Derek Cianfrance is an ambitious young director, and The Place Beyond Pines is his attempt at a masterpiece. It's long, complicated, and mythic in its scope.
It's part Shakespeare in its treatment of the legacy that fathers leave their sons.
It's Dickensian in its length and its exploration of poverty and desperation.
And Springsteen-esque in its portrayal of working class America.
This is a divisive movie. Critics applauded its aspirations, but ultimately felt that parts of the film were stronger than others.
Your Task
- Give your review of the film.
- Does Cianfrance succeed or is the film uneven? Explain.
- Explain the film's connection to the archetypal Hamlet.
- How is the film's treatment/exploration of fathers and sons similar to Hamlet's?
Your responses must be posted as comments to this post.
Responses are due before Friday (10/24) of this week.
this film is horrible, who recommended it??
ReplyDeleteWell, I mean, it's no Gravity.
DeleteI feel that Cianfrance was successful in this film. I think the film was different from others I've seen, especially in the the story line. The story line took some twists and turns and kept you on your toes at all times. This film easily connects to hamlet because in both movies the son of the father that dies at some point seeks some sort of "revenge" or for simply some answers. Furthermore, both sons are both affected by their fathers past and their overall loss.
ReplyDeleteIn the film The Place Beyond the Pines, Cianfrance was uneven. He ended the film with you wanting much more. It was a great movie but i just wish i knew what Jason's fate was. It relates to Hamlet in numerous ways. In both films the son out the fallen father looks avenge the death of his father. They also try follow in their father's footsteps. Too bad the shoes are too much to fill. No matter what both children will never achieve what their fathers did.
ReplyDeleteCianfrance definitely succeeded in The Place Beyond the Pines. It kept the viewer interested due to the plot and the constant switch between the narrator. I personally have never seen a movie that has done that so I was very engrossed in this film. It could easily be compared to Hamlet. The conflict in both The Palce Beyond the Pines and Hamlet is very similar to each other which would be that the sons getting revenge on the person who killed their father along with trying to be like their fathers.
ReplyDeleteCianfrance definitely succeeded in The Place Beyond the Pines. It kept the viewer interested due to the plot and the constant switch between the narrator. I personally have never seen a movie that has done that so I was very engrossed in this film. It could easily be compared to Hamlet. The conflict in both The Palce Beyond the Pines and Hamlet is very similar to each other which would be that the sons getting revenge on the person who killed their father along with trying to be like their fathers.
ReplyDeleteCianfrance’s The Place beyond the Pines, had me on the edge of my seat throughout the movie. There was action, suspense, tragedy, and a somewhat full circle ending. Cianfrance got great actors to play each part. Every emotion, and every situation I found the characters in were believable. That is what makes this movie seem so real, and why at some points you want to punch a character in the face.
ReplyDeleteLosing a Dad early is what too many people have to deal with everyday. But, losing a dad by your uncle’s hand is just plain detestable. There were many similarities between both movies. The ghost figure in The Place Beyond the Pines was Luke, Jason’s father. Luke’s legacy drove Jason to do things he never would have done if he hadn’t sought after his father’s story. To continue, he plotted revenge on the man that killed his dad, just like Hamlet did to his uncle. This revenge drives the plot of both movies. Also, both of the “father killers”, repented for their sins in some sort of way. Avery Cross apologized to Jason right before he almost got killed, and Hamlet’s uncle repented to Jesus right before Hamlet almost killed him. Cianfrance’s film tells a complicated, ironic, and twisted story very similar to Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
400 year old plot tropes made fresh!
DeleteI felt that the film, The Place Beyond the Pines, had very strong positive attributes. However, as the movie ended, I felt that it lacked something. The acting was superb in this film, Cianfrance chose a wonderful cast composed of Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, Bradley Cooper, and Dane DeHaan. As for Emory Cohen, I feel as if he could have chosen a better AJ. Anyways, the film was good. I'm not usually one for father-son drama so the plot didn't really interest me, but the demographics of the film was great. The motorcycle scenes were probably what interested me the most. The plot was boring though. Again, that's probably because these type of movies don't interest me. But if Cianfrance had included maybe some plot twists, I'd give it a higher rating. I felt as if I always knew what was going to happen next. It was your typical father-son drama, and it was boring.
ReplyDeleteAs for how this relates to Hamlet, both plots are composed of the characters father facing death and the need for revenge the son aims to fulfill. Both Hamlet and Jason are left to conquer the aftermath of their fathers death. Both characters are left with a sort of void (if that makes sense) and they feel like justice is necessary. Although circumstances differ, The Place Beyond The Pines is essentially very much similar to that of Hamlet.
Thomas Giardino
ReplyDeleteThe film The Place Beyond The Pines is a very interesting movie with an intriguing plot. I wasn’t exactly sure whether I liked the switch of main characters or not, but it provided an excellent plot twist that forced you to want more. Cianfrance succeeded in making a very good film, it is however slightly uneven from beginning to end. The different types of characters and their personalities kept my opinion uneven to say the least. Some of the characters I really liked and others annoyed me to no end. It is not a bad thing that I was annoyed, dynamic characters are what keep viewers interested. I feel like Cianfrance did a pretty good job with the difficulty of this film, but I can’t help but feel a little uneven about it.
The characters of Hamlet are also annoying and intriguing in many ways. The relationship between father and son in both movies is incredibly complex. Hamlet and his father had a strong relationship even though Hamlet was off getting an education most of his life. Very similar to how Luke was killed before Jason knew who he was. Just like how King Hamlet effected his son’s life after his death, Jason ends up becoming very similar to the his father and the lifestyle he chose.
In the place beyond the pines you are trying to understand the concept of the father son bond and how it works. The father figure is vastly important in growth. One loses his father at young age and despratley tries to find himself. And one son is begging for his father to notice him. Everything a son strives towards in life is because of his father or in spite of him. When there lives cross they have a certain understanding about feeling lost and alone so they kind of come together to break apart. Cianfrance does a good job creating the situations that a father and son bond could have and hamlet is a great example about sons trying to fill the shoes of men they never truly knew at all.
ReplyDeleteThe film "The Place Beyond the Pines" relates to Hamlet in the way that both main characters are sons of a father who has been killed, and are seeking revenge. Also both sons come across the son of the murder and have conflict with them first leading to physical fights. Finally, both Jason and Hamlet seek to live in their fathers honor at the conclusion of the stories. On the other hand, I believe Cianfrance was successful. He ended the film in such a way that the viewer didn't see what Jason's future held. But by having him buy the bike and just ride of in the distance you could conclude that he was off to get in more trouble and follow his father's ways. Cianfrance didn't lay out the ending but made it in a way you can predict it yourself, which many directors struggle with. In addition, Cianfrance kept the viewer's attention by twisting the plot the entire movie. For example, how the two boys were friends at first until Jason found out who is father was. One little detail changed the whole vibe of the movie and Jason's feelings towards his current life.
ReplyDeleteI think the ending implies that we cannot escape our fates or the mistakes of our fathers.
DeleteTiffany Valiante:
ReplyDeleteThe Place beyond the Pines was a very interesting movie, I enjoyed it greatly. I believe that Cianfrance succeeded in this film because it really got the point across. Even though, Jason really didn’t get to know his dad, he still followed in his footsteps. Jason knew what his dad had done and still continued to look up to him, which is common. No matter what your mom, dad, or siblings do, you’re going to still look up to them and forgive everything they do.
Hamlet and The Place beyond the Pines are similar because both sons try to stand up for their dead dads. Hamlet kills his uncle because his uncle killed his dad and Jason almost killed Avery Cross because Avery killed his dad. Family has a big meaning, they are the people closest to your heart. Family are people you will love unconditional.
In the film The place Beyond the Pines, Cianfrance was successful. I believe that the movie was full of suspense and after something tragic happened in the film another tragedy happened. Also in the film this connects to Hamlet because in both of the films the father and son both die. In the film after the father dies the son follows in the dads foot steps, and he becomes a bad boy and he buys a motor cycle at the end of the film. Another thing is I find it odd that the boys turn good friends with out them knowing that one of the kids father killed the other ones dad. In conclusion this film is affected by their fathers past and makes them who they are now.
ReplyDeleteThe movie "The Place Beyond The Pines" is a excellent and does a very well job at keeping you on the edge of your seat. I remember mentioning to my teacher Mr. Clark, how I enjoyed the fact that Cianfrance switched the main character not once not twice but on three numerous occasions. the film is even in my opinion, I love how some of his characters were trying to run away from what seems to their inedible fate. In addition to Cianfrance has a well rounded amount of characters with different personality's and traits. The director changes the plot many times which is very good and impressive.These are just some examples on why this movie is even and why Cianfrance deserved all of the 140 min the movie had.
ReplyDeleteThe movie hamlet is a great movie to compare to the place beyond the pines to. One reason being how each of the movies sons are trying to avenge there father. As well as follow in the path that their dads were walking down. its kind of a stretch, but hamlet is like a gothic mean doesn't care about anything person and so is Jason. they are very similar in many ways personality being one. The way they act in front of people is another. how they don't care about anyone and they think their better then everyone else.
By: Trevor Little
That's a good point. Hamlet can be interpreted as an angst-ridden, troubled teenager, and this has become a stock character of sorts.
DeleteThe first half of this movie was great, the struggle of Ryan Gosling's character is likable and you feel for him as he tries to care for his son in what he sees as the best possible way. I also think that Bradley Cooper's character is handled very well and the transition of main characters is done awesomely. That being said, once the movie switched to a focus on the sons, I stopped caring and I understand why Clark hates Bradley Cooper's son in the movie. Once the movie began to close it caught me again but then it ended and I only felt sort of good about what I just watched. The movie was definitely too wishy washy for me, it was only sometimes a good movie and that is why I can understand why it didn't do well when it came out.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Hamlet connections, I feel that Jason is haunted by his Father's legacy much like Hamlet. But while Hamlet is haunted both by his fathers ghost and just by the greatness of his Father's life, Jason is just haunted by what his father left behind and how little he actually knows. Jason also seeks revenge once he learns the truth behind his Father's death but instead of eventually following through with his revenge, Jason decides to let go of his need to avenge his father and leave that baggage behind him... until he gets into trouble on his new motorcycle.
I kind of love to hate Cooper's son. The kid plays an excellent scumbag.
DeleteThe place beyond the pines is very similar to hamlet in that each son lost their father who had a huge impact on their lives even in death it does a great job keeping your attention by keeping you on your toes with some violence and anticipating what's gonna happen next in the film
ReplyDeleteCianfrance succeeded in this film. He given us viewers both sides of the plot. He had successfully created 4 dynamic characters and made them all connect throughtout the entire film. I loved the film. It's thrilling, conflicting, and overall great story line.
ReplyDeleteThis film easily could be compared to "Hamlet" because of the role models in the film. The two families had problems with each other because of past relations with the fathers. The two sons sorts each want "revenge" on each other family. The plot could be proven similar to "Hamlet".
“The Place Beyond the Pines” is a phenomenal film because it’s so different than everything else out there, I’m really surprised Cianfrance didn’t win some sort of award for his riveting, like father like son tale. What made “The Place Beyond the Pines” so great is how Cianfrance went into uncharted movie territory by switching the narrator/POV up three times. The first time it happened was the biggest shock because you get attached to this dreamy, carefree, biker, jail tatted, badass that is Ryan Gosling and then not even halfway through he dies. Quite a few people were saying how confusing “The Place Beyond the Pines” was to follow, and I completely disagree because as long as you weren’t sleeping or on your phone it was 100% clear as to what was going on. Which leads me to my next point, I also heard a lot of people
ReplyDeleteYes...
DeleteThe film's structure feels like a 1970's movie. It reminds me of the Deer Hunter.
Cianfrance's previous film was more critically acclaimed: Blue Valentine. I too prefer it to The Place Beyond the Pines.
It is hard to tell if Cianfrance succeeded in making his film even, because we watched it over a couple days. To answer that question truthfully I would have to watch it all in one sitting. However, although it was broken up from breaks and the school day ending, it did seem like the last POV lasted the longest out of the three. The first seemed to be very short, which is strange but I think it made the movie make more sense. On IMDB the description of the movie is "A motorcycle stunt rider turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective." However I dont think thats what the movies about at all. Its almost like it supposed to help you relate to his son later on. By making the first POV short, we only get to know he basic facts. We aren't supposed to know that much about that character, because its not about him. Its about the impact one moment can make, affecting everyone as it echoes down the line. Avery's decision to kill Luke, affects both of their lives in many ways. This film relates to Hamlet loosely, I dont really see it. Hamlet was older when his father died, he actually knew him. In The Place Beyond The Pines, hes a baby when his father is killed. Its not like Avery was someone he could trust, or someone who married his mother. I dont get that sense of betrayal that you get in Hamlet. You could argue that because hes a cop hes supposed to be trusted, but I dont think that a teenager who buys and steals drugs throughout the film likes cops all that much. I thought it was a good movie, but I dont think it was very similar to Hamlet just because of the connection between fathers and sons.
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