Film Theory

Film Theory
Scott Hancock
Wednesday 3-5:50
Spring 03











Eisenstein/Bazin

SEVEN
directed by:
David Fincher




















David Fincher's Seven, a psychological thriller in which a serial killer has been killing people based on which of the seven deadly sins they have committed. This dark and damp tale with it’s realistic atmosphere and inventive title sequence would have pleased, and also to an extent, infuriated the likes of classic film critic André Bazin and montage master Serge Eisenstein. Considering the film was made in 1995, years after both Bazin and Eisenstein theorized over film language, the film as a whole may not have been what each would have considered a perfect film, but there are elements of Seven which each would have appreciated.
As the film opens we are introduced to Detective Somerset (Moorage Freeman) standing at a sink in a static wide shot of a kitchen. There appears to be a door in the fore...