable with a steady job etc, but now he spends his time looking for revenge.

Because of their facial expressions i think they don't know each other very well and are probably curious, but i think their is definitely an element of sexual tension.
- This was completely true, they meet half way through the film and he wakes up next to her practically every new day.

I was quite wrong about the connotations of his gesture code (looking over his shoulder) - it's not because he is worried someone knows his secret it's because he is constantly confused and looking around in all directions trying to make sense of things. Also because he is living for/in the past as this is the only thing he wakes up every morning remembering.

My summary was: The DVD cover doesn't really reveal anything concrete about the storyline, it mainly connotes secrets and watching. One very prominent theme though was the idea of a murky past - with lots of skeletons and perhaps trying to forget this past and run away.- This was mainly right because Leonard is trying to forget his past because he believes once he has avenged his 'dead' wife he will be able to get over it every new morning

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