In First Man, the 2018 biopic by director Damien Chazelle, Ryan Gosling portrays Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. In the first episode of The Gaze, I deconstruct the way First Man's cinematography mirrors Neil Armstrong's fascinating and remote inner landscape.
Loneliness and isolation are major themes in First Man. The movie is not about heroism. It doesn’t depict Neil Armstrong as the All American Hero that he became the moment he set foot on the moon. First Man is about the man, not the hero.
The film is an intimate character study of a very closed person. Neil Armstrong was a serious, very smart and incredibly focused test pilot. He was incredibly good at his job and didn’t mind taking great risks, but in his personal life... he wasn’t very adventurous. He avoided big emotions and usually just stayed safe inside his shell.
To portray a character like that you need very subtle and subdued acting, which Ryan Gosling delivers like no one else can. But acting alone doesn’t cut it, you also need striking images. And that’s where First Man really stands out: the cinematography, and the way it reflects the character of Neil Armstrong.
First Man de-glamorizes the hero and shows Neil Armstrong as a human being. With its script, acting and absolute fantastic photography by Linus Sandgren, it provides a glimpse into his fascinating inner landscape. And, despite his closed character, the film manages to create immense sympathy and respect for Armstrong. Not just for what he did, but most of all, for what he endured.
If you want to know more about First Man and how it was made, I can highly recommend The Annotated Screenplay by Josh Singer and James R. Hansen, a wonderful book that gives you insight in the meticulous writing process behind the film: www.amazon.com/First-Man-Screenplay-Josh-Singer/dp/1785659995
The movie is based on the biography of Neil Armstrong by James R. Hansen: www.amazon.com/First-Man-Life-Neil-Armstrong/dp/1501153064
The full interview with screenwriter Josh Singer for the University of California: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YHusAcEhbaU.html
24 окт 2019
