Why Did I Get Married Scene
Luisa Rodocker
It is certainly much better to be married with a family instead of being single and alone all the time which can be very unhealthy and depressing as time goes on. Very difficult for many of us single men trying to find love today though.
It's fitting that the best promotion for the approaching premiere of HBO's Scenes From A Marriage was a seemingly candid exchange between its stars. The slow-motion clip, which went viral, shows Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac sharing an electric(-looking) moment on the red carpet at the Venice International Film Festival. The reason it's so fitting is that this is a series that runs almost entirely on how much you want to watch these two very good actors work together, in scene after scene, with little to distract from their work.
The original Scenes From A Marriage miniseries aired on Swedish television in 1973. Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, it told the story of a couple whose marriage crumbles over the course of several years. It was later condensed into a feature film released around the world.
In this five-episode version, created and written by Hagai Levi, Isaac and Chastain play Jonathan and Mira, who are still together when the series begins. He's a philosophy professor and she's a tech executive, and they have a little daughter they both love. Not long after we meet them, their marriage starts to disintegrate. They become involved with other people, there are old resentments, and there are constant shifts as to which of them, if either one, wants to save the relationship. That's the story, really.
When Jonathan and Mira are at their worst, it's tempting to see this as an extension of HBO's run of shows about horrible affluent people being ... horrible and affluent. To some degree, it is that. But the tone is much more intimate and less satirical than in something like The White Lotus or Succession, and the focus is so much on this one marriage that it doesn't have those shows' sprawl. It also doesn't provide the opportunities other shows do to throw different characters together. Instead, you're trapped with just these two and their arguments and their spiraling misery.
At the time the original Scenes From A Marriage was made, there was far less of an established genre of painful-divorce theater than we have now. This was pre-Kramer vs. Kramer and pre-War Of The Roses, just to name two American stories with wildly different undertones. To see a marriage turn ugly, to see people light into each other over every awful thing that's ever happened, that's not a novelty, and 2021 is not the year that 1973 was when it comes to divorce in the U.S. or Europe. Even reality television has blunted some of the sharp edges of a show that feels like eavesdropping.
One of the curious choices Levi makes is to include little introductory clips before each episode in which Chastain and Isaac arrive on set. Scenes From A Marriage was shot during the pandemic, so during these moments you see all the masks, all the distancing, all the other precautions. You see Chastain being brought to work by her driver, being called "Jess," being lit, and even hearing the call of "action." These little bits are certainly meant to do something, but it's not clear what. In the absence of any other purpose, they seem uncomfortably like efforts to underline how serious the project is and how serious the making of it is and how serious the task of remaking Bergman is.
I don't think people who sit down with this series will regret the time spent with these actors. There are moments that really do have an impact, and there's some fine work lighting and shooting the house to emphasize the state of the relationship. (In one scene, Chastain seems to blend into the wall so seamlessly that she's an unhappy beige blur.) But don't expect to leave this show with much of a takeaway about marriage or relationships. As much as anything, it's a study of how mundane the curdling of love can really be.
Weddings in South Korea are pretty much the same in terms of routine and procedure, and I must confess that my mind is mostly occupied with how much money I have to give as a gift and what I can eat at a buffet room. Unless the bride or the groom is someone considerably close to me, I just watch a few minutes of the wedding ceremony after giving the money as required, and I simply go straight to the buffet room for evaluation.
The movie revolves around Kym Buchman (Anne Hathaway), a young woman who has been in a rehabilitation center for several months due to her addiction problem. She is glad to be allowed to visit her family house for the upcoming wedding of her older sister Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt), but, like many newly recovering addicts, she cannot help but feel edgy and nervous, and her anxiety is not quelled at all even after her father Paul (Bill Irwin) arrives and then takes her to their home.
In addition, Demme made an interesting choice with the film's music, bringing more realism onto the screen. During the shoot, he had a bunch of musicians including Donald Harrison Jr. and Zafer Tawil play music in the background frequently, and everything we hear from the soundtrack is really what was recorded right on the set. When he shot one crucial scene, Demme let one of his main cast members ask the musicians to stop playing music outside, and this small moment of improvisation brings extra spontaneity to this important scene.
It is evident that Demme had a pretty good time with his performers. In fact, his close friends and colleagues played some of minor characters in the film, and they and other performers effortlessly mingle together during the wedding ceremony sequence. Spiced with colorful multicultural elements, the wedding ceremony sequence pulsates with genuine joy and exhilaration. After so much fun and excitement, there comes a precious moment of comfort and acceptance for Kym and a few others around her, and everything feels fine and perfect for them, though there are still some issues remaining unresolved for Kym and her family.
The scene starts with Lady Capulet telling Juliet that Lord Capulet has arranged her marriage to Paris in four days' time. Juliet refuses to marry and her father threatens to disown her. Juliet begs her mother to help her but she refuses and leaves Juliet with the the Nurse, who also tries to convince her to marry Paris.
Sometimes these actors and actresses are not only married, but profess to be Christians. Let me be clear that I AM NOT JUDGING THEIR FAITH OR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, but I do have a challenging question.
I never thought of cheating in that context. As I read your post, I thought about numerous Hollywood marriages that ended after actors spent months filming a movie and/or had steamy love scenes for a movie. I am also reminded of Ms. Angela Bassett who pledged to never do a movie that required her to remove her clothes. I admire her for remaining consistent in an industry that is not kind to women, especially women of color.
One thought I have is that the Bible tells us to flee all appearances of sin. My wife and I chose years ago to strive to do this in what movies we watch. Very few of the movies that come out today do we watch for this reason. This includes sex scenes and foul language. Why do we need to see or listen to this? Whatsoever is of good report, think on these things.
Temptation to sin is strong enough, why add to it?
Thanks for sharing.
The questions here that should be asked is if God only cares about the intentions and the feelings present in the heart, is before I participate in these types of scenes, is will they cause any forms of lust to myself, anybody I interact with and the audience?
I can see how that is very frustrating when you really love someone. I will be praying for your situation Grace. I hope addressing it was some somewhat therapeutic. I will be praying for the two of you.
What do you think about the Hallmark Channel or Pure Flix. I personally know a lot of Christians who what the Hallmark Channel because of the clean content. A kiss at the end. No sex or anything like that. Not only the Hallmark Channel there is also UPTV.
If my blog blesses you, I gladly accept donations of $2 or less. 1 Corinthians 9:14 (CJB) 14 In the same way, the Lord directed that those who proclaim the Good News should get their living from the Good News.
The tempo remains relatively upbeat and driven throughout the song, excluding the slower middle and ending sections. This light and buoyant theme of tempo depicts the love and incredible optimism the couple displayed for each other and their future. There is a strong pulse on the first beat of each bar, giving the music its distinct waltz feel. Adding to this dancing sensation is the fact that the majority of the score of this song is in time, once again reflecting the music Carl and Ellie would be accustomed to hearing during their lives together. Halfway through the song the tempo halts abruptly, with the news that Ellie is unable to have children. After hearing this news, life comes to a standstill for the main characters, leaving this slow in tempo to be a direct translation of the authentic emotions the characters were feeling.
Such a nostalgic post. I watched that movie at least 50 times growing up but never even thought about how the music played a role. The music is everything in that scene. It basically puts words in the characters mouths and a feeling the audiences body about what is happening in the movie. You explained the chosen elements very well I just wish there was another piece of music from the movie to show another example of how the composer worked. Overall this blog genuinely made me happy to read, great job. Here is another example of how the background music describes action and basically tells the story if you would like to watch it. =jKzmUQuo9ls&feature=player_embedded
Debating which film is the Greatest San Francisco Movie of All Time is not new. So many of us have spent (wasted?) time arguing online over a swath of films set in the city, or scoffing at the latest listicle rankings on fly-by-night websites.
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