Divine Sequences

I'm going to try and start a new feature here on YRC titled "Divine Sequences" where I will embed sequences from recent films I've watched that have struck a deep chord within and then explain why and do some cinematic and personal analysis. It'll be a chance to share things I love with whomever so decides to read this blog.

Let the sequences commence!

Tonight I had a few friends over and we watched a recent personal favorite (Lone Sherfig's An Education) and a music biopic I'd never seen, Immortal Beloved. My love for An Education runs very deep, but I have to say that the latter film was stunningly beautiful, even if it didn't strike nearly as deep an emotional chord as the former. The two sequences I will be discussing is the "Paris" montage of An Education and the "Ode to Joy" sequence from Immortal Beloved.

The Paris Montage:



The Paris montage in the above clip starts at 0:14 and is the most accurate representation of Paris' personality that I've yet to see on film. Having lived there for a whirlwind 4 months, I watch this sequence with nostalgia because this clip has the odd ability to stir up each experience and emotion I felt while abroad, and does it with such panache and grace. It's a stunning sequence that just makes me want to head back to France immediately.

The "Ode to Joy" sequence (it ends around the 4 minute mark):



The film up to this point had certainly interested me and made my eyes very happy, but this marked a turning point in my viewing experience. I feel as though we hadn't seen enough back story on Beethoven and seen his internal trajectory. This sequence provided exactly what I felt the film had been missing to that point, and from this moment on I was enthralled. My mind could not turn away from the story. There is nothing I love more than a story set to music without any dialogue, and this is the epitome of those moments. Set to the incredibly moving "Ode to Joy" we see Beethoven as a child escaping the oppression of the home and achieving the joy he so rightly deserved. It's an inspired moment and that final image of him laying in the lake with the stars reflected in the water is one of the most stunning images I've ever seen.

Hope you enjoyed my effusion of love!