The Notebook Film

In the early 1900’s silent films amazed audiences with images, later talkies impressed with sound, today we have 3D. As technology continues to evolve so too will film genres. Genres, while having some shared characteristics, also differ in terms of stylistic devices used. For instance, the dramatic film “The Notebook” effectively uses color to reinforce theme and has plausible performers as the two main protagonists. “The Notebook” directed by Nick Cassavetes in 2004 tells the story of a couple’s fifty year long love affair and its trials and tribulations.

The film begins in a nursing home where an old man (Noah) reads a book to an old lady (Allie) suffering from Alzheimer’s. Noah, a poor country boy, and Allie, a rich city girl, meet in Noah’s village in summertime and fall in love with each other. Allie’s mother forbids the relationship and takes Allie away to New York, where a few years later she gets engaged to Lon, an educated rich man. Before the wedding she reads a newspaper and sees Noah in front of a house he once promised her to restore.

She goes there and soon they find they still love each other. So Allie decides to dump Lon and be with Noah. The movie ends as Allie realizes that the story Noah has been reading to her is in fact the story of their romance. They fall asleep holding hands and die peacefully. To make their creations unique film crews use different techniques. Techniques vary from setting to point of view, and also include editing, color, sound, costume, camera angle, actors’ play and others. Film makers use them in different ways for different purposes.

For instance, each genre demands a particular type of performance: in comedies the performance should be exaggerated, while in dramas it has to be very realistic. Colors influence the way we perceive things and this is the reason directors usually use dark and vague colors in scenes of conflict, and bright ones to express happiness. Therefore film makers pay much attention to techniques . Actors in “The Notebook” fit their roles very well and they perform plausibly. Ryan Gosling (Noah) suits his role of a young, careless lad and Rachel McAdams (Allie) is perfect for the role of an educated cheerful beauty.

Their facial expressions, gestures and movements make audiences empathize with the protagonists. In the scene of their first quarrel Rachel McAdams cries, sobs, portrays despair and pleads to stay ,as realistically as if she feels her character’s emotions. In scenes of happy moments she smiles and laughs sincerely, like when she listens to Noah (Ryan Gosling) sitting next to her. Ryan Gosling also demonstrated his acting talents in the movie. His character is very romantic and faithful and the actor expressed these traits very well.

For instance, in the scene he first meets her he looks at her with loving eyes, his eyebrows are raised a bit as he cannot stop admiring her. When other women try to talk to him, he lets them see their attempts are futile via tone changes and hands crossed on his chest, which express his love and faithfulness. Such a realistic actors’ performance reinforces the dramatic plot. Warm and pastel colors predominate in ”The Notebook”. The creators intended to reinforce the theme also by means of colors.

Episodes, in which Allie and Noah are together, have more white, beige, pink, light blue and green. For instance, Noah painted the house he restored in white color; the sky is clear and blue when they are together. The white color of the house represents purity of Noah’s love and his devotion to Allie, and the clear sky symbolizes peace. However, in those scenes where they part or have quarrels, colors are darker and vague. The two main quarrels, for example, happen at night and during the heavy grey rain. The protagonists’ clothes also change in different situations.

For their dates Allie wears bright and pastel color dresses, but while being parted they both wear grey and boring clothes. The film crew used specific colors to support the theme. Specific tools play a great role in film making. Color and performance set the tone in the dramatic film “The Notebook” and make it a good quality movie. Good quality movies are called so due to details, and large film crews work hard to achieve this result. Other films by Nick Cassavetes are also very good, although he focused on different tools in them.