'Thelma and Louise'

Thelma and Louise, directed by Ridley Scott (1991) is about two women, Louise who is working as a waitress in a roadside diner, and her best friend Thelma, whose husband likes her to keep quiet in the kitchen whilst he watches TV. They decide to take a short weekend getaway to break out of their normal mundane lives, but things go horribly wrong when they stop at a bar and a man tries to rape Thelma. Louise can't bare to see her friend getting hurt and shoots him, killing him. Due to the incriminating circumstances, they make a run for it but are soon followed closely by the authorities, including a local policeman who is sympathetic to their plight. However, the Federal authorities have less compassion, and a car chase across the country ensues for the two fugatives.

The lighting in this film creates a naturalistic feel as a lot of sunlight was used in the day, and little or no artificial lighting was used for the night scenes. The costume added a lot to the film, and tells the audience about the character and their personality. For example, at the beginning of the film we see Louise in her work uniform which consists of an apron, a cap and a white dress. She looks like a pisoner which kind of shows she is stuck in an unhappy rut and wants to break out. It conforms to the stereotypical image of a waitress, and identifies her as a working class woman in a low status job.
Also at the beginning when the girls are setting off on their break, Thelma is wearing a pretty white dress. This shows her femininity, purity and innocence. Throughout the film as we see her rediscover her self strength, she begins to wear a black leather jacket. The connotations of the black clothing could be there to show her independance and strength as a person, as she finally stands up to her controlling husband, and dumps him. It could also symbolise danger, as she robs a shop, and holds a police officer at gunpoint, before robbing him too and locking him in the boot of his car.
Other costume, such as the clothing worn by the people in the bar, also add a naturalistic tone to the film. It creates realism, as they are very casually dressed, and you wouldn't see people wearing suits, etc, in a roadside bar.
Thelma's husband Darrel is potrayed as a selfish, sloppy and sexist pig, who likes to sit around in a dirty vest and a pair of shorts, and resorts to eating leftover pizza if his wife doesn't prepare his meals.
The photo of Thelma and Louise is used as an important prop, and is significant in the film as it represents their long lasting relationship. It is taken before they leave for their weekend away, capturing their friendship and their feelings for each other. The next time we see this photo, it is in he back of their car as they drive off the cliff together. It makes the audience think of everything they've been through together, and how they both rediscover the strength of their friendship in the trying times. It also makes them empathise with the girls as the whole situation was an accident.
The setting of the film is all mostly done on locaion. This is another aspect which adds to the naturalistic tone of the film.

Non diegetic music in this film adds to the feel of the scenes, and creates the appropriate mood where necessary. The theme that followed the girls whilst they were on the road was an ambient/country guitar style theme. This was repeated throughout the film and also linked with the location and culture of the film. Examples of diegetic music are the live band in the first bar Thelma and Louise go to, various jukeboxes in diners and bars, sprinklers outside peoples houses, plates clashing in Louise's diner, and the TV in Darrels home. Also, the sirens and tyre screeches from the police car chase, this adds to the sense of danger and action, and adds suspense.

Cross-cutting/parallel editing was used to show Thelma and Louise packing for their departure, meaning we saw the two different locations and how differently the two characters pack. the 180 degree rule was used when the police were watching tv at Darrel's house, showing what they were all looking at. Montage editing is used to rotate between Thelma and Louise and the car when driving at night, this could have been used to show the time passing. The same with the scene where the truck explodes. Lots of shots from different angles were repeated for emphasis. At the end of the film when the girls continued to drive off the Grand Canyon, the screen flashed to white into the ending credits, meaning the audience never really see what happens to them, and kind of leaves it to them to decide how it ends.

Many different camera angles were used to convey differnt moods, feelings and situations. For example, at the beginning the reverse shots showed the two girls on the phone, which introduces the audience to the characters, and allows them to see the two differen locations, as well as what each of the two characters are doing at the same time. The close ups in the bar when everyone is dancing shows the detail of the costumes and locations. Also, when Thelma robs the shop, we see what happens through the CCTV camera, which is filming at a high angle shot. Thelma always remains in the centre of the screen, showing she is important with a higher status and in charge of the situation. At the end of the film when the girls are cornered on the edge of the Grand Canyon, the camera pans across the police cars, and also shows a high angle shot of them all. It emphasises the situation and suggests there is no way out for them. This makes the audience feel for the characters aswell because they know it was all an accident. Match shots are used when the girls are talking just before they drive off the edge. It shows a close up of their faces which allows the audience to see their expressions and reactions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. I found lots of things to talk about and had fun analysing it. It was quite emotional aswell, I felt quite sad at the end because I imagine Thelma and Louise would have felt very isolated, helpless and alone. It was quite sad to think that Louise tried to protect her friend and do the best by her, but in the end it didn't matter because they felt they only had one option. On the other hand, it's quite a happy ending because I could see that they were unhappy with their lives, especially Thelma, and at the end they were kind of free to be themselves. When the screen flashes to white in the ending credits, it kind of made me think of when people say you see a white light when you die, and it's peaceful. They drive off the edge into the white light.