Wednesday, February 19, 2014
The Hunt
Perhaps the most famous scene from The Rules of the Game involves the scene in which the Marquis' guests shoot rabbit and pheasant beaten from the forest by the gamekeeper. What is so distinctive and striking about the scene? Why does it pack such an emotional punch? What is the deeper significance or symbolism of this scene?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
In, The Rule Of The Game, there is a "hunting" ,more like just shooting and target practice,scene where all of Marquis' guests shoot the game on his property. This scene involves a complete massacre on the rabbits and pheasant, as the gamekeepers line up and chase all of the game out of the forest into the open field, where all of the game has no cover and is extremely vulnerable. This scene feels like an hour for the audience when watching because with every clip there is a rabbit or pheasant being shot by the guests. This immediately causes the audience to feel sympathy for the game because it is pretty much an unfair game. This scene can be connected with the vulnerability of being cheated on. As the film progresses, the audience views many spouses cheating on each other as everyone gets drunk and careless after celebrating the play. It also symbolizes Roberts death while running to Christine, thinking that she is waiting for him and that everything will go back to normal. Until Robert gets shot by Shoemacher in the open, because he thinks Jackie is cheating on him with Robert. Roberts vulnerability in the open can be compared to the rabbits and pheasants being vulnerable in the open and getting massacred.
ReplyDeleteA very distinctive scene in The Rules of The Game is when all of the couples go out hunting. Nowadays women hunt, but typically it is thought of something that men do. For the time period of the movie it is unusual for the women to go out hunting with the men, especially because they were not used to getting down and dirty. During this scene both the men and the women fire at bunnies and pheasants, creating a massacre. Nobody in this scene shows mercy or any emotion towards these killings. After they’re done with the killings, they don’t even gather up all of their kills for anything, they seemingly did it for the sake of killing things. These characters treat guns as toys; there is no emotional response from the things the kill and harm they cause. The symbolism of this scene is that it is a foreshadow for Andre’s death. As Andre is running past a greenhouse he is shot. No mercy is shown towards Andre, and there is not much of an emotional response from the characters about his death. It can be seen that these characters viewed Andre and each other as animals. Even in the way they pursue these affairs suggest that they view each other as animals. Animals don’t have emotions, and these characters have affairs without considering the emotions of their significant other. They themselves are animals since they feel as though they have the freedom to do whatever they want. Overall this hunting scene is a foreshadow for Andre’s death, and suggests that these characters are, and view each other as animals.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex on his comment about the parallels between the rabbits and pheasants and Andre. In this scene, it is clear that the people doing the shooting show no sympathy for the dozens of rabbits and pheasants that they are killing. For many minutes strait, all the audience can hear is gunshots, and all they see are rabbits being shot and bouncing all over the place. It is hard for the audience to watch because of how little these hunters care for the animals that they are shooting. Alex said it best when he mentioned how these rabbits do not have personalities, or souls, so they feel no regret after ending its life. They animals were also set up for death when the hunters were going through the woods with sticks, so the rabbits would run away, towards their impending doom from the hunters. This is how some of the characters feel about Andre being shot by Mr. Shoemacher. He was set up for this death in the end, and none of the characters really exhibited any compassion towards Andre’s death, just like they did not show any compassion for the enormous amount of rabbits that were killed. None of the characters cared about one another, and none of them, except for their significant others were bothered by the death. So, in the end while all of the characters were in close contact with each other, they went behind each other’s back, which ultimately was reminiscent of the massacre of the rabbits and pheasants.
ReplyDeleteThe hunt scene in The Rules of The Game is used to solidify the differences between the Marquis and his guests with the staff. In order to preform the hunt the gamekeeper Schumacher recruits the aid of the other workers to push the animals into the line of sight of the hunting party. The scene flashes back and forth between the two groups making it appear as if the hunting party is actually hunting the people. This image is used to emphasize the social differences between the two parties. The hunting party is using guns so they barely have to move while the workers have to do most of the work. It also serves as foreshadowing for when Schumacher chaser Marceau throughout the house with his gun. The violence with which Schumacher acts is partly due to his desire for power and control. Schumacher believes that he will be able to control Lisette because she is his wife, but Marceau’s actions are threatening him. He aims to take the position of the hunters in this scenario rather than the hunted. Furthermore, there is a great deal of contrast in the hunting scene. Previously, Marceau is scene hunting the rabbits in order to earn more money to support him. Since Marceau is poaching on the Marquis’ land, his is forced away implying that the hunting is wrong. Later, The hunting party can be seen massacring rabbits and pheasants with no real intention of using them after there fun. The hunting party’s actions went against the previously stated rules. It is a very emotional scene because all of the innocent animals are dying. Since this movie was produced before many special effects were created the animals had to die in real life as well as on screen. This fact creates a much darker image of what would otherwise be a much lighter scene.
ReplyDelete“The hunt” scene of “The Rules of the Game” made me very uncomfortable. The animals being shot at were clearly helpless and the idea that it was just for sport was supposed to make the people look ruthless. I think that this scene was supposed to make the audience see that even before the game starts there is a clear winner and a clear loser. The animals have no way of winning and don’t have a way of following any rules. Since both sides can’t follow the rules, there are not any rules. The audience ends up rooting for the animals even though their chances for survival are so minimal. This relates to the situation with Christine and Andre. From the start Andre has the disadvantage to Robert because Robert already has Christine. Robert and Christine are married and Robert generally has more to offer Christine. The idea that Christine will actually leave Robert for Andre is unlikely, just as the chance of the rabbits and pheasants surviving in “the hunt” scene. Robert’s advantages against Andre include a stable wealth, a permanent home, his less dangerous job, and status. These advantages go along with the people in this scene’s advantages such as weapons, numbers, and knowledge of the game. At the end of the film, to enforce this correlation between the animals with the disadvantage in the game and Andre with the disadvantage in the game, Andre is shot and killed just like one of the animals. The long shot of Andre in deep focus falling to the ground looks exactly like the earlier long shots of the rabbits in deep focus falling, lifeless. This visualization of the loser of the game in two places shows there is a winner and a loser all along.
ReplyDeleteThe hunting scene in Rules of the Game is definitely one of the most distinctive, memorable scenes from the film. What makes the scene so striking is the vulnerability of the animals, as they scamper for freedom only to be inevitably shot down, combined with the casual ruthlessness of the Marquis and his guests. The fact that the scene went on for so long only added to the startling nature of it. It seems that it packs an emotional punch because of how hopeless the situation is for the rabbits and birds, being overmatched by the humans and guns. It is difficult to watch these innocent animals be killed for fun, as they seem to be simply minding their own business. The way the Marquis and his guests seem to be relaxing and enjoying this pastime only adds to the feeling of vulnerability, as it speaks to the fact that the humans feel like they can do whatever they want without a second thought. This ties in to the deeper symbolism of the scene, which is that in Rules of the Game the main characters do as they please without a thought for others feelings or recognizing that their behavior has consequences. Nearly every character in the film has a fling with someone other than his or her spouse, to the point where it is almost open and accepted, and it is due to the entitlement that makes these people feel like they can do whatever they want. Now the only earnest, true character in this movie is André Jurieu, who is truly in love with Christine and is actually honest about it. However, as many people mentioned above, even André can’t overcome the manner in which the other characters lead their lives, doing whatever they please, and this ultimately leads to him being shot (like a helpless rabbit running for safety).
ReplyDeleteThe hunt scene in “The Rules of the Game” was one of the more powerful scenes in the movie. This scene was so emotionally striking because it shows the hunting of animals. They were all innocent animals that were being hunted for sport and nothing else. However, it was so striking because, due to the time of this movie, there were not many special effects that could be added to the movie. Meaning that the animals that were actually dying in the film. Watching the animals be shot and die on screen was hard and what made it so emotionally striking. The scene could have had the purpose of portraying the difference in social classes in society. Marquis and his fellow guests and hunters represent the higher social class, while the workers and servants represent the lower class. The workers’ job is to go out and bring forth the animals into the open. Meanwhile, Marquis and his guests are all using their riffles to hunt the animals that the workers brought out for them. Marquis and the guests holding the guns portray that the upper class hold the control in society. The lower class does not have any other purpose instead of serving the upper class. The upper class having control is a theme that occurs throughout the entire movies, as those who represent the upper class are seen constantly trying to take control of their relationships and, ultimately, their lives.
ReplyDeleteThis scene reveals the true brutality and pitilessness of the social elite. The audience is forced to feel sympathetic towards the pheasants and rabbits as they are chased out of their woods and helplessly and mercilessly gunned down. In the hunting scene, the Marqui’s guest are laughing and talking to each other as if it is just a nice walk in the park as they shoot a huge number of animals. Hunting might be considered a sport on a small scale with only a few people but on this scale, the animals do not stand a chance. It is a total massacre especially considering the fact that the hunters have no need for the pheasants and rabbits as food. It is very conceited of them to hunt these animals for sport when they have no need for the food and then to be angry at the poor people who poach the game because they have no money to buy food. It shows how the upper class has become desensitized to the suffering of others. They live in their own happy little world completely unaware of how their actions cause suffering and problems for others. The most noticeable example of this is Christine, who is complete oblivious to the affect of her actions on others. She goes around telling multiple men that she loves them and having an affair. Christine then expects nothing to come of it if she keeps changing her mind on who she actually loves and wants to be with.
ReplyDeleteThe hunt scene in "The Rules of the Game," is a bit ironic in a way. It captures a major theme of the entire movie in a short scene, and scene where only one thing is happening. The rabbits can me similar to Andre. In a previous comment, I presented the fact that Andre is truly the only one following any moral codes, or rules. At the same time, he also is the "loser," for he has a tragic ending, death. This is where presentation of the rabbits and Andre overlap with similarities. The rabbits seemingly are not breaking any moral codes or rules, just as Andre. However, they end tragically by those breaking the moral codes, (ie, Christine, Genevieve, Marquis), and who also conveniently end up moving on unscathed. Therefore, in a sense, the "hunt scene" is a foreshadowing of the ending of the movie, and also a scene that captures one of the main themes of the story line.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the hunt scene in "The Rules of the Game" emphasized the superficiality of the characters; nothing is actually set in stone, or reliably true. What I mean is that all of the characters, except for Andre, did not have any genuine love or feelings for anyone. A lot of the characters are cheating on their spouses and are involved in multiple love triangles, which are always changing. It makes the viewer question whether or not these characters have any morals, or any emotions or thoughts that go beyond the one-sided 'rules of the game'. A similar kind of superficiality and ignorance was emphasized in the hunt scene. Everyone seemed to be killing the animals for the sake of killing them; none of the animals were used for food, or pelts or other products. The characters, who did not display any emotion during this scene, are reminiscent of the Terminator movies, where Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the role of an emotionless, robotic human who kills numerous people. The fact that Andre, who is the only character who has any true, genuine love for Lisette, is killed, further emphasizes the superficiality of the characters and the mortality of any solid, moral core, which is also portrayed by the hunt scene.
ReplyDeleteThe hunt scene itself, is one big foreshadow. These rabbits are not trying to harm anyone or anything. They are simple, innocent creatures. These innocent animals are forced our of the safety of the woods into the open where they are shot and killed for sport by the characters of the play. As ryuji stated, Andre is killed, who really is believed to be the only person with good morals in the movie. His love for Christine is pure, with no intentions of an affair. (I love how in this movie, that is all you need to be considered a good person). While Andre is not FORCED out to his death, he is led into it (whether this was planned or not is another discussion) by Octave. He is told where to go without really knowing why he is going there other than that Christine is there waiting for him. As he runs, just like the rabbits ran, he is shot and killed. The other way this is a foreshadow, which is a branch off of the murder, is that in the hunt scene, Marceau is setting traps for Rabbits for his own personal gain. When Andre is killed, Marceau is present with Schumacheras an accomplice to the murder. Is it possible that this was just another one of Marceau's traps?
ReplyDelete