That blizzard in Groundhog Day does a lot of work. It undercuts Phil’s ego, it makes the film a little more timeless, and it creates a need to stay back in Punxsutawney. An outside event creates a disruption to routine and expectations.
But this isn’t a survival narrative, where a natural disaster gets everybody running. It’s the kind of Snow Day story where schedules are thrown out and characters have a chance to try something different.
And it’s not just about snow. Ashleigh Albrechtsen digs into the role a heat wave plays in Do the Right Thing, and how the extreme temperature sets off the conflicts in the film and weaves its way into every moment:
Certain scenes are shot as if their light source comes from behind the oscillating blade of a fan, with shadows bouncing rhythmically around the space. Perhaps most inventive is the use of a heat bar physically set in front of the camera to create waves that visually distort the image. Like a radiator held in front of our face, the viewer has no choice but to endure the 100+ degree heat of Bed-Stuy through palpable visuals that make us sweat.
Nicole Budrovich shares a primer on the holiday celebration of Saturnalia, where role reversal was part of the absurd spectacle. Sarah Laskow looks at a similar tradition, the Feast of Fools. For a deeper look at how this celebration plays into the original Hugo novel and the Disney adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, David A. Hatch takes a deep dive:
The festival allows for parody and subversion of social roles for two purposes: to create a controlled outlet for the dissatisfaction in the masses which could potentially erupt in more violent and permanent rebellions, and to allow for a certain amount of role-reversal that reminds those in power of the benefits of their station, thus seeming to remind them to rule wisely lest they lose their status.
You can also see how this unusual change in plans comes through in movies from John Hughes. Katherine Jensen considers The Breakfast Club as a liminal space that upends established social hierarchies by cramming together characters who don’t initially get along into a Saturday detention. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off uses a fake sick day and a whirlwind tour of Chicago to create an opportunity for Cameron to take bigger chances and stop fearing his father.
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⏱️ Stay inside and Write Sprint
Each week we post a comment thread for writers to meet up, cheer each other on, and put some words on the page with a Write Sprint.
What’s a Write Sprint?
John wrote up an explanation, but here’s the short version: Set a timer for 60 minutes, close down all distractions, and do nothing but write until that timer goes off.
Sometimes that’s all it takes to get some momentum going with your writing: You set aside this time for writing and nothing else, so you’d better use it!
Shout out to Dalya Guérin, Mark Leiren-Young, Brian Matusz, and Elyse Moretti Forbes for sprinting with us last week!
Previously on Inneresting…
In case you missed it, in last issue’s most clicked link Monica Beletsky condenses her TV Drama writing process into a handy infographic.
What else is inneresting?
Matt Webb explores the history of Tokyo’s hyperlocal radio stations, broadcasting to distances as small as 500 meters away.
L.E. Carmichael thinks about the ancient victim of Mount Vesuvius who was recently discovered with his brain having crystallized into glass.
“I thought most of all you wanted music that didn’t try to pretend you weren’t going to die on the plane.” Grayson Haver Currin looks back at Brian Eno’s Music for Airports and the origins of ambient music.
And that’s what’s inneresting this week!
Inneresting is edited by Chris Csont, with contributions from readers like you and the entire Quote-Unquote team.
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