“I’m pretty obsessed with Eddie Redmayne as it stands. He’s the nicest, sweetest, loveliest person. Everything about him is just lovely. He’s really delightful.”
“Dan Fogler is just amazing. So talented and so fun.”
“Calum Turner, I also love. He gives me shit in the best way and I give him shit too. He’s also really fun.”
“I didn’t shoot a lot with Mads or Alison. I got to do a lot of my press with Mads. He is so funny. He makes me laugh. He’s so mischievous [and] keeps me on my toes. I really enjoyed doing a huge majority of my press tour with Mads.”
In the middle of a blind date she doesn’t particularly want to be on, The Incredible Jessica James’ eponymous heroine squares off with her equally uncomfortable, male dinner friend/potential boyf/adversary.
They volley back and forth several brutally, “completely honest” questions.
After a few, he asks her, “How do you pay your rent?”
“I… work at a non-profit, in Hell’s Kitchen.” (Pride in her voice, though a somewhat knowing tone: yeah, I know. Very Brooklyn answer.) “I teach public school kids how to write and produce their own plays.”
“So… how do you pay your rent?”
She laughs.
Already – my Netflix ticker says this is barely 13:50 into the entire movie – the two biggest threads of the film come together: (1) an endearing, realistic romantic comedy starring Jessica Williams (that Dope QueenoffThe Daily Show who now does other stuff – namely, this) and rom-com’s staple dorky everyman Chris O’Dowd (because the thinking, even semi-straight woman[**] needs an IT guy); and (2) the female Bildungsroman.
If you’ve taken an English class any time since approx. 1980, you’ve probably had to learn and use “Bildungsroman” in an essay. It’s the coming-of-age novel, the story of growing up, an arc from innocence to experience. Except, as a pivotal cohort of feminist critics in the 1980s argued, the female Bildungsroman means “growing down,” a story of women being taught by society: Lower Your Expectations! Conform! Settle! The debate around what even isa Bildungsroman has wrestled with how gender-specific a story about maturing and (in essence) #adulting can be, given that women in Western society since the inception of the novel itself haven’t really had the options to leave home, discover themselves as autonomous, free, independent selves. The male Bildungsroman, in other words, is about the boy who grows up to be a man, and gets a job; the female Bildungsroman is about the girl who becomes a lady, and finds the right husband. Sure, there’s status and some freedom attached to that – class status and thus economic freedom, as the bourgieness of the novel excels at rewarding. But by and large, no matter how failed the male career, no matter how much the woman takes on a new career of domestic labor, the novels usually emphasize along these lines. Men achieve professional success; women aren’t left to be spinsters.
(A professor in my department, Jesse Rosenthal, pointed out how pervasive this narrative still is within even the most indie, “unconventional” of tales. His case study? (500) Days of Summer. As he recounted to a class on the 19th-cen. British novel, here’s a movie putatively about the romantic maturation of the male subject – a rom-com trajectory usually reserved for women [i.e.. He’s Just Not That Into You could never be She’s Just Not That Into You]. But Joseph Gordon Levitt’s problematic-nice-guy fairy tale, complete with problematic-indie-dream-girl Zooey Deschanel, isn’t his acceptance of a limited role in his next relationship. It’s a successful job interview. [roll credits])
So the fact that The Incredible Jessica James coupled, in several senses, these two plots wasn’t surprising to me. Less than 15 minutes in, and yeah, obviously, Chris O’Dowd is gonna get the girl, and Jessica is gonna get over her ex by realizing that she “deserves” this more mature guy. Her work is great and all, the story goes, but obviously what we want is Bridesmaids with a lady of color. Comedy + late capitalism’s precarity (Jessica, how doyou pay your rent? Are you going to have to go live with your parents like Kristin Wiig had to after the cupcake biz tanked?) = love story. And bonus points for being about Instagram, and having a WOC lead where a white actress would have been five or ten years ago (slash even now): kudos, my friends. Kudos.
But… that’s not what happened. And here’s where this movie is radical.
BecauseThe Incredible Jessica James is a female Bildungsroman [or Bildungs-Film] that subtly, cannily, definitively breaks the mold.
It isn’t a story about a woman realizing how wrong she is to be hung up on the wrong, bad boy, and thus the return to the family, to society’s right side of the tracks, to *herself* that is made whole again by giving up her rebellious adolescent wandering and waffling. Instead, TIJJpresents a heroine who goes through a series of rejections not of lovers, but of jobs [displayed on her wall: see first screencap]. It tracks her indefatigable efforts to make what she loves (theater) into a career, even a somewhat uncertain one. It’s about her slow realization – not the sudden “awakening” narrative that critics have ascribed to female/feminist Bildungsroman of old – that what she’s doing, working every day with kids, continuing to send out her resume, writing and reading and connecting with the public circles of her aspiring field – all that, isa career.
Take, for example, a crucial marker of James’s acceptance of herself, and of her status, as grown-up, matured, sufficiently adult that she’s no longer faking it til she makes it: she’s Made It. The blueish-purple jumpsuit spotted in a Brooklyn consignment shop, the kind that is explicitly labeled as male by the sewn patch of its previous owner, “Randolph,” tall enough for even the pretty tall JJ.
Working-class, second hand, male-identified uniform; natural hair in box braids; red lipstick and bright eyeliner. This is how Jessica meets her parents. But the music slides to an uncomfortable stop as Jessica gets off the Arrivals moving walkway: her parents are bourgie, sweet, stable, and utterly unlike her in spirit. This is the American middle-class dream – as authors from Frantz Fanon to Paul Gilroy to Ta Nehisi-Coates have written – that preys on Black people specifically, the double-consciousness of passing as it works in all its formulaic vapidity. Jessica’s younger sister, too, has bought into this dream: she takes one look at Jessica.
“You look like an auto-mechanic,” Jerusa (her sister) points out in a tone dripping with judgment.
“It’s cool, though, right?” Jessica beams.
“Yeah…” her sister nods, meaning the opposite. “I mean, you’re not going to wear it to the party?” [Her very normative, unironic, and uncritical baby shower.]
“… Nope,” Jessica deflates. Pretending this has been her plan all along.
Because this family isn’t ever going to be the place where Jessica can be anything other than stifled. The prim-and-proper group sits in the suburban family room late that night, merrily gooey-eyed over a romantic drama they’re watching on TV, whose dialogue (that’s all we overhear) is so utterly, sickeningly banal that Jessica doesn’t even enter the room. She hangs back, in the darkness. The entire setting – with all its race and class implications (and the sincere and moving subplot about the James family’s struggles with making their own rent, and how this continues to the present with Jessica’s public school kid whose divorced parents are fighting over custody, intertwines class and race throughout) – requires, in sum, the painful subjugation of Jessica’s self. A “growing down,” a compromise, as its definition of “growing up.”
Women of traditional Bildungsromane, Abel, Hirsch and Langland posit, “are not free to explore; more frequently, they merely exchange one domestic sphere for another. While the young hero roams through the city, the young heroine strolls down the country lane” (8).
Jessica James, by contrast, goes back to New York.
And back, at least superficially, to the romantic sphere of this rom-com. Where her jumpsuit is acceptable; where people like her appreciate thoughtful, empowering arts (instead of, like her mom’s Very White Book Club Lady friend wants, Cats). Where her lesbian best friend (that actress from Master of None) is the elective community James wants, not the family she’s contractually obliged to recognize in her blood. Where Chris O’Dowd is; where her career is.
So how does the movie wrap up the romantic plot without making this aboutJessica’s successful “deserving” of the Right Man™?
(It’s worth noting, before we spoil the ending, that the Boone – aka O’Dowd – subplot of the movie focuses on his not being able to get over the right girl. He stalks his ex-wife, amusingly because it’s Chris O’Dowd, but I think the movie implies cringe-worthily and creepily too: the dude side of rom-coms, it seems, is bleak; not somewhere the film is especially interested in lingering, and neither really are we. He’s eventually ashamed of himself, and this humility is deliberately more endearing than his Every Breath You Take enactment was. Admittedly, we could get into the politics of who says they’re sorry at various points in the film, who asks for and who gives forgiveness, and the ways in which being placed in a position of forgiving is, in a way, simultaneously powerful and powerless. But Nietzsche and feminism is a debate for another time.)
What I’m especially struck by – and I’ve watched this movie myself and with my sister, and then thought about it again after it was praised by another woman I love who watched it an ocean away – is that TIJJends with Jessica.
The final two scenes are crucial here. The penultimate brings together the two guys; formally, the two choices of a Bildungsroman: forward, or back? Jessica’s ex, Damon, finds her backstage after the kids’ theater night concludes, and opens with how he “know[s] how much this means to” her. For a split second, I panicked: OH GOD, fuck, this is why we can’t have nice things. They’re gonna have this guy realize how great she is – because obviously the only way a guy can appreciate a woman is for him to be in competition with another man. She deserves better! I shouted internally. Don’t take him back: sure, you realized you were as responsible for the break-up as he was. So what! You can do better.
But they hug, they sigh, and he leaves. (At which point I breathed a sigh of relief.)
Enter Chris O’Dowd. (At which point I was back to, fuck conventionality. What a missed opportunity.)
Turns out, though, the movie saw me – and the Bildungsroman – coming a mile off.
Because Jessica – unlike Rachel – gets on the damn plane.
Jessica, after all, has been offered a huge job opportunity in the most novelistic of cities: London. But things are just getting back on track with Right Guy; but going is her dream, is her big break; but he, like Damon, just realized how great she is – he read her entire corpus of theatrical writing, and declared – #honesty – that he’s still coming to grips with her complexity, on the page and off; but; but; but…
But… she forgot to tell him about London. And in a sense, this is where swelling crescendos of orchestral joy began filling my head, because if this had been a rom-com like the others, if this had been a female coming-of-age story like the others, she would never forgotten about him. Ever. Not once. He would have been her one phone call; her best friend-par-excellence; her Person. Instead, that honor goes to Tasha, the semi-parodic self-involved best friend who always, though, has Jessica’s back.
And so when the clearly wealthy – loaded, because of an app that is explicitly about the formal gesture afforded by technology of Family, without the actual emotional or affective labor of having to talk to those totally different people who somehow raised you! – Boone mentions “frequent flyer miles,” we can anticipate an airplane that Jessica (by now we can say, of course) will be on.
“Just if you wanted to… bring someone with you… to show you around the town,” he hedges, just before the cut.
“How does that work? […] Frequent flyer miles?”
Cut to Jessica – in the god. damn. JUMPSUIT. Pleased as punch, sitting in – oh yes, we can have nice things – not even economy seats. The nice seats.
At which point, the truly INCREDIBLE part of this movie becomes clear:
Tasha: Dude, I can’t believe your boyfriend bought us tickets to London.
Jessica: Okay, who said anything about him being my boyfriend?
T: Wait. What are you talking about? This is like, the most romantic gesture I have ever seen.
JJ: Yeah, it’s dope. But it takes more than a couple of roundtrip tickets to London for somebody to be my boyf.
T: That is so boss.
Shandra – the elementary school girl whose divorced parents prompted Jessica’s own reflection on her parents/childhood – returning to her seat: What is so boss?
T: Uh, Jessica.
S: Oh, yeah. Duh.[… I]t was really cool of your boyfriend to get me a ticket, too.
T: Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa. Sister. Just because a guy buys a lady a couple of roundtrip tickets to London does not make him her boyfriend.…
[a beat]
S: You know, I like your jumpsuit.
JJ: Thank you. Yeah, it’s pretty bad-ass, right?
S: Hm. Yeah, it is.
They all exchange smiles, the camera zooms in for one final-close up of Jessica’s excited anticipation of landing for the beginning of – not her romance, but – her career.
COME ON! You’re telling me the final scene of this movie is a new affinity, a new definition of family, in which the white, straight, married couple form is reshaped into the female solidarity of friendship, while the child of that hetero dyad of yore is now the dark-skinned girl who herself is a budding author, having been mentored by Jessica, who is – onscreen – mentored by another strong, Black female playwright??? You’re telling me that throw-away moment in the corridor backstage with Chris O’Dowd that seems like the lead-in to a kiss is in fact his last appearance onscreen??? You’re telling me the movie, moreover, goes out of its way to stress – TWICE – that whatever erotic/romantic relationship they’re in, Jessica didn’t accept this trip as the quid pro quo of settling down??? YOU’RE TELLING ME THIS NEW COLLECTIVE IS SO AWARE OF ITS MEMBERS’ QUIRKS AND FOIBLES AND SELF-AUTHORSHIP/FASHIONING THAT THE FINAL LINES OF THE MOVIE UNDERSCORE THAT JESSICA CAN, IN FACT, DRESS HOWEVER THE FUCK SHE WANTS, AND THAT SOME PEOPLE WILL LOVE HER FOR IT, AND FEEL THE SAME ABOUT THE THINGS SHE LOVES???
Get out of my face, TIJJ. You have *EXPLODED* the female Bildungsroman, and maybe the Bildungsroman full-stop. There is no return to the original society, no compromise, no settling. Jessica isn’t the one forced to the margins of the story by choosing either independence or submission: the family is.
For that matter, romance sort of is. Jessica has no “boyf”; Tasha has no (onscreen, stable, couple-form) gf, but neither is she a hypersexualized lerb. She masturbates on/off-screen, but it’s one of her quirks! She and Jessica go to a lesbian bar, where Tasha chats with several recognizably-styled queer ladies: but she is neither reduced to her own romance plot, nor denied any sexuality at all. She and Jessica, however queerly you read their relationship (and I don’t especially, but I see how one could), are the empowering couple of the film, supporting each other not just in romance but in their mutually-reinforcing careers.
This is a rom-com about aiming high, about finding a career not in, because of, or in spite of a guy, but because it’s the one through-line of the entire story. Jessica begins and ends loving her work, and the slow build of that love rewards her by the end. She has Made It. The fact that she probably goes home to an attractive dude who boosts but is not himself responsible for her career – sure, he gets her upgraded tickets, but her confidence, “forthright[ness],” and drive suggest she would have made it to London without him, no question, by whatever means necessary – is icing on the cake. Yes, there was a maturation narrative within the romantic plot (she learned to leap in her relationships; she also learned, as Boone did, to have realistic expectations of where both partners are at any given moment in a relationship). But this, the movie stresses, is not the end of the story. It’s a subplot within herstory.
I don’t think it’s unimportant, either, that Jessica Williams – a fine actress in this movie, entirely winning the screen – plays the heroine. By which I mean, I think it’s all the more radical that to play the romantic interest to gaze adoringly at rom-com’s Irish nerdboy Chris O’Dowd, the director/producers/writers picked a woman whose best-known appearances are in scathing condemnations of male privilege,white supremacy, and American patriarchal, racist, and just terrible norms in general. That such a woman is the new face – but I didn’t even get to talk about the fact that in a few scenes, Jessica J/W’s complexion is a little spotty, which made me (with a long history of struggling with the medical and psychological reality of being a teenager and then adult woman with terrible acne) want to cry with gratitude: this is what a heroine looks like?
Sure, Wonder Woman is fab, but damn I needed this representation so much – maybe more – than the superheroic, impervious demi-goddess from Themyscira. I needed a strong, self-loving, no-nonsense, tall, Black, not-quite-starving artist in Brooklyn, jamming with headphones in the concrete stairwell of her building, who proudly declares, “I’m freakin’ DOPE.”
I needed a new female coming-of-age story – especiallyin 2017 –, and, somewhat subtly but unquestionably, The Incredible Jessica James delivered.
***
{** I use “women,” “men,” “male,” and “female” throughout this piece to refer mostly to the historical categories of those identities/concepts. I also want to be clear that I’m not trying to gloss over this film’s missteps; rather, I’m trying to celebrate its major, but possibly missable, wins. Lastly, I know that in German Bildungsromanmeans *novel* of development/maturation, not *film*. Don’t @ me.
Thanks to Jesse Rosenthal (JHU) for getting me thinking about the basic understanding of the Bildungsroman in such concise, formal terms. For the debate about male vs./and female Bildungsromane, see – to name just some –, Abel, Hirsch and Langland (eds.), The Voyage In: Fictions of Female Development (1983); Lorna Ellis, Appearing to Diminish: Female Development and the BritishBildungsroman, 1750-1850 (1999); Rita Felski, Beyond Feminist Aesthetics: Feminist Literature and Social Change(1989);Franco Moretti, The Way of the World: The Bildungsroman in European Culture (1987); and Susan Fraiman, Unbecoming Women: British Women Writers and the Novel of Development (1993).
The Incredible Jessica James (2017), dir. and writer Jim Strouse; produced by Beachside Films/Netflix. S/o to casting, Kate Geller and Jessica Kelly. Thanks also to Springfield! Springfield! movie scripts for their transcription, which saved me time. }
Victoria Yeates shares personal photos to her Instagram from a late-night Secrets of Dumbledore shoot. Repost @victoriayeates1: “This was a very late long rainy shoot but it was always fun working with these gorgeous people…and they all made the time fly! #eddieredmayne #callumturner #jessicawilliams #secretsofdumbledore #harrypotter #handwarmers #hotwaterbottles #buntygirl”
Nobuhiro Hosoki with Cinema Daily US brings us these delightful photos + excerpts from the NYC premiere event of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. The film is in its opening weekend in North America.
Lally Hicks and Theseus Scamander through the prism of visual storytelling: an interesting dynamic in sight…
Okay, just a random thought but— the fact that Eulalie and Theseus’ style of clothing are nearly similar just gets me. We all know for a fact that costume design in cinema tends to reflect a lot of (hidden) things about a character’s emotions and personality… but in this trailer— oh boy, there’s a lot to unpack. Studying visual storytelling can help us grasp/speculate on Eulalie and Theseus’ evident connection throughout this third installment of FB. I don’t know whether the nature of their relationship will be romantic or platonic, still, this refreshing duo appears to be as interesting as it is promising and I’m here for it. (aka in which im delivering a mini speculating meta nobody asked for).
Firstly, I think it’s necessary to understand why I’m specifically focusing on these two. On one hand, we have the official introduction of the queen herself, Ilvermorny’s Charm professor, the one and only Eulalie “Lally” Hicks. Her role in TCOG was very decisive. Let’s not forget that she was the one who ignited courage in Nicolas Flamel’s heart before Grindelwald’s rally at the cemetery of Père Lachaise. Without her words of encouragement to the old alchemist, Paris would have definitely been destroyed. Thus, her voice and knowledge constitute a powerful asset for Dumbledore’ squad. On the other hand, our war hero/auror Theseus Scamander is getting more and more amount of screen time as well (hell yeah!). Exploring his grief, his progressive trust in Dumbledore and the reasons explaining his complex relationship with Newt is going to be particularly interesting. Getting to know the conflicted man the war hero actually is sounds so good! In other words, those two characters are getting a proper introduction in the Potterverse (as it should be!). Not only they’re fully becoming protagonists, they’re also paired up together in 90% of the trailer.
Now that I’ve set the context, let’s dive into the visual storytelling. In order to do this analysis, it’s important to draw on the elements composing the image. I’m gonna focus on the shot where Lally and Theseus are back to back, ready to fight Grindelwald’s followers in (what seems to be) Tibet/China (not very sure?). There’s just so much to breakdown. This beautiful shot appears right after this title card :
“War of worlds” holds a lot of meanings. At first glance, we can think of the war between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, the good side/peace/unity vs the bad side/chaos/division, ignorance vs knowledge, lies vs truth… Yet, if we link the title card with this following shot, another shade of meaning colors our understanding of this expression. You need to keep in mind that each second, each frame in a teaser/trailer leave nothing to chance. Thus, “War of worlds” could eventually imply the clash between the two professional worlds in which Lally and Theseus belong to : the professorial corps vs the executive branch led by Hector Fawley, the British Ministry of Magic’s minister.
The rule of thirds highlights even more this opposition, though it also showcases a certain union. Studiobinder.com defines the rule of thirds as “one of the most common camera framing techniques used in film or photography. It’s about positioning a character to show their relation to other elements in the scene”. In this perspective, after decomposing the shot in three distinct parts, a visible asymmetry is particularly telling of what we could expect from their relationship. Lally and Theseus’s different background and profession oppose them, hence their back to back stance. But their skills make them as powerful as they are equal (not them being the same height and i oop!). As such, their differences are strengths that build their union. Placed in the center of the middle column, their figure flirt with its frontiers as well as four intersection points mostly known as power lines. They’re usual points where the human eye tends to mainly focus on. The real essence of shot is going to be captured within those elements. Here, it’s the perfect asymmetrical closeness of our professor and auror’s bodies, emphasized by the look they’re giving to each other, a sign of understanding. They’re ready to join forces and fight Grindelwald’s minions.
Overall, I love how this shot conveys both conflict and complicity at the same time.
In the other scenes Lally and Theseus share in the trailer, they’re always seen together : face to face in the nameless fancy train, walking side by side toward the German (?) ministry of magic, standing next to each other in Hogwart’s great hall as well as the room of requirement. We feel like they’re forced to work together, therefore, I can already picture some banter and disregard at first. After all, you can already sense Theseus’ wariness merely by the way he introduced Eulalie : “a school teacher”. Uhm, sweetie, she’s more than that, and trust me, you’ll quickly find out. A partnership might slowly blossom after a series of tensions, potentially transforming itself into something more : pure friendship or a slow burn romance.
Secondly, I’m digging how both of them are sharp dresser. Lally and Theseus sport a very elegant style : a long overcoat, a button up shirt, a tie, a waistcoat, and pocket watch. The finesse radiating from their garments invite us to notice a certain ressemblance. They are meticulous and sedulous, paralleling, mirroring each other. That being said, I tend to remember Coleen Atwood’s comment (FB’s costume designer) about Theseus’ costume design in The Making of Fantastic Beasts TCOG (2018). He’s “more by-the-book feel of someone trying to do everything the right way”… just like Lally right ?
Furthermore, two colors are mainly present on our characters’ outfits. Let’s start with Eulalie : Burgundy. According to Colorpsycologymeaning.com, burgundy generally symbolizes “high status, prestigious, elegant, luxurious, determined, ambitious, sophisticated and confidence. Dark reds like these are often used for the decor and branding for prestigious schools, universities and other institutions”. An interesting description indeed. This description perfectly fits our Ilvermorny teacher, doesn’t it? She’s almost wearing a formal teaching uniform (a bit like Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore) with her tie and her blouse tucked in her long skirt. Yet, that’s not it. Indeed, Lally’s also a woman of style. Her elegance is assertive, combining both femininity and masculinity. Delicacy and authority originating from her clothings could foreshadow her personality. In my head, she’s radiating a bad bitch energy— my oh my, what a badass!
After zooming on Lally’s shirt, I noticed how much the motif was practically the same as the handle of Theseus’ wand. The mix of tortoise shell/amber color dotting the black brings an exquisite touch highlighting a “more classic sense of the period” (C. Atwood about Theseus’ style of clothing). I don’t know if this point is relevant to the plot lmao…Coincidence? I think not!
As for Theseus, it’s blue. We can note a change of color of his attire between TCOG and TSOD. It radically changes form his grey suit he worn in the beginning of TCOG. It represented his inner conflict, his own confusion (and the viewer’s) regarding which side he’s taken in this war : Dumbledore’s? Newt’s? The ministry’s? The fact that Theseus followed Torquil Travers’ orders (the Head of Magical Law Enforcement), yet still listened to Dumbledore’s advices blurred the lines, translating itself into his attire. This conflict is similar to Newt’s, evidenced by his blueish grey overcoat. The magizoologist didn’t “do sides” in FB2 but still executed Dumbledore’s missions. In fact, blue (for Colorpsycologymeaning.com) represents “reservation, confidence, conservation, persistency, trust”. It also illustrates “independence, it is more of a leader rather than a follower and likes organization and is professionally minded”. These are definitions that perfectly captures Theseus and Newt’s personalities. But most importantly, blue is the color of unity, a symbol that the Scamander’s brothers are on the same side : resistance. The dark tone of their garments presage the dark turn their story arcs are going to take.
Anywho, what’s your take on this interesting duo? I might be wrong all the way but it feels so good to speculate on crumbs to fill the void. I seriously can’t wait to feast upon The Secrets of Dumbledore!
What a brilliant analysis! I also had a diffuse feeling that there’s a closer connection between Theseus and Eulalie, but I had no idea about all those details!
I love Theseus and I hope the story will end well for him! I’m also super excited for his and Newt’s scenes. Still, I hope they won’t just set him up for the next romance. Leta would have been nothing more than a plot device if they just killed her to make Theseus rethink his allegiance, and to pair him up with somebody else in the next film.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m super excited for Eulalie, she looks super cool, and I really hope Theseus and she will have a close relationship - I just rather hope that it will be friendship. Newt and Jacob are so precious, I would like to see more of this “we are really different people but we are the best friends you could ask for” dynamic! It just feels so awkward to me that in most stories/movies/franchises every major character needs to have a love interest. (And just btw, if they want to tell a love story, how about Tina and Newt?) Please make them bicker and fight side by side and take bullets for each other (no, DON’T make them take bullets!) and talk about their past! That’s all I ask for. :) I’m so excited to see all the adventures they’re up to!
Hey@newt-and-salamander! Firstly, thanks for your reblog :) I just love reading people’s thoughts on what is being seen and understood in this trailer. Your interpretation is particularly insightful in the light of Theseus’ former arc in TCOG. For me, this movie didn’t do justice for most of the characters, especially Leta’s (a pure disgrace ugh). She was definitely the most compelling and mysterious one. Unfortunately, underdeveloped in a movie which prioritized plot over a hatful of new characters, we didn’t get the opportunity to explore the depth of her backstory, her family, her relationship with the Scamander brothers and her life in the British Ministry of magic… a shame. Can you believe the amount of precious cut scenes we’ve never actually got to see? I feel awfully robbed (time for me to riot). This is why I need her memory to be present throughout the franchise. Her legacy has to be remembered in order to show that her existence and death weren’t in vain. Let’s hope Steve Kloves involvement in the writer’s room might rectify some of the plot holes left by you know who. In any case, this trailer looked very good so far, I’m really optimistic :)
I agree with you dear. Eulalie Hicks’ introduction in FB holds a lot of promises. I’m liking the fact that she’s a young successful professor. She’s going to teach the characters (and viewers) a thing or two about charms, Ilvermorny, power and so much more. Like Tina in FBAWTFT, it’s be fun to have an American/feminine point of view on the conflict. You know the phrase : “scientia potentia est”, knowledge is power… especially at war. She’s a necessity, a weapon, an asset. I’m really curious to discover her own personal journey as well as the way she’ll (perfectly) fit in Dumbledore squad. About her connection with Theseus, I feel like friendship and/or romance are certainly going to be on the table— it’s up to the canon to evaluate the pertinence of their relationship’s nature regarding the plot. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if they do the romance as long asthe writers stay true to FB’s overall storytelling and the characters’ personality/psychology. If it’s rushed, incoherent and irrelevant to the story, I don’t want it. In my opinion, it’s really important to make it very, very, very slow so it takes into account the international dimension of this dangerous war, Theseus’ grief, his mistrust in Dumbledore, Eulalie’s backstory, feelings and integration into the resistance. That way you do not only respect the characters but also the story you’ve created. It’s all about balance.
In the end, my only wish for TSOD is this : every interactions between the members of our witchy squad have to be nailed (especially between Newt and Theseus)! Please give me banter, quirkiness, humour, emotions— I want it all! In the meantime, we only have to wait (speculate!) and see…and hope this third installment leaves us pleasantly surprised! ✨
Lally Hicks and Theseus Scamander through the prism of visual storytelling: an interesting dynamic in sight…
Okay, just a random thought but— the fact that Eulalie and Theseus’ style of clothing are nearly similar just gets me. We all know for a fact that costume design in cinema tends to reflect a lot of (hidden) things about a character’s emotions and personality… but in this trailer— oh boy, there’s a lot to unpack. Studying visual storytelling can help us grasp/speculate on Eulalie and Theseus’ evident connection throughout this third installment of FB. I don’t know whether the nature of their relationship will be romantic or platonic, still, this refreshing duo appears to be as interesting as it is promising and I’m here for it. (aka in which im delivering a mini speculating meta nobody asked for).
Firstly, I think it’s necessary to understand why I’m specifically focusing on these two. On one hand, we have the official introduction of the queen herself, Ilvermorny’s Charm professor, the one and only Eulalie “Lally” Hicks. Her role in TCOG was very decisive. Let’s not forget that she was the one who ignited courage in Nicolas Flamel’s heart before Grindelwald’s rally at the cemetery of Père Lachaise. Without her words of encouragement to the old alchemist, Paris would have definitely been destroyed. Thus, her voice and knowledge constitute a powerful asset for Dumbledore’ squad. On the other hand, our war hero/auror Theseus Scamander is getting more and more amount of screen time as well (hell yeah!). Exploring his grief, his progressive trust in Dumbledore and the reasons explaining his complex relationship with Newt is going to be particularly interesting. Getting to know the conflicted man the war hero actually is sounds so good! In other words, those two characters are getting a proper introduction in the Potterverse (as it should be!). Not only they’re fully becoming protagonists, they’re also paired up together in 90% of the trailer.
Now that I’ve set the context, let’s dive into the visual storytelling. In order to do this analysis, it’s important to draw on the elements composing the image. I’m gonna focus on the shot where Lally and Theseus are back to back, ready to fight Grindelwald’s followers in (what seems to be) Tibet/China (not very sure?). There’s just so much to breakdown. This beautiful shot appears right after this title card :
“War of worlds” holds a lot of meanings. At first glance, we can think of the war between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, the good side/peace/unity vs the bad side/chaos/division, ignorance vs knowledge, lies vs truth… Yet, if we link the title card with this following shot, another shade of meaning colors our understanding of this expression. You need to keep in mind that each second, each frame in a teaser/trailer leave nothing to chance. Thus, “War of worlds” could eventually imply the clash between the two professional worlds in which Lally and Theseus belong to : the professorial corps vs the executive branch led by Hector Fawley, the British Ministry of Magic’s minister.
The rule of thirds highlights even more this opposition, though it also showcases a certain union. Studiobinder.com defines the rule of thirds as “one of the most common camera framing techniques used in film or photography. It’s about positioning a character to show their relation to other elements in the scene”. In this perspective, after decomposing the shot in three distinct parts, a visible asymmetry is particularly telling of what we could expect from their relationship. Lally and Theseus’s different background and profession oppose them, hence their back to back stance. But their skills make them as powerful as they are equal (not them being the same height and i oop!). As such, their differences are strengths that build their union. Placed in the center of the middle column, their figure flirt with its frontiers as well as four intersection points mostly known as power lines. They’re usual points where the human eye tends to mainly focus on. The real essence of shot is going to be captured within those elements. Here, it’s the perfect asymmetrical closeness of our professor and auror’s bodies, emphasized by the look they’re giving to each other, a sign of understanding. They’re ready to join forces and fight Grindelwald’s minions.
Overall, I love how this shot conveys both conflict and complicity at the same time.
In the other scenes Lally and Theseus share in the trailer, they’re always seen together : face to face in the nameless fancy train, walking side by side toward the German (?) ministry of magic, standing next to each other in Hogwart’s great hall as well as the room of requirement. We feel like they’re forced to work together, therefore, I can already picture some banter and disregard at first. After all, you can already sense Theseus’ wariness merely by the way he introduced Eulalie : “a school teacher”. Uhm, sweetie, she’s more than that, and trust me, you’ll quickly find out. A partnership might slowly blossom after a series of tensions, potentially transforming itself into something more : pure friendship or a slow burn romance.
Secondly, I’m digging how both of them are sharp dresser. Lally and Theseus sport a very elegant style : a long overcoat, a button up shirt, a tie, a waistcoat, and pocket watch. The finesse radiating from their garments invite us to notice a certain ressemblance. They are meticulous and sedulous, paralleling, mirroring each other. That being said, I tend to remember Coleen Atwood’s comment (FB’s costume designer) about Theseus’ costume design in The Making of Fantastic Beasts TCOG (2018). He’s “more by-the-book feel of someone trying to do everything the right way”… just like Lally right ?
Furthermore, two colors are mainly present on our characters’ outfits. Let’s start with Eulalie : Burgundy. According to Colorpsycologymeaning.com, burgundy generally symbolizes “high status, prestigious, elegant, luxurious, determined, ambitious, sophisticated and confidence. Dark reds like these are often used for the decor and branding for prestigious schools, universities and other institutions”. An interesting description indeed. This description perfectly fits our Ilvermorny teacher, doesn’t it? She’s almost wearing a formal teaching uniform (a bit like Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore) with her tie and her blouse tucked in her long skirt. Yet, that’s not it. Indeed, Lally’s also a woman of style. Her elegance is assertive, combining both femininity and masculinity. Delicacy and authority originating from her clothings could foreshadow her personality. In my head, she’s radiating a bad bitch energy— my oh my, what a badass!
After zooming on Lally’s shirt, I noticed how much the motif was practically the same as the handle of Theseus’ wand. The mix of tortoise shell/amber color dotting the black brings an exquisite touch highlighting a “more classic sense of the period” (C. Atwood about Theseus’ style of clothing). I don’t know if this point is relevant to the plot lmao…Coincidence? I think not!
As for Theseus, it’s blue. We can note a change of color of his attire between TCOG and TSOD. It radically changes form his grey suit he worn in the beginning of TCOG. It represented his inner conflict, his own confusion (and the viewer’s) regarding which side he’s taken in this war : Dumbledore’s? Newt’s? The ministry’s? The fact that Theseus followed Torquil Travers’ orders (the Head of Magical Law Enforcement), yet still listened to Dumbledore’s advices blurred the lines, translating itself into his attire. This conflict is similar to Newt’s, evidenced by his blueish grey overcoat. The magizoologist didn’t “do sides” in FB2 but still executed Dumbledore’s missions. In fact, blue (for Colorpsycologymeaning.com) represents “reservation, confidence, conservation, persistency, trust”. It also illustrates “independence, it is more of a leader rather than a follower and likes organization and is professionally minded”. These are definitions that perfectly captures Theseus and Newt’s personalities. But most importantly, blue is the color of unity, a symbol that the Scamander’s brothers are on the same side : resistance. The dark tone of their garments presage the dark turn their story arcs are going to take.
Anywho, what’s your take on this interesting duo? I might be wrong all the way but it feels so good to speculate on crumbs to fill the void. I seriously can’t wait to feast upon The Secrets of Dumbledore!
Newt Scamander and his Fantastic Beasts and cohorts are back in the third installment of the franchise: FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE -
a film which excels over the second entry FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDLEWALD.
Like FB: TCOG, FANTASTIC BEATS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE has eleventy million characters who, for the most part, we spend far too little time with like (Richard Coyle as Dumbledore’s brother Aberforth and William Nadylam’s Yusuf Kama), but it’s certainly a more involving film and more spry than the sluggish …CRIMES OF GRINDLEWALD.
There is really nothing new under this sun: once again Newt et al - at the behest of Albus Dumbledore (a superb Jude Law) - are chasing down Gellert Grindlewald (Mads Mikkelsen) to stop him from destroying the Muggle world and conquering the magical world. Wand twirling and speechifying ensues and it’s a fun ride.
There’s talk that if this entry underperforms it may kill the planned fourth and fifth film, despite David Yates saying that there was only the definite plan to have three films. I wouldn’t mind journeying through the Wizard World again with this cast.
I want to take a minute to appreciate Jude Law - a man who graduated from angel baby status to handsome older gentleman.
While he does have a couple of moments in FB: TSOD that displays his talent, these films do not do justice for how incredible he is. Luckily there is his filmography to fall back on likelike HBO/Sky’s THE THIRD DAY, the Sir Kenneth Branagh directed, Harold Pinter penned SLEUTH and WILDE.
-Missing at the premieres, thus robbing the world of Fantastic Beast themed lewks
was Ezra Miller who was too busy cutting up in Hawaii. Ezra was arrested at a karaoke bar and subsequently had a restraining order filed against them (and subsequently dropped). Of course the trades wen to press with rumors that Warner Bros. had an emergency meeting to discuss what to do with them in and their Flash future; however “sources” say those discussions never took place.
Whether Ezra’s WB future is in danger (mans was cast as The Flash in 2013 and The Flash was due to come out in 2018. It would be high key funny if he is benched after his standalone finally comes out), Ezra is feeling no pain - outwardly. I’m sure he’s a mess.
Featuring the voices of: Timothée Chalamet, Jessica Williams, Ty Dolla $ign, Laura Harrier, Vanessa Hudgens, Christopher Abbott, 070 Shake, Teyana Taylor, Jaden Smith, Keith David, Arturo Castro and Macaulay Culkin. (TW credit to filmupdates)
