A thriller is a genre of a film, where tension, suspense and excitement are key elements. They focus on making the viewer feel uncertain and give them a feel of terror.
The first thriller film was directed by Alfred Hitchcock; a silent film named "The Lodger". It was released 14th February 1927 and starred Marie Ault, Arthur Chesney, June Tripp, Malcom Keen and Ivor Novello. The film was about a Landlady who suspected her new lodger to be serial killer who was killing women in London.
1940
An example of a thriller film from the 1940's is Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca". It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 2 of them; for 'outstanding production' and 'best cinematography: black and white'. It is about "a self-conscious bride is tormented by the memory of her husband's dead first wife." (Taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032976/ )
This trailer shows the stereotypical settings of a thriller film; a forest and a house. These settings create an uneasy feeling for the audience as they are dark and can be scary especially at night. As the film is in black and white, it is difficult to see the lighting that is normally used to create suspense in thriller films. The trailer also demonstrates the lack of iconography in 1940.
1970
Fragment of Fear is a 1970, British thriller film, directed by Richard C. Sarafian. It is an adaptation of the book by John Bingham. It is about a "Reformed drug addict who travels to Italy to find out who murdered his aunt." (Taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065737/ )
In the trailer for Fragment of Fear, there is typical iconography that you would expect to see in a thriller film. For example the dripping tap and the creaking doors are both things associated with thriller films. In comparison to the thriller film from 1940, you can see how things have developed with technology as well as the gore of thriller films; the film is in colour and the murder is shown on screen.
1990
Internal Affairs is a 1990, American, crime thriller film directed by Mike Figgis.The film stars Richard Gere as Dennis Peck, a suave womanizer, clever manipulator, and crooked cop who uses his fellow officers as pawns for his own nefarious purposes while showing a tender side as a devoted father. Andy García plays Raymond Avilla, the Internal Affairs agent who becomes obsessed with catching Peck when he suspects that Peck is not the poster boy police officer that the precinct has made him out to be.
(Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Affairs_(film) )
2002
Murder By Numbers is a 2002 psychological thriller film, directed by Barbet Schroeder and stars Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt. It is about Two gifted high school students execute a "perfect" murder - then become engaged in an intellectual contest with a seasoned homicide detective. (Taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264935/ )The trailer for Murder By Numbers demonstrates a huge contrast to the films previously discussed in this post. The iconography has dramatically developed; the use of forensics is included which shows the time period of the film. The use of stunts demonstrates the development in the film industry and shows how thrillers have developed over time.
2008
Prom Night, directed by Nelson McCormick and staring Brittany Snow is an American thriller film: Donna's senior prom is supposed to be the best night of her life, though a sadistic killer from her past has different plans for her and her friends. (Taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0926129/ )2014
3 Days to Kill is a French/ American thriller film, directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol. It is about "A dying CIA agent trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter is offered an experimental drug that could save his life in exchange for one last assignment." (Taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2172934/ )
The scenes in the film demonstrate how thriller films have developed and show the improvement of the quality of the stunts and scenes. This proves that over time, thriller films have improved a lot and different themes will be explored throughout them.
Task 2
| Rank | Title (click to view) | Studio | Lifetime Gross /Theaters | Opening / Theaters | Date | ||
| 1 | Hannibal | MGM | $165,092,268 | 3,292 | $58,003,121 | 3,230 | 2/9/01 |
| 2 | The Silence of the Lambs | Orion | $130,742,922 | 1,642 | $13,766,814 | 1,497 | 2/14/91 |
| 3 | Basic Instinct | TriS | $117,727,224 | 1,884 | $15,129,385 | 1,567 | 3/20/92 |
| 4 | Seven | NL | $100,125,643 | 2,528 | $13,949,807 | 2,441 | 9/22/95 |
| 5 | Red Dragon | Uni. | $93,149,898 | 3,363 | $36,540,945 | 3,357 | 10/4/02 |
| 6 | Saw II | Lions | $87,039,965 | 2,949 | $31,725,652 | 2,949 | 10/28/05 |
| 7 | Saw III | LGF | $80,238,724 | 3,167 | $33,610,391 | 3,167 | 10/27/06 |
| 8 | The Bone Collector | Uni. | $66,518,655 | 2,623 | $16,712,020 | 2,587 | 11/5/99 |
| 9 | Saw IV | LGF | $63,300,095 | 3,183 | $31,756,764 | 3,183 | 10/26/07 |
| 10 | The Cell | NL | $61,334,059 | 2,476 | $17,515,050 | 2,411 | 8/18/00 |
The top thriller film is Hannibal, the 2001 American crime thriller film directed by Ridley Scott. It is a sequel to the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs; which is the second top thriller film as shown in the table above. It comes out on top due to it making the most amount of money on its opening weekend out of all thriller films of all time as well as the amount of money made in the films lifetime; This demonstrates the popularity of the film.
This post demonstrates some understanding of how thriller films have developed over the years. You have made a start in researching into different films to create a timeline, but you need to elaborate on the points that you have made. You have made a start in considering some scenes and conventions that are apparent in the sequences, but further explanation and discussion is needed throughout
ReplyDeleteAlso when you are considering the box office information you need to elaborate on the table, by referring to the narrative, audience ratings and success, to demonstrate further understanding.