Do you find yourself at a loss for words and looking at the bottom of your champagne glass at elaborate, posh affairs where people talk about the art of film-making? Do you stuff stale pizza in your mouth hurriedly when someone asks you what your favourite noir movie is? Do you feel unsmart because that one time a friend pointed at the movie screen and excitedly shouted “That’s a McGuffin” and you thought it was a muffin from McDonald’s? Set aside your worries and check out this list of film terms and phrases which will make you sound like a movie aficionado at your next gathering.
Nestor Almendros’ cinematography in Days of Heaven (1978) was mostly done during the magic hour.
Examples of film noir are Double Indemnity (1944) and Sunset Boulevard (1950).
Ralph Bellamy was an example of second banana to Cary Grant in His Girl Friday (1940).
An example of a neo-realistic movie is Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves (1948).
An example of cross-cutting is the scene of baptism of Michael Corleone’s godson, which was cross cut with the ruthless eradication of Michael’s enemies.
The ‘Heart of the Ocean’ necklace in Titanic (1997) is an example of a McGuffin.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1956) was bowdlerized and its references to homosexuality were cut out.
Out-takes have been seen during the credits of A Bug’s Life (1998) and Toy Story 2 (1999).
Examples of potboiler movies are The Big Sleep (1939) and The Maltese Falcon (1941).
An example of deus ex machina is when Batman carries the nuclear bomb in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) over the bay but survives miraculously.
Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon (1975) was shot in candlelight.
Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) is an example of an expressionist movie.
Joseph H. Lewis’ The Big Combo (1955) was made using chiaroscuro.
Now throw these terms around like a real movie savant.
Design Credit – Rohit Jakhu
