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Visuals Audio
Black Screen. Slow fade in long
shot of a highway with a sign of
Route 66 in focus in the
foreground and the road leading
off towards the horizon.
Narrator: The road movie typicallyregarded as a film genre made by
Americans [pause] for Americans
[pause] about Americans. [Pause]
A fast montage of stock images ofAmericans on road trips,
involving still images that
include the American flag, the
flat American landscape and
American cars.
Voiceover of Sam North [introducedvisually at the end of the page]:
From the earliest days of American
cinema, the road movie has been
synonymous with American culture and
the image of America to the world.
A globe fades in, beginning on
America, which is filled by the
American flag, before the camera
pans and stops on Europe, which
is a detailed map showing major
highways and cities but withoutborders. A black title appears on
the map: A Journey into an
Unknown Genre The European RoadMovie
Narrator: However, another continent
teeming with road movies has been
continuously ignored in criticisms
of this genre, with the convention
of an internal and external journey
that classically involves a road andmotor vehicle being taken and
adapted to suit a European way of
life.
Opening shot of Silent Souls,
where Aist, the protagonist,
travels on a bike along a road.
The shot from behind emphasises
the journey ahead for Aist as the
leading lines of the road draw
attention to the distance ahead.
Narrator: By journeying into the
road film genre, we will discover
European road films and argue that
these films, while distinctly
different from their American
counterparts, utilise the same
conventions as American road movies.Talking head shot of narrator,
who is sitting in the passenger
seat of a relatively new car
parked at the side of the road.
Narrator: Both American and European
genres focus on a physical journey
littered with encounters and
experiences.
Car moves towards the camera so
the road behind the car moves
into the centre of the frame,
demonstrating that the journey
has begun. Sudden zoom into road
creates a transition to a black
screen.
Narrator: There may not be a
destination, a road, a vehicle or a
distinct reason for leaving, but the
characters do leave behind something
for a journey of a country and of
ones self that is reflected in an
internal and external journey.
Fade in of a talking head shot of
Polona Petek (with her name and
Senses of Cinema contributor inthe centre right) set at a desk
in an office with books in a
stack and a laptop beside her.
Polona Petek: Despite the
overwhelming global popularity of
the genre, among mainstream as well
as independent and experimental
filmmakers, the road movie is a
relatively uncharted territory.
Cut to a talking head shot of
Wendy Everett (with her name and
Film Critic in the centre left)in a room with road movie
posters, including Vanishing
Point, Bonny and Clyde and Easy
Wendy Everett: Although the road
movie is widely identified as a
typical Hollywood genre, the
concepts of journey and change,
which lie at its heart, have always
been fundamental to cinema.
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Riderin the background.
Cut to a talking head shot of Sam
North (with his name and
Novelist and creator ofHackwriters displayed in thecentre right) set in the back of
a cinema near the projection.
Sam North: Just because there is a
road and someone is driving on it,
does not, I would argue, make it a
'road movie'.
Cut to still images of famous
road movie protagonists from
films such as:
- The Wizard of Oz- Thelma and Louise- Little Miss Sunshine
Narrator: All road movies have one
specific, constant convention of the
journey. However, this does not
involve the classic American
conventions of a road and a motor
vehicle
Cut to close up tracking shot of
the quote from the book CrossingNew Borders, with the section ofthe quote of self highlightedyellow in a large font.
Narrator: but a critique ofhumanity, which, as Ewa Mazierska
and Laura Rascaroli explain in
Crossing New Border, a road moviecriticism, is an exploration ofboth society and of self.
Black screen with white text: Who
leaves on a road trip?
Texts slide out the right of the
frame, leaving a black screen.
Cut to talking head shot of
Narrator.
Narrator: These four films all have
protagonists of a striking and
fascinating nature that should be
analysed to understand how certain
groups are explored and represented.
Clockwise fade in of a still-
frame close up of each
protagonist with the title of
each film, the name of the
protagonist and the directorsname underneath, creating a 4-way
split screen, with each image
appearing as the individual is
mentioned in the audio.
Narrator: Rune Langlo depicts a
struggling addict in Jomar in Nord
while Paul Cotter portrays an
emotionally cut-off individual in
Alistair in Bomber. Also, Paul King
illustrates the effect of a severe
mental disorder in Stephen in Bunny
and the Bull and Aleksei Fedorchenko
also explores emotions in Silent
Souls through Aist, who descends
from a group of inexpressive people.
Fade in of talking head shot of
Walter Salles (name and Directorof Motorcycle Diaries shown),
with stills from the MotorcycleDiaries playing in the background
showing Ernesto Guevara as he
encounters different individuals.
Walter Salles: The road movie is
limited only by one obligation: to
accompany the transformations
undergone by its main characters asthey confront a new reality.
Cut to a long shot of Aist and
Miron travelling in the car
(Silent Souls), which dissolves
into an extreme long shot of
Jomar travelling across the frame
(Nord). Cut to talking head shot
of the Narrator.
Narrator: Although one may consider
the obvious physical movement the
most important journey in a road
movie, the development of a
character as they face new
experiences and encounter new people
defines the genre.
Fade to a series of imagesinvolving a low-angled shot of
Narrator: It is therefore necessaryfor protagonists to have the ability
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Jomar, a long shot of Aist left
in the car as Miron leaves, a
low-angled shot of Stephen trying
to calm down against a wall and
Alistair sitting in the back on
the van looking dejected.
to change and develop. The underdog
status of Jomar, Aist, Stephen and
Alistair aids in allowing the
directors to develop the characters
during their journey as they
confront new realities.
Cut to talking head shot of Katie
Mills (with her name and FilmEssayist in the centre right)
Katie Mills: Even today, Road
stories largely persist in
romanticising the underdog.
Fade in of talking head shot of
the narrator. Dissolve transition
to a movie poster of Nord with a
close up on a snow-blind Jomar.
Narrator: The underdog is explored
in European road movies, as shown in
Rune Langlos casting of Jomar inNord.
Taking head shot of Rune Langlo
(with name and Director of Nordshown) at a small theatre with
the opening of Nordplaying in
the background, featuring mid
shots and close ups of Jomar.
Rune Langlo: The rest of the famous
males actors around 30 in Norway are
kind of handsome and well
proportioned Anders for me is a guythat you can relate to he'slikable.
Fade in of a series of still
images of Jomar and the
individuals he meets in his
journey: Lotte and her
grandmother Rigmor, Ulrik,
Soldiers, Sir Trondelag and
Thomas. Cut to final shot of
Nord, where Jomar approaches his
son.
Narrator: Jomar, the protagonist in
Nord, encounters individuals and has
experiences that ultimately change
his character while his weaknesses,
which involve anxiety and addiction,
are explored and do not hinder him
in reaching his quests finaloutcome.
Montage of close up and mid-shots
of Jomar drinking, smoking and
taking pills before and on his
journey. Cut to a mid shot of
Jomar hugging Ulrik shirtless.
Narrator: Jomar has addiction
problems that create an image of a
struggling individual that, when
paired with his anxiety, challenges
masculine hero qualities.
Shot from Nordthat features the
dialogue between Jomar and Lasse,
with the camera focused on Jomar
in the foreground to emphasise
his critique of his own
masculinity in the dialogue.
Jomar: Youre not struggling withanxiety or anything like that?
Lasse: No, not that I know of.
Jomar: No, just angry? Pissed off in
the old fashioned male way. No
anxiety.
Cut to fight scene between Jomarand Lasse, in which Lasse punches
Jomar in the face, causing him to
fall as Lasse remains above him,
where the levels show the
difference in power in their
relationship. Shot fades out.
Narrator: The connection betweenmental strength and masculinity is
emphasised by Erlend Loe in the
script to create an underdog status
for Jomar and through the shots
Langlo uses when Jomar meets
different individuals.
Fade in sequence where Jomar
meets Ulrik, beginning with a
long shot of the trucks tyresthat fill the frame before camera
pans to show Jomar sitting on thesnow. Shot cuts to a long shot of
Narrator: In a long shot of Jomar
meeting Ulrik in their first
encounter, Langlo shows that Ulrik
is in a position of power over Jomar
through levels in the frame, whereJomar remains in the bottom half of
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Jomar and Ulrik on the truck
taking up different levels in the
frame.
the frame whereas Ulrik, on his
truck, is in the top half of the
frame.
Shot continues to show
intercutting between the high-
angled shots of Ulrik on his
truck looking down at Jomar with
long shots of Jomar on the ground
looking up at Ulrik that are
slightly high-angled to emphasise
the size of the truck in the
foreground.
Narrator: Additionally, through the
high-angled shots of Ulrik on his
truck and the low-angled shots of
Jomar when he meets the soldiers,
Langlo uses large vehicles and
camera angles to show Jomars weakernature compared to those he meets.
Cut to high-angled shot of Jomar,
which emphasises the sun behind
him. Cut to a shot of the dark
room that contrasts the bright
lighting in the first shot.
Cross-dissolve to a shot of Jomar
setting off on his skis from
Ulriks place. Fade black.
Narrator: However, as Jomar
encounters more isolated individuals
in his journey, he overcomes
challenges of snow-blindness and a
destroyed skimobile to begin skiing
again, which ultimately demonstrates
a character change towards a
stronger individual who can overcome
obstacles.
Fade in to a talking head shot of
narrator, which cuts to a slow
zoom shot of Stephen sitting and
crying by the door, unable to
leave (moving from a mid to close
shot) (Bunny and the Bull)
Narrator: [pause] Paul King allows
his audience to fully experience
Stephens psychological state so weunderstand his weak status through
successful visual effects.
Cut to close up shot of Stephen
looking through the eyehole at
his front door, where the light,
which represents the positive
outside environment, piercing his
eye reflects Stephens need toleave. Shot cuts to a close up
shot of the camera looking
through the eyehole.
Narrator: The warped effect placed
on the shot looking through the
eyehole demonstrates the disjointed
and chaotic outside world from
Stephens narrative viewpoint, as weunderstand his struggle to leave the
house due to the psychologically
damaging effect of the journey.
Cross-dissolve to a shot of the
moon and road ahead as Stephen
and Bunny set out with the car.
Cut to a shot of Bunny andStephen pulled up on the side of
the road for petrol.
Narrator: Additionally, Bunny and
the Bull uses animation throughout
the flashbacks of the journey to
reflect the chaotic nature ofmemories.
Talking head shot of Paul King
sitting at the crusty crab on the
animated set (name and Directorof Bunny and the Bull shown)
Paul King: I wanted the sets to
reflect Stephens mental state.
Cut to a shot of Bunny kissing
Eloise in the back of the car as
Stephen watches, which dissolves
to a birds-eye-view shot of Bunny
leading the bull in circles.
Narrator: Therefore, the extremely
masculine image of Bunny, who sleeps
with Eloise and fights a bull,
juxtaposes Stephens weak nature.
Fade to a split screen, where Narrator: Similarly to Nordwhere
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Jomar taking pills is shown in
the left of the frame and Stephen
opening the cupboard and taking
pills is in the right of the
frame. Cut to shot of Stephen
unlocking his door and turning to
face Bunny one last time.
Jomar need pills on his journey,
King includes medication to reflect
the protagonists weakness. However,like Langlo, King has Stephen
overcome his fear of remembering by
accepting Bunnys death andjourneying out of his house.
Shot of Stephen leaving his house
at the end of Bunny and the Bull
that cuts to a close up of his
foot hitting the ground outside
on a new journey. Fade to black.
Narrator: We can appreciate
Stephens internal transformation,as the end concludes with Stephen
setting out on another journey,
symbolised by the action of stepping
out of the house.
Fade in of a talking head shot of
the narrator, which cuts to a
shot of Alistair picking up
bricks and hurting his back.
Narrator: [pause] Alistair is shown
as an underdog in Bomberas his weak
position becomes apparent during the
journey.
Fade in of Alistair in the front
seat of the car in a diagonal
shot, where he holds the map and
makes travelling decisions. Cross
fade to a shot of Alistair in the
back of the van from Rossviewpoint as the driver.
Narrator: The most important
portrayal of Alistairs weak statusis shown through his demotion from
the front seat to the back of the
van, which was originally the area
for Valerie in a clear gender
divide.
Cut to a talking head shot of the
narrator. Cut to a shot of Ross
pointing to The Rules on thefront of the car that dissolves
to Valerie taking a photograph of
Alistair.
Narrator: By crossing this divide,
Cotter creates a distinct
segregation between the older
generation and Ross to portray the
conflict in their priorities
Cross-fade to a shot of Ross on
the phone talking to his
girlfriend while driving
Narrator: in which Ross is focusedon the future and returning home to
Britain
Cross-fade to a side-on shot of
Alistair showing the photo to a
civilian in the village.
Narrator: while Alistair remainsfocused on the past and arriving in
the village in Germany.
Cut to a long shot of Alistair
sitting on a pile of bricks
looking dejected up at Ross.
Narrator: Additionally, Alistairsage and lack of emotions are shown
as a weakness.
Cut to a close up and an extremeclose up on Alistair as he
watches Ross scream at him.
Ross: At least I've got emotions,unlike you, you crusty-boned half-
frozen solid old relic of a
crustacean.
Cut to a shot of Alistair
screaming at Ross in a close up
intercut with responding close
ups of Ross yelling at Ross while
on the phone.
Narrator: However, he eventually
allows himself to express his
feeling and emotions, which first
show his anger at the situation
Cut to a close up shot of
Alistair speaking to Valerie.
Alistair: I hate you.
Cut to a close up of Valeriesguidebook, which cuts to a shot
Narrator: but then reveal his trueadmirable, heroic quality, as he
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of the van travelling past the
sign Warsaw, with the title Day5: The road to Warsaw appearing.
allows Valerie to go to Warsaw in an
attempt to emotionally connect with
his wife and please her.
Cut to close up shots in the
matching sequence to the audio.
Ross: How do you feel?
Alistair: Quite good I suppose.
Montage of a series of still
shots from different parts of the
journey, including Alistair
driving his car, Alistair sitting
next to Ross as navigator,
Alistair sitting in the back of
the van and then Alistair driving
the van. Fade to black.
Narrator: Clearly, the journey
allows Alistair to change as Valerie
and Ross confront him about his
attitude towards life and his
relationship and Alistair lets go of
his guilt of bombing during World
War One.
Fade into a talking head shot of
narrator, which cuts to Aist
talking to a woman (Subtitles:
Miron is calling you. The
directors calling)
Narrator: [pause] Finally, in Silent
Souls, Aists weaker status is shownthrough Mirons ability tomanipulate him, as Miron
Cuts to a long shot of Miron and
Aist talking on the roof
(Subtitles: Lets go right now)
Narrator: is able to convince Aistto begin the journey after the
catalyst of Tanyas death
Cut to shot of Aist and Miron in
the car with the following
dialogue in subtitles:
Aist: And why here?
Miron: The honeymoon.
Narrator: and decides where to go as
driver and navigator while Aist
remains a passive passenger during
the journey.
Cut to high-angled tracking shot
from in front of Miron, who walks
through the supermarket, withAist entering and leaving the
frame but remaining behind Miron.
Narrator: Visually, Fedorchenko
reflects this hierarchy through the
high-angled mid shot of Mironwalking through a supermarket after
burning the body.
Cut to shot of Miron walking
around the car, leaving Aist
inside. Cut to a mid-shot of
Tanya and Miron in the foreground
and Aist in the background, where
Miron moves out of frame and the
camera focuses on Aist as Tanya
turns around.
Narrator: Also, Aist is trapped in
the car when Miron abruptly leaves,
where the framing of the carswindshield clearly separates them to
show the conflict between two
individuals who loved the same woman
whilst isolating Aist.
Cut to shot of the birds in acage, with Aist in the background
also trapped by the cages barswithin the frame. Fade black.
Narrator: This continuation of thetheme of entrapment in Silent Souls
demonstrates that Miron easily
controls Aist.
Cut to talking head shot of
narrator, which then cuts to a
shot of Aist looking out the
window as the camera takes on a
voyeuristic approach outside the
car looking in.
Narrator: [pause] Additionally,
unlike the other road movie
characters, Aist does not undergo
change on the road that
significantly influences the
conclusion of the film.
Cross-fade to mid and long shots
of Miron and Aist pouring vodkaover Tanya before lighting fire
Narrator: This reflects the
unchanging traditions of Russiasociety, a clear theme within the
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to the body. Cut to a close up
shot of an object used for
pouring water, with the water
leaving the object through slits
in the eyes as if its crying.
film, although Aist gradually shifts
from being emotionless to allowing
his love for Tanya overwhelm him
before the car accident kills them.
Cut to shot of Aist walking along
a bridge that matches the
voiceover audio, where water
symbolises life and death for the
Russian tribe.
Voiceover from Silent Souls:
Aist: Our people are a bit strange,
their faces inexpressive. There are
no passions boiling.
Cut to shot of Aist looking at
photographs of Tanya and Miron.
Aist: My thoughts and memories swept
over me and carried me away.
Cross-fades to a close up shot of
Aist in the car, where his
emotions of pain and suffering
are shown. Cross-fade to a shot
from behind of Aist watching
Tanyas body burn during theritual. Shot fades black.
Narrator: Aists transformationduring the journey reflects the
ability of the transformative power
of the road, as he is able to
develop even with such strong and
overpowering traditions.
Slide transition forms a split
screen, with Jomar laying a
blanket on Ulrik as a fatherly
act in the left side of the frame
and Ross talking to a man on a
bicycle trying to help his father
in the right side of the frame.
Narrator: The films Nordand Bomber
explore the positive impact of
journeying upon individuals, as
Jomar gains a renewed sense of power
and masculinity through being able
to ski again and a sense of
fatherhood with Ulrik
Cut to mid-shot of Stephen taking
pills to control his
hallucinations before moving tocount the tiles on the wall.
Narrator: while Bunny and the Bullexplores the negative effect of
travel upon Stephen, theprotagonist, who remains trapped in
his house
Cut to shot of Aist and Miron
lighting the body on fire with
their backs turned to the camera.
Cut to a shot of Miron committing
Tanyas ashes into the river.
Narrator: and Silent Souls uses asmall character change to emphasise
the importance of tradition and
customs in a critique of Russian
society.
Shot of Stephen and Bunny at the
train station at the start of the
journey. Cross-fades to a shot of
Bunny dying. Cut to taking headshot of North, which fades black.
North: The irony of the road movie
is that the weak leave, but only the
strong survive. The road either
makes or breaks a person.
Black screen with white text
(which fades in): The Road
Cut to a series of still images
of the American highway,
including an image of a sign of
Route 66.
Narrator: [pause] The highway is a
classic American symbol of freedom
and opportunity for any who dare to
head out into the unknown,
representing a way of escape.
Fade in of a montage of long
shots, including a shot of Wyatt
and Billy travelling on
motorcycles (Easy Rider), a longshot of Kowalski travelling on a
Narrator: The long shot and extreme
long shot, in which the vehicle, the
road and the surroundings are
visible, is heavily used in bothAmerican and European road movies,
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highway (Vanishing Point) and an
extreme long shot of Thelma and
Louise (Thelma and Louise)
making it a classic convention of
the genre and demonstrating the
freedom associated with escaping on
a journey on the road.
Long shot of Jomar travelling
through the barren landscape of
Norway (Nord)
Cross fade to long shot of the
van travelling through the green
landscape of England (Bomber)
Narrator: It emphasises the
vastness, richness and openness of
the landscape, especially through
the colour connotations of freedom
with green in the landscape in
Bomber.
Cross fade to long shot of the
car moving from the centre of the
frame (where they have been
stopped by the police) into the
distance as the camera pans to
keep them in frame (Silent Souls)
Fade to black as voiceover ends.
Narrator: [pause until car reaches
halfway point on bridge] Some
directors also enjoy using a long-
take, where holding the shot for a
longer period of time makes us
follow the leading line of the road
into the distance as we consider the
journey ahead.
Fade in of a tracking shot from
the opening sequence of Easy
Rider
Narrator: Finally, the movement of
the camera is extremely important in
portraying the journey in the films.
Fade in to reveal a frame split
into 4 sections, with each
section slowly fading-in in a
clockwise movement and showing a
tracking shot from Bomber, Bunny
and the Bull, Nordand Silent
Souls.
Everett: The genre is
iconographically marked not only by
road and car, but also by key
filmic elements such as the tracking
shot, and the representation of
wild, open spaces.
Talking head shot of the narrator
sitting in the car.
Cut to shot of camera looking up
at trees from ski mobile as if in
first-person (Nord)
Cross fade to shot from the back
of the van of trees moving
overhead (Bomber)
Narrator: The road movie is marked
by constant motion, so a moving
camera is used to not only reflect
the continuous need to journey, but
also bring the audience into the
experience, especially with cameras
giving a first-person impression of
the journey from the vehicle.
Cut to a tracking mid shot
outside of the car of the
narrator, who addresses theaudience. Fade out.
Narrator: The camera, whether in or
out of the car, gives an impression
of constant movement to reflect thephysical journey in road movies.
Fade in of extended long panning
shot of the van travelling down a
B-road in a richly coloured
landscape. Cut to a split screen
of the highways in Easy Riderand
Thelma and Louise that dominate
the landscape. Fade black.
Narrator: In Bomber, Cotter keeps
his protagonists on B-roads, a clear
deviation from the American
convention of open, barren highways
that were classically found in films
like Easy Rider and Thelma and
Louise.
Fade in of a shot of the
conversation between the
protagonists, starting with along shot of a B-road in the
Conversation between Ross, Alistair
and Valerie:
Ross: Tell me why we cant takemotorways.
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right of the frame and a highway
on the left to emphasise the size
difference between them while
elevating the B-roads statusthrough a higher physical level
in the frame.
Alistair: Fuel economy for a start.
55 miles an hour is the most
economical speed to travel at so
motorways are a waste of time.
Valerie: The B-roads are much
prettier Ross.
Long shot of Kowalski driving his
car along an open highway in
America (Vanishing Point) before
quick cutting to shot of Ross and
Alistair framed by the car
(Bomber) to emphasise
juxtaposition. Fade to black.
Narrator: However, the long shots
association with freedom is
juxtaposed through the deviation
from iconic highways in Bomberto
emphasise the theme of entrapment
shown by the confined spaces of the
van or car in European Road Movies.
Cut to a talking head shot of
David Laderman (with name and
Film Professor shown), who issitting in a room in a university
with books around him. Cut to
shot of Alistair and Ross framed
by the windscreen of the car,
which acts as a barrier between
the characters and the road and
shows the journey ahead. (Bomber)
David Laderman: Unlike interior
domestic scenes that use doorways
and windows to create a sense of
entrapment and enclosure, the road
movie makes use of the formalistic
frame-within-a-frame so as to
foreground the crucial act of
looking and seeing while driving.
Cut to a talking head shot of
Steven Cohan (with name and FilmProfessor shown) in a room witha long shot of Thelma and Louis
framed by the windshield (Thelma
and Louise) in the background.
Steven Cohan: Two people in the
front seat of a vehicle make for
easy classical framing and keep the
dialogue going.
Cross-dissolve to show a long-
take using the framing technique
with no communication between
Aist and Miron and the road
stretched out before them in the
centre of the frame to highlight
the long journey ahead (Silent
Souls)
Narrator: However, as seen in Silent
Souls, this can also emphasise the
lack of communication between the
protagonists. The framing device
emphasises the conflict between Aist
and Miron due to Tanyas love forAist
Cross-dissolve to similar shot of
Alistair and Ross in the
foreground, with the car trappingthem within the frame. (Bomber)
Fade black.
Narrator: while the confined spacein Bomber also shows the tension in
the family unit with a settingmostly confined to the van.
Fade in to shot of vertical split
screen:
- The top section has close upshot of Alistair hold a map
- Bottom section is of the mapBunny finds in Stephensapartment
Narrator: Additionally, both Bunny
and the Bull and Bomber, two British
road movies, are set for the
majority of the journey outside of
Britain, highlighted by the use of
maps and signs to signal changes in
locations as borders are crossed.
Swipe transition to a horizontal
split screen, where- The left of the frame involves
Narrator: Road signs in Bomberand
Bunny and the Bull are a key symbolof crossing borders in Europe, which
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Ross smiling next to a sign
welcoming visitors to Germany
(Dundesrepublik Deutschland)
- The right of the frame has
Stephen, Bunny and Eloisa driving
past a sign with Willkommen NachDeutschland.
highlights the need to distinguish
between countries to gain a sense a
national identification for
countries in Europe. The characters
transverse across a vast landscape
as the theme of escape is explored
in Both American and European road
movies.
Slide transition from the centre
split outwards reveals a talking
head shot of the narrator. Cut to
a map of Europe, which zooms
suddenly towards England, acting
as a transition to the next shot.
Narrator: Paul King and Paul Cotter
illustrate the need to travel beyond
the England in British road movies,
continuing the theme of escape by
traversing borders and cultures in
Europe.
Cut to a sequence from Bunny and
the Bull that matches the audio,
with mid shots of Stephen and
Bunny. Cross fade to image of
Stephen putting on his backpack
at the end of the film at he
leaves Britain in search of
Eloise in anther journey.
Dialogue that becomes a voiceover:
Bunny: She doesn't see you as a
sexual being.
Stephen: But I am one.
Bunny: I think you're gorgeous, so
do loads of girls, just not in
Britain. That's why we need to hit
the road.
Slide transition from the centre
to the sides reveals the talking
head shot of Everett. Fade black.
Everett: European journeys
specifically engage with the lack of
space and the predominance of
borders.
Fade in to a talking head shot of
the narrator sitting in a moving
car. Fade black.
North explains another reason behind
Englands lack of highway-based roadmovies as a logistical
impossibility.
Fade in to a talking head shot of
North.
Cut to montage of archived still
black and white images of
building highways in England that
is then juxtaposed with a highway
in America with a diner in the
foreground.
North: It ill suited the British
landscape. For one thing, until the
1960's, there was no highway in
England at all. The very concept of
open roads, 'Diners', strangers
encountering anything more lethal
than an AA man was alien.
Cut to a montage of images ofhighways in England from the
1960s to 2000, where the images
are gradually cut quicker until a
map of England in 1972 (from
Bomber) appears, showing the lack
of highways in the time period.
Narrator: The relatively shorthistory explains the lack of
symbolic meaning for highways in
Britain when compared to America,
especially as Alistair, a typical
older Englishman, controls the roads
travelled in the journey in Bomber.
Cut to a talking head shot of Ewa
Mazierska and Laura Rascaroli
(name and Academic for each)sitting in front of a projector,
where an aerial shot of a cartravelling along a straight
Mazierska and Rascaroli: The open
spaces of North America, with their
straight, boundless highways and the
sense of freedom and opportunity to
reinvent ones life
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highway (Vanishing Point).
Cut to an unsteady shot of the
road (framed by Miron and Aist)
ahead as they travel along a road
of bends and hills (Silent
Souls).
Mazierska and Rascaroli: are inclear contrast with the European
reality of a mosaic of nations,
cultures, languages and roads
Montage of mid-shots and long
shots of Jomar travelling along a
white landscape without a road.
Cut to a shot of Jomar
approaching am abandoned building
that cross-dissolves to a shot of
Jomar approaching an isolated
tent. (Nord)
Narrator: However, importantly, the
lack of roads in Norddoes not
exclude it from the road movie
genre, as it still contains a
journey narrative in the film that
explores self-discovery, the only
specific requirement of the genre.
Fade in of an aerial panning shot
of Jomar travelling on an
undefined path that shows the
freedom associated with
travelling without a road. Shot
fades to another aerial shot of
Jomar before cross dissolving to
a long shot that also shows there
isnt a path ahead. (Nord)
Narrator: Additionally, it is this
lack of road that allows Langlo to
explore the Norwegian landscape
through extensive use of long and
aerial and long shots that portray
the overwhelming white-dominated
environment, showing the freedom
associated with creating an off-road
road movie
Shot dissolves to an extreme long
shot of Jomar skiing down a
slope. (Nord)
Cut to a long shot and then an
aerial shot of the van as it
approaches town (Bomber). Fade
Black.
Narrator: while illustrating theinsignificance of Jomar in
comparison to the landscape, a
concept that is explored in other
European films with the extensive
use of the long shot.
Fade in of a panning shot in the
left direction along of a map of
American with the major highways
heading west emphasised
Narrator: Also, it is not just the
road travelled, but the direction of
travel that clearly distinguishes
American and European road films.
Cut to a talking head shot of
Chuck Klosterman (name and
Author and Essayist shown)standing on a highway gesturing
into the horizon in the distance.
Chuck Klosterman: The idea of moving
west across the country is such a
deeply American tradition that
virtually all Road Movies borrow
from this motif.
Slide transition to shot of Ethanleaving on horseback (The
Searchers) that wipes to a long
shot of Thelma and Louis driving
off a cliff (Thelma and Louise)
North: Road movies are in the endabout searching for Utopia and often
ending up with Dystopia. The journey
West was synonymous with that
search.
Cut to talking head shot of the
narrator. Intercut with a
tracking shot of the protagonists
travelling from left to right
(Bomber), a panning shot of Jomar
travelling from left to right
(Nord) and a long shot a Mironand Aist travelling from left to
Narrator: However, none of the
European road films being
investigated show the protagonists
heading west, instead showing the
journey either North or East through
camera pans from left to right and
the vehicle entering the frame fromthe left and exiting to the right.
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right (Silent Souls)
Cut to a tracking shot of Jomar
talking with the soldiers with
English subtitles shown at the
bottom of the screen.
Dialogue from Nord(English
Subtitles)
Soldier: Where are you headed?
Jomar: North.
Fade in of a split screen, with
the left side of the frame
showing the van from Bomber
entering and leaving the frame
from left to right and the right
side of the frame showing the car
from Thelma and Louise travelling
towards the left of the frame.
Narrator: Travelling North is in
direct contrast to American road
films and occurs because, as the
road movie genre became less focused
on the western genre, the journey
west isnt necessary, especially inEuropean cinema.
Cross fade to long shot of Wyatt
and Billy travelling east (Easy
Rider) from left to right in the
frame.
North: Road movies were no longer
confined to going west, but could
travel in almost every direction.
Slide transition to a split
screen:
- Left side of frame shows amontage of the different
museums they visited in
different countries (Bunny
and the Bull)
- Right side of the frame cutsbetween different shots that
include the chapter titles
each day, such as Day 1:Northern Holland(Bomber)
Slide transition reveals a black
background.
Narrator: This is also seen in Bunny
and the Bull and Bomber, where
Stephen and Bunny travel everywhere
in Europe and Ross, Alistair and
Valerie travel southeast to Germany
from Britain. Clearly, European road
films disregard the symbolic meaning
of freedom and escape associated
with travelling west, especially
with the focus on confinement
through framing of the car, as the
genre adapts to different cultural
values.
Cut to a shot of the sleeper
train in Bunny and the Bull with
the title KLN TO WARSZAWASLEEPER TRAIN
Narrator: The mode of transport
chosen for European Road Movies also
demonstrates this difference.
Fade in of a montage of shots of
American road films involving
cars and motorcycles
- Long shot of the car in Thelma
and Louise- Long shot of the car in
Vanishing Point
- Long shot of the motor bicycles
in Easy rider
Rascaroli and Mazierska: Whereas the
main vehicles for traversing the
North American expanses are the
private car (preferably a
convertible) and the motorbikeEuropean films often opt for publictransport (trains, buses), if not
hitchhiking or travelling on foot.
Long shot of Stephen and Bunny
sitting in a carriage of a train.
The camera zooms out to reveal
the entire train travelling
through the snapshot landscape,
which effectively explores the
different landscapes theyencounter on their trip in a
Narrator: Bunny and the Bull
utilises public transport as well as
a car, as opposed to the classic
convention of a car for individual
transport, as the protagonists cross
more borders within Europe through
train travel. Additionally, the carused tends to be less aesthetically
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short period of time. pleasing in European road movies to
reflect the difference in culture.
Cut to a talking head shot of
Rascaroli and Mazierska with an
image of the captain crab car
behind them (Bunny and the Bull)
Rascaroli and Mazierska: In European
road movies, the car tends to be
disposable, transient, and
temporary.
Cut to talking head shot of the
narrator. Cross fade to a
tracking shot of the characters
pushing the van (Little Miss
Sunshine) Fade black
Narrator: This can be seen when the
roads dangers impact heavily uponthe vehicles in unforseen obstacles
the protagonists must overcome.
Three separate shots appears on
the black screen in order from
left to right. The shots are a
third of the size of the frame,
with the accident in Bunny and
the Bull involving stop-motion
animation in the top left of the
frame, the accident involving
Alistair and Valerie in the
garage before their depart in the
centre of the frame and the
accident involving Jomar on his
ski mobile in the bottom right of
the frame.
Narrator: In Bomber, Bunny and the
Bull and Nord, the protagonists all
experience obstacles in their
journey from accidents that render
their vehicles damaged, halting
their journey until alternative
transport or repairs can be made.
This is especially important in
Nord, as this accident renders Jomar
stuck with Ulrik until he can begin
skiing again and thus allows for
significant character development by
Langlo.
Horizontal slide to a shot of the
road framed ahead by a dark
foreground of Aist and Miron,
foreshadowing the abrupt end to
their journey. Shot cuts to the
chaotic camera movements of the
accident, which then fades to
white.
Narrator: In Silent Souls, the
accident not only halts their return
journey home, but also is the
dramatic ending that coincides with
the suicide and murder resolutions
typical of American road movies,
which reflected the negative impact
of Dystopia upon individuals in a
bleak portrayal of societys future.
Black background with white text:
Major themes in European Road
Films
Cut to talking head shot of the
narrator in the car.
Narrator: There are numerous themes
explored in European cinema that are
less important or ignored in
American Road films, such as the
Second World War.
Black screen with white text:World War Two
Fade out of text and fade in of a
map of Europe, with Western
Europe filled with the Nazi
Swastika
Narrator: The Second World War isone of the key historical events
examined in European cinema as a
recurring theme of loss and
suffering.
Cut to a talking head shot of
Everett. Cross fade to close up
of Alistair holding the
photograph of the bombed village.
Everett: The events of the Second
World War have left a legacy of
guilt and lost innocence that is
still felt today
Cut to a close up shot of
Alistair looking at the roadahead, which cross-fades to a
Narrator: In Bomber, the decision to
leave on a journey centres aroundthe impact of the war upon the
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shot of the road ahead, framed by
Ross and Alistair in the car and
then dissolve to image of packed
suitcase.
protagonist Alistair by acting as
the catalyst for the trip.
Cross fade to a close up shot of
Alistair saying sorry at a
department store.
Alistair: So thats why Im here to um, to say sorry. So, sorry.
Cut to a montage involving
archive footage of warplanes and
soldiers leaving to fight in the
war, with the final image of a
bomb being dropped below in an
aerial shot form the plane.
Narrator: Although Bomberis a film
more closely related to the Second
World War in comparison to Bunny and
the Bull, the war is also mentioned
as a negative event for the British
protagonists.
Sudden cut to a mid-shot of
Stephen shouting at Bunny that
matches the audio.
Stephen (Bunny and the Bull): This
is Switzerland Bunny; these people
are Nazis!
Cut to a talking head of the
narrator in the car. Cross-fade
to archived photographs of Nazi
soldiers and juxtaposing images
of 21st
century Swiss Police. The
images slowly fade away to reveal
a black background.
Narrator: Paul King here uses a
stereotype of Swiss Police as Nazis
to emphasise how isolated Britain is
compared to Europe, as Stephen
appears paranoid and nave in this
scene.
Black screen with white titles in
the centre of the frame: Family
Text fades out as shot of Ross
hugging Valerie fades in,
followed by Ross shaking
Alistairs hand.
Narrator: [pause] Another theme
explored in European road movies is
the importance of family, unlike
American road films focused on
abandoning the idea of family.
Talking head shot of Cohan as the
first scenes of Jack and Miles on
the road (Sideways) play on a
television set in the background
Cohan: A road narrative, first of
all, responds to the breakdown of
the family unit.
Cut back to talking head shot of
the narrator in the car.
Narrator: In comparison, family is a
dominant theme in Bomberand Nord.
Cut to a shot of the road ahead
framed by the car and Alistair
and Ross in the front (Bomber)
Narrator: Ross sets out with his
parents to help his father apologise
for World War Two
Cross-fade to a long shot of
Jomar travelling through the townbefore cutting to a shot of him
travelling in a white landscape.
Fade black.
Narrator: while Jomar leaves behind
a life void of intimaterelationships on a journey to find
his young son.
Black screen with white title in
the centre of the frame: Home
Cut to talking head shot of
Mazierska and Rascaroli.
Mazierska and Rascaroli: [pause]
Most road moves are deeply concerned
with the theme of home.
Shot from the back of the car of
Aist and Miron travelling on a
road, as the camera pans to
reveal the town they are leavingbehind.
Narrator: This theme of home is
applicable for both American and
European road movies due to the need
to leave behind the home environmentof family, friends or simply
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Subtitles: We are leaving our
beloved Neya. (Silent Souls)
familiar lifestyle as protagonists
escape or move out on a quest.
Cut to talking head shot of
Pamela Robertson.
Cut to shot of Stephen walking up
the corridor of a train. (Bunny
and the Bull)
Cut to shot of Ross packing
Alistairs bag into the car andclosing the boot of the car.
(Bomber)
Cut to shot of Aist walking
towards the car with the buntings
(Silent Souls)
Robertson: Typically the road takes
the traveller away from home.
Sometimes, the road leads to a new
home, as in frontier narratives or
tales of emigration. As often, in
various kinds of escape or travel
narratives, the road just leads away
away from boredom, or danger, orfamily, or whatever it is that
produces the desire or need for
something called away as opposedto the place called home.
Cut to close up shot of Jomar
watching his cabin burn and
choosing to leave before heading
out into the darkness (emphasised
by the brightly lit foreground)
in a long shot. Fade black.
Narrator: In Nord, the long shot
from behind of Jomar travelling into
the distance once he sets his cabin
on fire is a symbolic shot
emphasising that he is leaving his
home forever as the journey has
begun.
Fade in of talking head shot of
Salles, which fades back to the
4-way split screen of close ups
of the protagonists.
Salles: Road movies are as necessary
as ever to tell us who we are, where
we come from and where wereheading.
White text on a black background
appears as the words are said:
European Road Movie (main title)
Landscape, Roads, Mode of
transport and the Theme of
Entrapment
Narrator: The European road movie is
defined by its landscape, roads,
mode of transport and distinctive
themes, such as the theme of
entrapment, that vary from the
classic American road movie.
Fade in of a shot looking back
along the road taken from inside
the car (Silent Souls), cut to
front on shot of the car with
Bunny and Stephen (Bunny and the
Bull), cut to shot of Ross and
Alistair in the front of the van
(Bomber) framing the road ahead
Narrator: Although similar to the
American road movie through an
exploration of the concept of home
and escape, the framing and long and
tracking shots used and the
representation of men through the
protagonists
Cut to talking head shot of thenarrator, which cuts to a split
screen of Route 66 in the left
section and a sign showing Warsaw
ahead (Bomber)
Narrator: its defining elements canallow for a new subgenre of EuropeanRoad Movies, allowing for further
examination of a rival to the
American-dominated genre.
Cut to a fast-paced montage of
still images from Bomber, Bunny
and the Bull, Nordand Silent
Souls already used showing the
change in the protagonists over
the films, finishing on a 4-way
split screen involving the finalshots of the all the
Narrator: Exploring the journeys in
these films has allowed for an
examination of humanity and our
weaknesses, as shown in the
protagonists. Ultimately, however,
the transformative power of the road
prevails as a definitive conventionof the genre.
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protagonists.
Cut to reverse tracking shot
involving the camera moving
forward on the back of Aistsbicycle while continuing to look
at the road he has travelled,
which bends out of the frame
instead of straight towards the
horizon in the distance.
Narrator: The road movie, although
dominated by America, is clearly
effectively explored in European
cinema and will continue to
fascinate audiences. This genre will
continue to be examined and adapted
as home is left behind to journeyout into the unknown.