Quest for Fire: Film Response

Quest For Fire Film Response The film "Quest For Fire" directed by J-J Annaud is about a small band of Neanderthals who are in search of fire to continue the lives of their tribe members. Throughout their journey they come across numerous obstacles.. such as a tribe of cannibals.. or a large group of mammoths. Annaud used various film techniques through out the movie such as close up shots.. special effects and music to make it seem more dramatic.. and give a good feel for the film. Three features of which I found really stood out were Music.. noise and high and low angle shots. I'll now go into detail on each. Jean-Jaques Annaud uses several different types of music to help put across themes such as despair.. or bravery. An example of this would be when the leader of the group of Neanderthals is discovering how to make fire. In this scene Annaud uses a crescendo to emphasize his enlightenment. Another example of this.. is at the very beginning of the film when the camera is panning over the baron landscape.. and before you even know what is going on.. you can tell just by the music the tone in which the film is set. The second film technique I'd like to go into is the noise of which Annaud used in the film to give the movie a bigger sense of what was happening. In the first scene of the film the cavemen end up getting chased out of their home.. and fall into a run for their lives. The wolves were in hot pursuit of the cavemen. What Annaud uses in this scene to add intensity is marvelous. Annaud adds in the snarling of wolves.. and a combination of animalistic noises. This.. in my opinion.. works brilliantly. It gives the film a really big feel for survival.. which is the movie's biggest theme. The third.. and final technique I'd like to go into is the low and high angle shots. This technique is very effective in this movie.. as it shows a greater meaning to the film. In a scene the group of Neanderthals are confronted by a large group of mammoths. The camera is looking down on the Neanderthals.. making them look small.. and insignificant. The camera is looking up on the Mammoths.. making them look almighty and powerful. I feel that this technique shows that although this is just a film.. it's not just about half brain-dead cavemen running around looking for some fire.. but it has a more philosophical meaning. The Quest for Fire by J-J Annaud uses a number of film techniques very well.. giving the movie a great feel. This not only makes the film infinitely better.. but it won JJ some awards too. -Tom