Primary Colors Are Not Real

Martin Scorsese’s “ Life Lessons”  is the first of three shorts that create the 1989 three-part anthology film titled  New York Stories. Life Lessons , opens the film and is clearly the most impressive of the three episodes and most likely this is due to the fact that Scorsese has worked extensively in shorts and the two other directors (Francis Ford Coppola and Woody Allen) are not associated with shorts. The editing and camerawork turn the short film into a visual storytelling masterpiece. The story follows Lionel Dobie, played by Nick Nolte, and Paulette, played by Rosanna Arquette. Lionel Dobie is an artist, with a deadline of a major show in three weeks. He is unable to paint anything without his young muse, assistant, and lover: Paulette. Throughout the film, he attempts to win her back. She continues to resist, however in doing so, she inspires him greatly. Ultimately, the relationship is one of using on both character’s parts, with Dobie using her for inspiration and ...

The Music of Life Lessons By Clarke Paty Procol Harum's “A Whiter Shade of Pale” begins to play. We open on a colorful basket full of paint brushes in a sad, decrepit looking New York studio apartment. It is clear from the beginning that the apartment is as an art studio but from the blank canvases and unfinished paintings, it is unclear who the artist is. Lionel Dobie stands stagnant, staring at a white canvas splattered with gray and black paint. From the opening scene alone, it is clear that Dobie is exasperated. The moment we see him standing motionless in his studio when he has only three weeks left to finish his latest collection of works, this sentiment is echoed almost everywhere (through his actions/interactions, the dialogue, and especially through the music). Like film, music also tells a story. Although the music in Life Lessons fits the mood and seems to add more of an 80s rock and roll vibe, director Martin Scorsese has also carefully explained the entire plot o...

Dobie’s Character                    Paint brushes, dirty bottles of whiskey, and a stained cassette player. What do all of these things have in common? They all come to the aid (or demise) of Lionel Dobie in the film Life Lessons, by Martin Scorsese. Scorsese portrays Dobie as a man who lives in a brutal cycle which contains his artistic behavior. The movie opens with “A Whiter Shade of Pale” which is an ode to unhealthy sexual relationships, and mentions colors in the title and chorus; during the opening scene, we see images of paintbrushes and whiskey. Obviously, this tells us that the story involves a painter. The choice to use props during important events helps to emphasize the interests of Lionel Dobie and ultimately works not only to shape the atmosphere of the film, but to shape Dobie’s decisions and consequences. In the opening scene, Dobie also flattens a tube of paint that splatte...

Gracie Marcellus September 2018 Life Lessons - Lionel Dobie’s Character Lionel Dobie, played by Nick Nolte, is an unlikable guy who the audience has empathy for. He’s also an artist that has been struggling to paint until Paulette, played by Rosanna Arquette, his muse/assistant comes back into his life. Throughout the film, the filmmakers use cinematic technique to help create a complex character of a brilliant artist with some serious flaws. Dobie is described as being “confronted with the terror and awfulness of mortality. That’s the price he has to pay for being a famous painter.” Dobie was truly the most frustrating character to watch on the screen. An example of this can be seen when Dobie is staring at Paulette’s foot in her bedroom. After the iris shot of her foot, there’s a cut into a a blue light sequence showing us how Dobie is feeling. When we cut back, the filmmakers instantly show us his eyes. He’s obviously still longing for her and it takes him a few more seco...

Life Lessons: In Depth by Leni Dobie see's Paulette for the first time since she's arrived to New York from Florida “It’s art. If you give it up, you were never an artist in the first place.” This is said by Lionel Dobie, a fictional character dreamt up in Martin Scorsese’s film, Life Lessons. Scorsese’s film is about an artist, Lionel Dobie, struggling to create a painting without his muse, Paulette, within the short time frame he has until his show opens in three weeks. The iris effect is used in the film, Life Lessons, to demonstrate a wider understanding of the film’s content. Dobie talks with a new girl he's met The iris effect, in which a black circle closes to end a scene, is used to depict not only a transition, but a metaphor for the film. The type of iris effects used are constant throughout the course of the film--iris out. This not only shows our narrow understanding of what’s happening, but it pinpoints what we should be focusing on. For instanc...

By: Diana Alonzo Martí Life Lessons directed by Martin Scorsese tells the story of Lionel Dobie (Nick Nolte) a desperate artist that has an obsession with his assistant Paulette (Rosanna Arquette). He has an art exhibition in 3 weeks and has an artist block and the only way of him being able to paint is to be with Paulette. His goal is to get her to sleep with him for maximum inspiration. Paulette has other plans though.. She wants him to call her a good artist since it’s so important for her coming from such a respected artist. Lionel won't do so though, since he believes her art is not good and it would be lying to art which is the only thing remaining true to him. Throughout the film Lionel doesn't talk or do much and he isn't the nicest person either, but we get to connect with him by the way filmmakers decide to use camera. Most of the film is told through his POV which gives us that personal connection to Lionel. We get to understand his character because of th...

Effect of Zooms and Push in “Life Lessons” Through excellent use of cinematic technique, the short film Life Lessons follows Lionel Dobie’s relationship with his assistant Paullete as he tries to complete his final painting for his art exhibition in three weeks. The films use of certain camera techniques leaves one in the shoes of the character. For example, in the opening scene, Dobies throws his shoe at a clock and the camera races to capture the action in a swoosh pan like it is just as surprised as we are. We are ever suspicious of Dobie yet when he speaks we listen and agree with him. The film treads a thin line of sympathy and resentment but our protagonist never lost our respect despite not having our trust. Of course, by the end, we see that he never loved Paulette and that our time with Dobie was just another chapter in a history of abuses used to fuel his painting. The use of zoom/push-ins in this film has progressive meaning as the characters develop w...

The Symbolisms of Life Lessons Martin Scorsese’s Life Lessons is a story about Lionel Dobie desperately trying to finish his painting for his upcoming show in three weeks. He uses his muse, Paulette as his only inspiration. Within the film itself, there are small elements such as the set design, props, or costume choices that are either symbolic or expands on the personality of both characters. These elements are not very obvious but they add just that tiny bit of believability and symbolism to the film. Most will not notice if these props and costumes choices are changed, but to me, they accessorize the main plot of the whole story very gracefully. The hole in the wall imagery relates to the dynamic between Dobie’s and Paulette’s relationship. By having Dobie gazing into Paulette’s room through a hole in the wall, Scorsese is creating a metaphor for looking into the abyss. Dobie is ultimately trapped in his own sexual temptations. More specifically it creates a Romeo and Jul...

In short, Life Lessons is  about a man who is a slave to his art. Lionel Dobie (played by Nick Nolte) is a world renowned painter, but is only able to perform at his best when he is in the company of a muse. Unfortunately, each woman he takes in is objectified and used, and once his work is completed they are cast aside.  The film specializes in exposing Dobie’s emotionally vampyric nature with its cinematography and writing. The first unique element that shows the darker side of Lionel’s creative process is the writing, and structure of the story.  In the opening scene, we can see that Lionel is stuck in a hole devoid of creativity. There is an art exposition in three weeks, and Dobie has no paintings or inspiration.  Fortunately for him, his former muse and lover, Paulette (played by Rosanna Arquette), is passing through town, and he manages to convince her to stay with him. She accepts his offer under one condition - she doesn’t have to sleep with him. Aft...

Color in Life Lessons By: Will Singer Many people have lofty dreams of what their dream jobs are when they’re kids. These kids dream of being rockstars, astronauts, artists, actors, basketball players and musicians, but very few are able to become their desired profession. At a certain age, these dreams may be replaced with more “realistic” goals. However, there are some who work hard to see their dreams fulfilled, and these are the people who dedicate themselves to their work. Lionel Dobie, the main character in Martin Scorsese’s short film Life Lessons , is a hard working, successful and respected artist. Despite all of his talent and success, Dobie needs a muse to creatively fuel him and a woman named Paulette fills that role in the film. Paulette is an aspiring artist who constantly questions her abilities as a painter as opposed to Dobie who struggles to create art. He’s in love with her, but she doesn’t love him and threatens to leave due to her lack of talent. Through ...