Notes

this last section is about the screenshot's relationship to other works of art. When I was searching through the different screenshots on the website we were given, I noticed the shot that we ended up choosing and made an immediate connection between it and Edward Hopper’s best-known work “Nighthawks” -- the angle of the railing resembles that of the diner, the shot and painting both being in the perspective of someone outside of the building, the layout of the characters (with the film’s screenshot missing one character whose absence is replaced with a large and emphasized lamp), the colors of the character’s clothing with the trio of characters wearing black, red, and white colors. The contrast in lighting is heightened in the film and broadly made darker, some parts of the room, railing, etc. become pitch black, which echoes the simplicity of Hopper's surrounding urban scenery. Although the screenshot and the painting may not be related to one another, Edward Hopper was influenced by early film noir, which means he applied certain conventions and elements from film to painting (hence some potential similarities), and the two scenes provoke similar emotions, feelings, and questions about the relationship between the characters we see, the separation and distance of our perspective, the everyday life of strangers, etc.