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 Paulette using him for connections in the art world. Consequently, even though the film displays a high level of artistic value and the three-shorts seem to perfectly blend to portray the story, Scorsese’s unusual camera zooming and fast jump cuts in Life Lessonscommunicates to the audience the character's emotional manipulation in a very impactful way.
Firstly, Scorsese’s radical and dramatic camera movements that so perfectly communicate the painter’s emotions do also an amazing job of displaying the tension and passion within the film. An example of this, is the fact that even though we never see the completed painting until the towards the end of the film, we do throughout the film see Lionel painting wildly, with quick cuts of his painting palette and random brush strokes and this wild and quick painting style is communicated and accentuated to the audience via the various dramatic camera shots which seem to resemble brush strokes. The painting subject is never revealed, until Paulette walks in and sees it. The tension builds, as the audience, grows curiouser and curiouser as to what exactly his painting looks like. Once the reveal is made, and we see the painting to be a burning bridge, there is an excellent payoff. The quick cuts allow the audience to gain access to Lionel’s mind as he paints. We feel haphazard and wild as the cuts show the painting getting closer and closer to being done. His strokes are desperate and mad, but that of an inspired, tortured artist.
One of the important scenes, is when we finally learn what the painting looks like, we also learn what truly attracted Paulette to Lionel and what has kept her around. It’s the only moment in the film where she wants him, even if it’s a fraction of how much he wants the torture she provides to him. During the scene, the camera movements seem to be trying to mimic the actors movements and as the camera zeroes on the painting, we feel Paulette’s attraction. Paulette is very attracted to his artwork and artistic persona, even if she is unattracted to who he actually is as a person. She walks out of her studio after yelling at Lionel to turn down his music, but is stopped in her tracks. Paulette sees one of the paintings he’s been working on in the duration of the film and falls into a trance. She dreamily stares at the painting with a look of complete attraction. Pushing into Paulette slowly, the camera then follows a series of busy movements. It pushes and pulls, jumps and cuts. The scene finally ends with the camera pulling back, showing the backs of Lionel and Paulette. The pulling back, allows us to feel a sense of a bird’s eye view. It serves as a reminder to the audience that we’re not in the relationship. We have a perspective into what the characters feel, and the ultimate guarantee of understanding what they cannot understand about each other.
Another example of an incredible camera movement decision is during the scene in which Paulette appears to Lionel seductively clad in a robe. The camerawork also, in this scene, shows why Lionel fundamentally loves Paulette. It shows the reason why he could never tell her that he believed she was a good artist, and tell her the one thing that would get her to stay and to be with him. The camera remains static on him, even after she leaves the kitchen. It sits at an eye level position and gradually pushes in. The scene then slowly fades to a painting, but does not stop pushing in. Once again, the camera’s movement fulfills its duty by helping to display Paulette’s emotions and it does that by camera shots which are mainly smooth and minimal, but are accentuated by camera moves which are slow zoom in/zoom out. This camera choice reveals to the audience that ultimately, Lionel loves his only artwork. In the end, the artwork he makes and pours himself into, is what he loves. He craves the hurt and the pain in order to create good art.
In closing, there is no shortage of exciting camera movements that communicate the feelings and wants of the characters with great care and flawlessness. The camerawork in “Life Lessons” runs throughout the veins of the characters and their emotions, pumping the story’s metaphorical heart. The camera choices exist purely for the character’s emotions, and not an outsource amusement. It is the camera that reveals the only reason that the characters are with each other. It is the camera that reveals the painting full of burning bridges and exploding clowns, and it is the camera reveals the talent Lionel truly possess. The camera choices Scorsese makes, are a bountiful reservoir of stylistic and genius decisions.
Martin Scorsese directing Nick Nolte in "Life Lessons" - Source
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