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The Green Mile

In: English and Literature

Submitted By trute05
Words 1646
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The Green Mile
Eric Trute
Eng 225
Instructor Nelly Aguilar
Feb 25 ,2013

The Green Mile
The Green Mile is based on the novel by Stephen King the film was released in 1999. The setting for this movie takes place during the Great Depression in a state prison on the death row. This movie is tells the story of friendship. The key people in a movies design team are the directors, production designer, and cinematographer. Each person in the design team brings different parts to the film allowing the film to come together in end. (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011) It all starts with the director of the movie who looks over the script and then creates a vision for the film (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). The director of The Green Mile is Frank Darabont. The movie is centered on the five prison guards that work the death row or Green Mile. Darabont’s vision for this movie was to bring to life the Novel that was written by Stephen King. The movie was based on capital punishment but it also shows the compassion, humanity, dignity and faith of the officers have for those who are on death row. Once the director has created the vision the film it is the production designer’s job to come up with the landscaping, scenery, and props for the film (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). The production designer for The Green Mile was Terence Marsh. Marsh created an eight cell death row. There isn't a single interior in this movie, with the minor exception of the warden's office, that wasn't designed and built from scratch, every nut, bolt and frayed electrical cord, and there wasn’t a single exterior location that wasn't substantially reinvented for purposes of filming. Marsh chose an old Tennessee State Penitentiary which has been used in other films he said that this gave the atmosphere and sense of history and mystery. (The Green Mile Production Notes, 1999) Once the director and the production designer have done their part in putting the director’s vision in to play, the cinematographer goes to work at putting the movie in motion. (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011) The cinematographer job is to figure out the lighting of the mood, the camera angles of the movie, and really making the movie come into motion. This movie had two cinematographers, David Tattersall and Gabriel Beristain. These two used three point lighting and low key lighting to give the film is historic and mysterious feeling.
The lighting throughout the whole movie is very low key and gives you the sense that they are trying to keep a peaceful, stress free area, to unsure that you almost feel a comfort of being there. This film falls in the drama genre. This film is also done in non-liner, because it starts out with Paul telling the story as an old man and the director uses flash back method in retelling the story of The Green Mile.
This movie is all about these inmates on death row. The director chose to show the execution of two inmates and the process of how the electric chair works and the step in order to complete a successful execution. In the first execution they show how they practice in order to make sure that nothing goes wrong. Each guard has a responsibility in the execution. As the movie goes on we see how the friendship between the warden and Paul is played out. The warden wife is diagnosed with a tumor in her brain. We see the friendship between the guards and each other. We are also show the friendship between a man and his pet mouse. We all know that friendship is important to everyone so seeing how each character portrays that friendship. The friendship and thankfulness is shown when Paul wife makes John some cornbread and his shares with Delacroix one of the other inmates. In the special edition DVD the give you the back ground of the movie and how the director picked the actors for each character in the movie. Tom Hanks talks about being asked about being asked to play Paul. Michael Duncan talks about being asked to play John Coffey, they both talk about how the movie is this film is not a typical Stephen King type of movie. The director talks about how he knew which actor he wanted to play Paul right away. During the special features you see how the set come together. (Darabont, 1999) During the special features they talk about the importance of the mouse in the film and how it is the last living encounter that one of the inmate has. Michael Duncan talks making the character come to live. Director talks about how the film draws you into the and takes you along the journey. (Darabont, 1999) The movie opens up in a nursing home and shows Paul played by Tom Hanks having a flash back of people searching for two little girls in a field. Paul starts having a emotional break down and starts telling his friend Elli of being a Prison guard in 1935. Paul starts remembering how things played out in that year on the mile and the story starts to unfold as he explains when John Coffey played my Michael Duncan comes to the mile.
They show the yard and the men working in the field they use wide view of the camera to show the men working. As the truck approaches the mile, the camera shows how the truck is caring a heavy load. The camera closes up of the guard and all you see is the chest of the prisoner showing how big the prisoner is in compassion to the guard. The show a close up of Paul and Bruno another guard.
John Coffey is prorated a gentle man, as the guards talk about John they assume that he is dumb, retarded, and a monster for the crime that he is being accused of committing. The next scene shows the father of the two missing girls with John and the director is using a swiping camera to show the crowed of people that were looking for these girls. When the mob is standing there all you hear from John is “I am Sorry, I am sorry.” The father of the two girls is beating up John. As the movie plays along we learn about John Coffey’s healing power. Paul is suffering from kidney stones and is a lot of pain. Paul is in so much pain that he cannot use the washroom. John sees that Paul is suffering calling him to his cell. John grabs Paul and pulls him close to him. Grabbing his crouch area and as this is happening the other inmate starts screaming for help. Paul is trying to figure out what is happening, but in the back ground the cinematographers chose to have the dramatic music playing in the background and the light bulb in the cell get really really bright and brake. Then up starts to cough something that look like gnat. Again they chose to use soft music in the back ground. Paul asked John “what happen John” replies with “I took it away Boss.” This is when Paul realizes there is no way that John could have killed the two little girls. The guards gather at Paul’s house and he tells them how John helps take away his problem. They talk about talking John to the warden home to help his wife. The officers plan how to get John out of the mile and take him. They get to the wardens home and the wife is having a spell, and John looks the lady in the face and just takes away her tumor. IN the background again the lights get real bright as John is taking away the illness. When everything is all over she thanks John with a hug and tells him thank you. At this point in the movie all the guards know that John is innocent man. The next execution is Delacroix; showing how forgetting one little detail likes the wet sponge can set the execution up for disaster. During Del’s execution the light bulbs are breaking and sending sparks all over. They use screaming from the viewer and guards know that something is wrong. They can’t stop the execution because Del’s not dead.
We also see the personally of the guards and how each character deals with the working on the mile. Three of the guards show some compassion for the inmates and there is one guard who portrayed as hard ass and is mean to the inmates. In the scene where Percy gets scared cause Billy the kid grabbed him he talks his anger out on the inmate that is going up for execution. WE see the compassion of the guards when Paul and Burt are talking to Del about Mr. Jangles and what’s going to happen to him once Del is gone.
End the we see a somber execution they lighting is low, and the soft music is playing in the back ground as Paul gives John his last right and tells him what is going to happen. The camera pans around showing how each officer has tears in their eyes and they are sad to be killing such a kind a innocent man and there is nothing that can be done about it.
This movie is heartfelt story of how someone who is innocent is being put to death all he was trying to do help those who need healing. This movie is all about friendship and compassion.

Reference Page
Darabont, F. (Writer) (1999). The green mile [DVD].
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education.
(1999). The green mile. (1999). [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.cinemareview.com/main.asp?movieid=129913

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