Children of Men is a very original idea that is executed with tremendous style by Alfonso Cuarón. There are many great scenes in the film including a couple of great tracking shots. But the scene that I think is really impressive is this sequence filmed in a car.
To achieve this, a crazy rig had to be built on top of the car, so that a remotely controlled camera could be moved up and down, left and right within the car. There was also room on top for the director and cameraman! Of course as well as all this, the action has to be coordinated perfectly and the actors have to be all spot on (not least Clive and Julianne being able to catch a ping-pong ball in their mouths). This scene really raises the game in terms of the fluidity that Cuarón was trying to create in the film. I do love the way that the scene creates a claustrophobic sense of terror in a situation where I think most of us feel very safe and secure; in our car.
A great scene and a great film, and I should probably watch it all again soon.
Hi Russ, hope you had a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteChildren of Men is a brilliant, thought-provoking film, and you've chosen a fantastic scene: it's intense, fast-paced and, like you say, very fluid.
Claire: There's also an amazing sequence near the end of the film as Clive Owen walks through a street being shelled, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that it wasn't quite all one sequence, just stitched together very well; so I went with this one.
ReplyDeleteYou're right though, very thought provoking, I like "imagine if..." films. I really should watch the whole thing again soon.