"The Man With a Movie Camera" VS "Bicycle Thief"
Comparing and Contrasting the elements of Realism VS Formalism
Compare
Realism and Formalism were both revolutionary film editing styles in their time. However being both revolutionary, there is little to compare between the two. Bazin states that film should encompass a wide variety of perspectives and forms of story telling. These two films were criticized for using such strange concepts of editing. They both utilized more of an open ended method to convey story. Most of it was based on the audience's perception of the film and how they saw the story being portrayed.
Contrasting
The Man With a Movie Camera
This formalist film is definitely on the other side of the spectrum from Bicycle Thief. The Man With a Movie Camera had quick cuts, no more than 1-2 seconds, and used a lot of juxtaposition of shots for the audience to formulate their own meaning behind the film. At first we'd see the life of rich aristocrats, then the following shot would be of a man stuck in poverty and starvation. This deep purpose behind this form of editing is that each shot would convey a different point on its own, and would compile to a deeper, more common meaning in the film as a whole. This compilation of contrasting ideas to formulate a common theme is what portrays Formalism as a crazy and chaotic form of editing.
Bicycle Thief
This film was evidently leaning toward the side of Realism, for it had long-lasting shots that had very emotional impacts on the viewer. We see long shots of this man, and then of a boy on a curb. The audience can infer that the boy is his son, through the parental feeling or vibe that the man gives off. We see very effective use of the Kuleshov effect. We see the man's face, a large collection of bikes, his son, bikers, and through this the audience can deduct that he's uncomfortable and torn between setting a good example for his son and his intense urge of stealing a bicycle. This film could be classified as realism in the sense that it is filmed and edited in a vary realistic and natural sense. The cuts are used to show a change in action or emotion and it flows so well with the film that the audience accepts it as normal. There were no surprises in the cuts, unlike in The Man With a Movie Camera.
Contrasting
The Man With a Movie Camera
This formalist film is definitely on the other side of the spectrum from Bicycle Thief. The Man With a Movie Camera had quick cuts, no more than 1-2 seconds, and used a lot of juxtaposition of shots for the audience to formulate their own meaning behind the film. At first we'd see the life of rich aristocrats, then the following shot would be of a man stuck in poverty and starvation. This deep purpose behind this form of editing is that each shot would convey a different point on its own, and would compile to a deeper, more common meaning in the film as a whole. This compilation of contrasting ideas to formulate a common theme is what portrays Formalism as a crazy and chaotic form of editing.
Bicycle Thief
This film was evidently leaning toward the side of Realism, for it had long-lasting shots that had very emotional impacts on the viewer. We see long shots of this man, and then of a boy on a curb. The audience can infer that the boy is his son, through the parental feeling or vibe that the man gives off. We see very effective use of the Kuleshov effect. We see the man's face, a large collection of bikes, his son, bikers, and through this the audience can deduct that he's uncomfortable and torn between setting a good example for his son and his intense urge of stealing a bicycle. This film could be classified as realism in the sense that it is filmed and edited in a vary realistic and natural sense. The cuts are used to show a change in action or emotion and it flows so well with the film that the audience accepts it as normal. There were no surprises in the cuts, unlike in The Man With a Movie Camera.
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