"Julien Donkey-Boy"

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes Harmony Korine's "Julien Donkey-Boy" from the perspective of camera work, editing, sound and lighting. The paper attempts to show how Korine's highly innovative use of these filmic means is done in order to both show the limitations of traditional filmmaking while also exposing hitherto unexplored possibilities of the medium.

From the Paper:

"The film opens with a televised clip of a figure skater. The footage is shot directly from a television screen, and has been slowed down, allowing us to study the movements made by the skater in slow motion as she moves across the screen. Of course, the image is obscured by the fact that we are watching it on a screen through another screen, essentially adding a layer of static to the image that we would not see were we watching the footage directly. On top of this footage, a recording of "Ave Maria" plays. At first, this juxtaposition seems crude and absurd - a pop culture image with a musical religious epiphany. As the scene drags on, however, it soon becomes apparent what Korine's intention is with this unusual montage. He is sending the viewer a message about the quasi-religious symbolism of the filmic medium itself - a message that he will attempt to sustain throughout the course of the film. "

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