The Miser

Liza Kollman

The Miser 2004

The Miser, a movie that was made several years ago, and produced by Theatre De La Juene Lune was a spectacular performance in my book. When I rented this movie, I had no idea of what I would find when I watched it. I was very intrigued by the performers, the set, and the story as well. My attention was drawn to the production in the very beginning, because of the phenomenal set up of the main title credits as they rolled. I thought that the actors in the movie, although not that well know (it was an independantly produced film) were absolutely supurb.

I think that the set design and lighting were the best aspects of the movie. The floor was very interesting, and I think that they had to use quite a bit of money out of their small, independant film budget to create the floor because it moved during the show, and I know from the aspects of small films that I have worked on, that this is something that is quite hard to do and is very difficult to pull off on a limited budget. I also liked the light as it came through the window. The way the lighting director made the day seem to go from morning to night by the use of the light coming through the window. The lighting structure and the set and prop pieces made the performance very interesting and created a wonderful atmosphere for the moive renter.

The costumes were also very interesting. I was pleased to see the son dressed in the flashy t-shirt that said "Millionare". This simple idea appeared to be, on the surface, a very literal definition of the character. However, in the more abstract sense, the costume was able to portray a much deeper aspect of the character. The sparkles on the words on the shirt looked good from a distance, but up close they looked very showy and not as perfect as they might seem. Costumes in movies are quite interesting, because you have to make them seem realistic, but you cannot make them too realistic, because, in reality, the things that people wear simply don't end up being that interesting. You have to take the things that a person from this time period would wear, and make them much more dramatic and interesting before they'll work on a movie set.

The acting, as a whole, was very good. I thought that this was especially intersting because the actors are all not well known and in fact are rather unknown as actors. I don't believe that I have seen most of them in much of anything else. Yet in this small independant film, they really showed their stuff. The actors created a tight knit ensemble that drew the audience into the production. The actors were able to play off of each others emotions and facial expressions, as well as their words and actual lines. The ensemble was amazing because they often seemed to be thinking the same things as the other. Many times, there was simply a look between cast members, and it was obvious that they had truly developed a wonderful rapport and were able to communicate without words. I love this aspect about many of the independant films that I watch. I feel that I am able to really undersatnd what is going on in these films just by watching the way that the characters interact with each other, even when they aren't speaking.

The direction of the production was very clearly articulated in the movements and blocking of the actors. Each movement seemed to have a definite purpose, and each aspect of blocking was very clearly laid out for the audience. It was obvious that the director had created definite reasons for the movements of the characters. The directorial aspect of the movie was very clear and definite. I especially thought that the character of the Miser had a very clear and definite reason for his movement.

The movie flowed very well from scene to scene. It was obvious that time was passing from the choices made by the lighting director and the scene changes. It was also obvious, however, that the movie was following a clear path from point a to point b. This had a lot to do, I'm sure, with the post production team. The scene changes within the movie meant that the scene flowed so easily between themeslves and to one another. It was very easy for me to see that each scene had been carefully timed and that just the right moments were being displayed on the film. I thought that when it came to post production, the team did an excellent job.

The text provided some interesting choices for the direction to make. Moliere provides very clear intentions for the Miser, which are that he is obsessed with money, and this is his ultimate downfall. However, by having such a clear cut obsession, Moliere leaves much to the director in terms of portrayal. This left the movie director with only one place that the actor who played the Miser could go. It must have been very intersting to hear him talk to his actor about the directorial choices he was making, because even though the play was written a long time ago, the movie seemed to make everything make sense in the present tense, and during the present day. I think that this is a great accomplishment.

The script was very rich. There were many very funny lines and moments that created an atmosphere that on the surface was very entertaining. However, the lines and movement in the script was actually VERY sad, when all was said and done. The characters were extremely credible, each of them seemed to have a clear cut purpose.I really like that this was one of those movies that you could watch where you end up crying and laughing in the same ten minute period. It was a tear jerker, and it was also completely hilarious. That made it absolutely fun to watch.

The acting of the character who played the Miser was phenomenal. His portrayal was extremely moving. The audience was really able to relate to his ideas even through the television screen... the greed, the wealth, and the search for the ultimate power. I feel that the character was very strongly portrayed by the actor. He was able to present the ideas that clearly define the Miser and the witnesses to these ideas, which are those that rent this movie and watch it in their homes, are able to relate to the character, because although the entire audience did not have as much money as the Miser, everyone can related to the idea of wanting to have money, no matter what they want to do with it. Money ended up being a great theme for this entire movie, which made it even more applicable today.

The character of the Miser was portrayed as an old man who wanted to keep his money and who was devastated at its loss.. and there was a certain hardness to the acting of the character. However, there were also moments during the production that the audience was able to see through the character of the Miser and notice that he is very human and interesting. The clarity of the character was portrayed in more and more ways as the movie progressed.

The directing was also wonderful. Each character had clear impulses and ideas. The director was truly able to portray ideas that were found in the original script. Many choices were made in each step of the directing process. The lights and sounds that were created in the movie truly enhanced the ideas of Moliere. Like I said before, there seems to be no difference between the origional play and this movie version, except that this movie takes the origional story and puts it into the present tense, which makes it very interesting and fun to watch and easy to relate to.

The production was a wonderful way to spend an evening. Each character was completely defined and interesting to watch, and the movie, as it evolved from the beginnings to the endings, was clearly intended to provide many different themes. Greed, love, misfortune, all of these were apparent in the production of the Miser.