The reason that this movie is great is about the narration. It is said that a great director cannot make a great movie without a great story. This is the truth behind Phoenix.
The plot breaks our expectation for several times while keeps it flowing. First it establishes the background that Nelly Lenz returns from Concentration Camp by luck and has to "recreate her face". After Lene Winter tells Nelly Lenz that Nelly's husband Johnny Lenz betrayed her Nelly Lenz is expected to kill Johnny, or at least, to hate him. This expectation is also told from Lene Winter's mouth. In the audiences mind, it builds up the anger and a negative feature of Johnny. However, Nelly breaks it by returning and "practicing" with Johnny. The narration is restricted to the time after Nelly's release, so by her practicing, we follow her to unveil the things that really happens surrounding her arrest. Nelly's discovery is balanced with Lene Winter's collection of evidences and documents. So from Nelly's side, we starts to discover the good points about her husbands and other people. Then, here comes the climax.
I give the word appropriate to mise-en-scène, cinematography, and the music to say that its nothing special, but with great value. The whole picture of her husband brightens as the shots shift from night to day. Also the whole movie tends to give them a lot of shots, to emphasize on their relationship.
The music Speak Low is used in the start. I did not realize its meaning until in the end when Nelly begins to sing it. This particular organization makes the whole movie unified and the abrupt ending not so awkward.
The plot breaks our expectation for several times while keeps it flowing. First it establishes the background that Nelly Lenz returns from Concentration Camp by luck and has to "recreate her face". After Lene Winter tells Nelly Lenz that Nelly's husband Johnny Lenz betrayed her Nelly Lenz is expected to kill Johnny, or at least, to hate him. This expectation is also told from Lene Winter's mouth. In the audiences mind, it builds up the anger and a negative feature of Johnny. However, Nelly breaks it by returning and "practicing" with Johnny. The narration is restricted to the time after Nelly's release, so by her practicing, we follow her to unveil the things that really happens surrounding her arrest. Nelly's discovery is balanced with Lene Winter's collection of evidences and documents. So from Nelly's side, we starts to discover the good points about her husbands and other people. Then, here comes the climax.
I give the word appropriate to mise-en-scène, cinematography, and the music to say that its nothing special, but with great value. The whole picture of her husband brightens as the shots shift from night to day. Also the whole movie tends to give them a lot of shots, to emphasize on their relationship.
The music Speak Low is used in the start. I did not realize its meaning until in the end when Nelly begins to sing it. This particular organization makes the whole movie unified and the abrupt ending not so awkward.
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