10 replies to this topic

[Vauxhall]

A first extract from my review to start off a bit of discussion from people who have seen the movie. No major spoilers in my post, but I guess some may sneak in as the conversation progresses, so please be cautious.

One of the overriding motifs of the movie is mirrors – both physical and metaphorical. They’re absolutely everywhere, and Deakins obviously loves shooting through them. Off the top of my head, mirrors and reflections feature in scenes in the Turkish beach hut, the MI6 bunker, the Shanghai office, Bond's Macau hotel room, the Chimera and Skyfall. This is clearly not coincidental, and is one immediate theme that springs out and needs further reflection (pun intended). SKYFALL's most obvious yin and yang relationship is Bond and Silva, but Bond's battle with his own inner demons is also another probable undercurrent within this.

Any thoughts?

[Scrambled Eggs]

(Minor spoiler below)

Off the top of my head, add the twin komodo dragons in the Macau sequence.

Also... theres something similar to this involving M and Eve. Key scenes involving them missing shots... I might think it through a bit better overnight.

[univex]

A first extract from my review to start off a bit of discussion from people who have seen the movie. No major spoilers in my post, but I guess some may sneak in as the conversation progresses, so please be cautious.

One of the overriding motifs of the movie is mirrors – both physical and metaphorical. They’re absolutely everywhere, and Deakins obviously loves shooting through them. Off the top of my head, mirrors and reflection feature in scenes in Turkey, the MI6 bunker, Shanghai, Macau and Skyfall. This is clearly not coincidental, and is one immediate theme that springs out and needs further reflection (pun intended). SKYFALL's most obvious yin and yang relationship is Bond and Silva, but Bond's battle with his own inner demons is also another probable undercurrent within this.

Any thoughts?

Yes, can´t wait to bloody read the rest of it.
That being said. The mirrors seem to be present, or so some say, in the title sequence, I´d say it´s a brilliant theme, sort of a doubleshot done right and under the skin of a Mommy issue - film. The mirrors are a fairly psycotic theme, which parallels well with the incompletion of Bond´s edipus triangle. He didn´t have his parents to go through that specific freudian topic, and found a surrogate mother to do so. Also, his id (pulsions) and ego battle a thin superego, made stronger only by an inner sense of devotion to Queen and Country. Bond was left to find his own inner structure and he ended up finding it in a goal. He is, afterall, a mission seeker. The mirror as a symbol of the duality between right and wrong, good vs evil, which were Flemings favourite topics, amongst other stuff we could consider (death and sex, for instance have correlations with all of what I´m saying here). Mirrors warrant decisions, mirrors make decisions happen, it´s the way we are first introduced to our own limits. First the world is black and white, then we find out it´s really grey(ish). But enough with the psychobabble. To the point: the mirror theme is widely considered as a metaphor for duality amongst psychoanalysts, after all, we get to know ourselfs first through the other´s eyes, as a mirror, to introject the ways we live in the world. Oh boy, there I go again with the psycobabble

I´ll stop. Just killing time while Vaux´s review isn´t ready

[Vauxhall]

Shamelessly bumping this thread up to see if anyone else has any thoughts on this.

[thecasinoroyale]

I agree with you Vaux, it struck me the amount of camera work focusing on mirrors and reflections.

Even the main title sequence has Bond almost shooting at himself in his refelctions, almost like hunting for someone on the inside he knows is there but is someone far closer to him than he knows (ie: Silva).

It adds to the dream like sense during Shanghai but it seems to be an element of trickery, deception and not knowing where to look which runs through the film itself. But obviously, reflections can be deceptive to you if you think you know what you see - in Patrice's case, he thought he knew what he could see but he was wrong, and Bond could strike from the shadow for that sensational fist fight.

It seems there is a lot of time for characters to find themselves looking at their own reflection and question/doubt their motives and morals as character is a strong narrative point in 'Skyfall' and what is really hidden on the inside past what you see on the outside.

Bond and M even have mirror time in the escape from London. Small, but meaningful.

I'm hoping for a second screening this week so think the mirror-issue is worth noting during the film to see what else I can find. Mirrors seem to offer you the most straight answer you can when looking into yourself for answers, and Bond certainly spends his time searching himself in the film.

A good observation, I like it.

[SecretAgentFan]

And, of course, there´s also the metaphoric use of mirrors: Bond/Silva, M/Mallory...

[thecasinoroyale]

Yeah, almost if they were looking in the mirror, would their opposite be their reflection in some way, like you say SAF - Bond and Silva, Silva and Bond.

[Germanlady]

Great view on things. Didn't occur to me - yet. Thanks guys.

[Dustin]

Shamelessly bumping this thread up to see if anyone else has any thoughts on this.

I wrote in my own reflections on SKYFALL that I think it's a

Spoiler

remake of both TMWTGG film and novel with Scaramanga replaced by a former (negative) mirror image of Bond. The books beginning - the attempt at killing M - is SKYFALL's main theme, with the novel's Bond split up into Bond/Silva and Scaramanga's line from the film about Bond and him being essentialy much the same guy taken for real in SKYFALL. The numerous mirror images, starting with the titles and accelerating from there, to me had a strong sense of film-TMWTGG's funhouse.

Finally the film picks the novel's idea up once more in that Silva in the end isn't able to kill M. Neither is she able to kill him, the situation is only resolved by Bond. Had he not killed Silva with the knife, well, I doubt Silva could have put up more of a fight. Bond in the book, after pulling the cyanide gun on M, was also at the end of his strength and collapsed without further fight. Had Bond in SKYFALL not arrived in time to kill Silva it's hard to imagine what more the man would/could have done. This was the end for him.

[ggl]

Quite interesting, Vauxhall. Double´s theme is really fascinating through the history.

This time, the Bond-Silva duality is quite clear not only in the more obvious (both blonde, both agents, both hurt by M...) but even in a philosophical way: the fall in the shadows, their aim is resurrection, their lack of a mother figure...

The introduction of Silva is, again, like if he were looking himself in a... mirror!

[Walecs]

See reflections on the water.
More than darkness, in the depths.