1. When one thinks of drama, they think of realistic characters who must endure emotional turmoil repeatedly. Romantic dramas, including The Red Lily, usually involve obstacles keeping the protagonists apart. The film’s protagonists, Jean and Marise, run away to Paris together, only to end up separated after having already been torn apart once. This film then follows their lives as they gradually fall apart as she becomes a prostitute and he a wanted thief. Jean (Ramon Navarro) and Marise (Enid Bennett) are first presented as young and naïve, having never faced real hardships, but as the film progresses, their actions and demeanors show major shifts in character development based on very realistic circumstances that have brought them to this
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When Turner Classic Movies decided to bring The Red Lily to DVD, Scott Salinas wrote an original score just for its release. It perfectly ties in with whatever mood needs to be conveyed. It sounds happy and light as Jean and Marise ride through their village and adds the anxiety-inducing rumble of pianos matching the exact moment we see a train coming toward them It features drawn-out strikes on a lonely piano when the characters are feeling hopeless. The music is not tuned to match a character in this film. The score matches the situation and mood. It helps the audience understand what characters are feeling and allows both the film and audience to resonate. What really struck out though was the scene where Jean and Marise see each other for the first time in two years. There is constant droning bell sound. It’s haunting and as the piano gets louder, Navarro is becoming more and more emotional until it all just stops with the glasses still ringing as he strikes her. The music is effective at delivering all of the emotional tumult displayed by Navarro and …show more content…
Women are told that beauty is power, and Marise holds that power. Marise was originally the daughter of a poor shoemaker while Jean was the rich son of the Mayor. It did not matter to them, though. Marise is angelic and pure. To Jean, she is perfect, but to the town, they think she is only after his wealth and status. When Jean and Marise are brought down to the lowest tier of society, the dirty underground of Paris, Jean still holds her to the standards of their lives before. She has lost her purity, and he acts out, thinking that a woman using her sexuality, even begrudgingly, to make survive is worse than theft. Still, though, young women of the audience sympathize with her. To them, she had no choice. They ask about what else she could do when there are no opportunities for poor women. There were barely opportunities for poor men as it was. For women, they have it much harder, but to see her rise above and be strong despite it is encouraging, Older women of the audience in the 20’s may have scoffed at the indecency, but young women who were looking to take charge of their sexuality may have been more aligned with Marise. She showed that strength is internal and not based on beauty, a lesson needed even for today’s female film
When Turner Classic Movies decided to bring The Red Lily to DVD, Scott Salinas wrote an original score just for its release. It perfectly ties in with whatever mood needs to be conveyed. It sounds happy and light as Jean and Marise ride through their village and adds the anxiety-inducing rumble of pianos matching the exact moment we see a train coming toward them It features drawn-out strikes on a lonely piano when the characters are feeling hopeless. The music is not tuned to match a character in this film. The score matches the situation and mood. It helps the audience understand what characters are feeling and allows both the film and audience to resonate. What really struck out though was the scene where Jean and Marise see each other for the first time in two years. There is constant droning bell sound. It’s haunting and as the piano gets louder, Navarro is becoming more and more emotional until it all just stops with the glasses still ringing as he strikes her. The music is effective at delivering all of the emotional tumult displayed by Navarro and …show more content…
Women are told that beauty is power, and Marise holds that power. Marise was originally the daughter of a poor shoemaker while Jean was the rich son of the Mayor. It did not matter to them, though. Marise is angelic and pure. To Jean, she is perfect, but to the town, they think she is only after his wealth and status. When Jean and Marise are brought down to the lowest tier of society, the dirty underground of Paris, Jean still holds her to the standards of their lives before. She has lost her purity, and he acts out, thinking that a woman using her sexuality, even begrudgingly, to make survive is worse than theft. Still, though, young women of the audience sympathize with her. To them, she had no choice. They ask about what else she could do when there are no opportunities for poor women. There were barely opportunities for poor men as it was. For women, they have it much harder, but to see her rise above and be strong despite it is encouraging, Older women of the audience in the 20’s may have scoffed at the indecency, but young women who were looking to take charge of their sexuality may have been more aligned with Marise. She showed that strength is internal and not based on beauty, a lesson needed even for today’s female film