The age of Adaline

Intertextuality is the point where two works of art overlap. In terms of films, it’s where a film overlaps with another work of art, whether that be another film, a work of literature, or another art form. The scene starts when the leading character, named Adaline Bowman, goes to work and watches an old video from the beginning of the twentieth century. The narrator talks about Adaline’s life, and explains why she hasn’t aged a day over 29 for 80 years. Years after (in the 1950’s and 1960’s) people reacted shocked when they see her, because her age and looks do not match. The F.B.I. got to know her story, and wanted to do tests on her against her will. She escaped, and needed to change identity and home over the years to be safe. She says goodbye to her daughter, who ages like a normal person, but stays in contact with her throughout the film.

The age of Adaline overlaps with another film, named The curious case of Benjamin Button. In the film Adaline Bowman is born in the early years of the twentieth century (1908), such as Benjamin Button(1918). After a car accident, Adaline suffers from a condition that forces her to not age a day. Benjamin Button suffers from a condition that caused him to age backwords. Adaline experienced a lot in the beginning of the film, that takes place in the middle of the last century. (the 1950’s and 1960’s). The scene wants to show how the aging of Adaline works, what she experiences, and the reactions of the people who meet her/ know her. The same goes on with Benjamin Button, who also experiences a lot in the middle of the last century (the second world war), gets a lot of different shocked reactions from people who meet him, and know him. Such as the age of Adaline, the film wants to show how the aging works, and how the leading character deals with it.

Benjamin Button is a very popular film. The scenario was widely discussed after the film came out in 2008. In the age of Adaline, the creators of the film and story wanted to inform the viewers early on about the aging condition of the main character. This is done in a scene in where the main character watches a video about the beginning of the twentieth century, in which she was born, and a narrator that tells her story. In the curious case of Benjamin Button, we see more detailed how Benjamin experiences his aging differences with people he knows. This is because it’s part of the plot of the film, but that isn’t the case in the age of Adaline. In this film the creators only want to inform us that something similar has happened in the past, which still is a big part of the plot, but not something that the creators wanted to focus on. The viewer recognizes the story, and sees the similarities, but also the differences. In conclusion, the scene wants to give the viewer a sense of recognition and understanding. The creators present the problem of the story, which is the aging condition.

The film also overlaps with the romantic comedy How to lose a guy in 10 days (2003). The scene where Adaline agrees to meet the family of Ellis. Adaline is very insecure about the relationship, since she is afraid to be in one. That is because she has broken a lot of hearts over the years. She faces some difficulty in explaining this bizarre situation to important people in her life, that is why she tried to avoid getting too close to people. Adaline gets in a discussion with her daughter about her love life. Her daughter convinced her to give a relationship with Ellis a shot, and as a result Adaline goes with Ellis to meet his parents. There, she finds out that she used to date his father, back in the 1960’s. She tries to cover it up by lying that it was her mum, and not her. The father seems disconnected, because of his backflashes with Adaline in the 1960’s. This causes an awkward weekend, especially during the game night where Adaline wins in a game about facts about the past from the father who normally wins. Adaline is doubting the entire relationship a lot, because one hand, the relationship couldn’t possibly work, but on the other hand, she is really in love with Ellis.

The cultural reference is that Adaline goes to the parents of the boy she fancies, such as Andie Anderson does in how to lose a guy in ten days. It becomes uncomfortable for Adaline when she meets the parents of Ellis. The same goes for Andie when she meets the parents of Benjamin Barry, who she wants to annoy so much that he will break up with her. It is uncomfortable for Andie because she gets to know Benjamin better, and realises that she might fall in love with him for real. In the age of Adaline, Adaline defeats the father of Ellis in a game that is until then, only been won by the father of Ellis. In how to lose a guy in 10 days, Andie defeats her (fake) boyfriend Benjamin in a game he normally wins, also while the whole family is contributing to the game. Adaline is doubting the relationship with Ellis very much, because of the situation she is in. The same goes again for Andie. She is doubting her relationship with Benjamin very much, because of the situation she in. Her feelings for Benjamin change when she goes to his parents house. She gets to know him better, and might actually fall in love with him.

How to lose a guy in 10 days was a big success when it came out. The scenario in the parents house caused a contrast in the story. It is a scenario that could very well happen. That causes the viewer to relate more with the characters. The creators of the age of Adaline would do the same, since it is important for a film to have to viewers relate to the characters their watching. The contrast is also very important for the film, because when Adaline goes along with Ellis to his parents’ house. The viewer assumes that it will go well, and will be surprised that Adaline used to date Ellis’ father. When Adaline doubts her relationship, it makes sure that the viewer is interested in her discussion, and therefore the film. When Adaline doubts her relationship, the viewer hopes that it will be okay for Ellis and her for the rest of the film. Because of the scene, the viewer will be curious about the ending of the film.

Parallelism is a literacy device in which parts of the sentence are grammatically the same, or are similar in construction. It can be a word, a phrase, or an entire sentence repeated. Parallelism is considered a great persuasive tool. Its repetitive quality makes the sentence or sentences symmetrical and therefore very memorable for the reader. Parallelism makes the idea easier for readers to process because they sense a pattern and know what to expect. The scene starts with the leading character, named Adeline Bowman, stepping in a lift. Then a man runs towards the lift, while it almost closes, and sticks his hand through the little gab of the door. He says the phrase “That will teach me not to put my hand where it doesn’t belong.” Adaline reacts on the phrase, not seeming interested to continue the conversation. The man introduces himself, and Adaline does too, but gives the fake name “Jenny”. That name reminds Ellis (the man) of a poem, that he then quotes. Ellis is following Adaline to the exit, and tries to keep the conversation going. Still, Adaline does not seem interested. Adaline is a bit scared, and frustrated that Ellis stays with her the whole time until the taxi arrives, because she gives signals that she is not interested in him. When the taxi starts driving away, Ellis once again, sticks his hand trough the gab of the taxi window, causing the car to stop. So he can ask Adaline a final question. Adaline reacts with “There you go again, putting your hand in places it doesn’t belong.” This scene gives an introduction to a big character in the film, Ellis. It shows how they met, and what the intention of both characters is.

The scene begins with a shot of Ellis running towards the lift, that’s closing. Then, a hand sticks through the lift doors. Adaline is shocked of what has happened. Ellis stands next to Adaline in the lift, and begins a conversation, while not making eye contact. Adaline replies, without eye contact too. When Ellis tries to keep the conversation going, he looks at Adaline while he talks, Adaline replies, while looking at him while she talks. She shows with her eye contact that she is interested in him, or/and what he has to say. When Adaline shows a mild interest in Ellis, by teasing him when she leaves the lift. Ellis follows her, and their body postures loosen. Their eye contact is more often now, both showing that they got more comfortable with being with each other, and with the conversation. When Adaline waits for a cab, Ellis waits with her. We see more, and happier, facial expressions from Adaline, also showing that Adaline indeed does have an interest for Ellis, and that we will most likely see him more in the film. In the shot after that, we get the same effect as in the first shot. We see a hand stick through a gab, and again, Adaline is shocked of what has happened. The viewer understands that there was a connection between the two characters, and that they are both interested in each other.

The dramatic function is used in the very beginning of the scene when Ellis runs towards the lift, and sticks his hand through the gab of the closing lift doors. Adaline’s reaction, which is shocked, causes the viewer to pay close attention. When Ellis introduces himself, and Adaline introduces herself, we know the difference and variation in the film. After Adaline’s name reminds Ellis of a poem, and Ellis quotes the poem by heart. The creators of the film want to give us a clue of who the characters are, and what the plot of the film is going to be. Ellis is a rich, healthy man. He is grows older, and Adaline will not. In the lift scene Adaline seems distant, and private. She gives short answers, and does not give a lot of information about herself. Ellis, on the other hand talks more, and tries hard to get to know Adaline better. There is also some similarity and repetition in the film. That is central to all films because without it you would not be able to focus the plot onto one character or general message. The similarity is that Adaline still has no, to little interest in Ellis, while Ellis is still trying hard for Adaline. The repetition is Ellis following Adaline, and trying to make her feel interested in him. The difference and variation in the film is that the difference is that Adaline gained a mild interest in Ellis, and the variation is that Adaline talks back more to Ellis.

The second scene starts with Adaline, who is in the house of Ellis with his family. They’re all playing a game, asking questions about the past, and people have to answer it. The viewer knows that Adaline will probably know most answers. Ellis makes a mild sexist comment, because Adaline didn’t know an answer. Adaline looks at him and replies upset. She wants to prove him wrong, and teams up with the other ladies. Ellis makes another mild sexist comment, and then the viewer assumes that Adaline will try to defeat Ellis and his father in this game. Adaline indeed answers all the following questions correctly, because she remembers the actual events. Ellis’ father had a winning streak. Apparently his children used to say, ‘What would happen first? Dad loses in Triviant (the game) or Della finally appears.” In the last scene we know from a flashback that Ellis’ dad knew Adaline in the 1960’s and called her Della. She is shocked to find out that Ellis’ father named a comet after her. The relation of this scene to the plot of the film is that because she finds out how much she meant to Ellis’ father, and he never got over her. She is afraid that she might hurt Ellis in the exact same way. It builds suspension for the rest of the film.

When Ellis makes the mild sexist comment, we can see from Adaline’s reaction, and facial expression that she is offended. As a result, the ladies team up. When Ellis says, “Women are pink.” We can see from Adaline reaction, and again, her facial expression. That she is upset and wants to humiliate him, by defeating the men in this game. The viewer expected this to happen, because we saw her first reaction after a sexist comment, and assumed that she would react more after the second. When she answers an even harder question correctly, the entire family reacts surprised. The viewer knows that she probably will answer all the upcoming questions correctly. We see a shot from the boardgame, and then from the family, sitting in different places. This is because the creator wants to show that this is later in the evening, when the game is almost finished. When Ellis’ sister brings up the comet, and whether Ellis’ dad will lose before Della shows up. We see that Adaline is surprised, because when she met Ellis’ father in the 1960’s he called her Della. Adaline looks sad, and Ellis’ dad is afraid of her reaction. When the last question is asked the viewer is excited, because Della appeared before Ellis’ dad lost the game. Adaline looks very sad, and therefore the viewer assumes that she will answer correctly to make clear that she cannot return. She indeed answers correctly.

The dramatic function of the pattern of parallelism is to show the viewer that Adaline gets more upset after every sexist comment, and that Adaline knows all the answer, which causes suspense at the last question. There is similarity and repetition in the scene, the similarity being that everyone wants to win the game, and the repetition being that Adaline knows all the answers to the questions. Difference and variation in this scene is that at the end of the game Ellis’ father has lost all confidence in winning this game. The variation being that Adaline takes a longer time to answer the question, which makes the viewer believe that she is going to answer incorrect.

The scene starts with Adaline walking towards Ellis’ father who is unloading his car. She asks him something, and he response. He sees that Adaline has a bug in her hair, and offers to get it out. Adaline tries it too. Ellis’ father sees that Adaline has a scar on her hand, the same as she had in the 1960’s, and then finds out that she has to be the same person. Adaline walk away, and Ellis’ father is shocked and quiet. He is thinking, and realizing that Jenny (her fake name) is Adaline.

Perspective is the composition of shots that draws attention to a specific focal point. It tells the viewer where to look. In this scene we experience the most perspective when both of them are trying to get a bug out of Adaline’s hair, and the camera focuses on the scar on the hand of Adaline. The bug is out of sight. We then see a shot of Ellis’ father whom stares directly at her hand, and we can see from his facial expression that he is confused, and is about to find out who she really is.

Framing involves composing the visuals content of frames as seen from a single point of view. The same example shows framing good too. The camera is focusing on the hair of Adaline and then there is an entrance of her hand, focused on the scar in the framed shot. The camera is now framing the point of view from Ellis’ dad, whom is staring directly at the scar. The viewer knows now that he remembers the scar, and has found out about Adaline’s secret.

The function of the perspective and framing in this scene is practically the same. They both want to show the scar to the viewer. The framing tells us that the scar is important for the reaction of Ellis’ father. It brings excitement about the rest of the film, and suspension about Ellis’ father’s reaction. Because of the framing and perspective, the viewer understands the importance of the scar to Ellis’ father, and it makes the viewer more interested in the plot of the film.

The second scene starts right after Ellis’ father finds out about Adaline’s secret, and wants to check it. We see flashbacks from Ellis’ father and Adaline in the 1960’s and Ellis’ father now, collecting evidence that Jenny is Adaline. We see temporal shots to control time. We see a warmer, and nostalgic colour when it is a shot from the summer in the 1960’s when Ellis’ father and Adaline are in love and are having fun together. We see a colder, melancholic colour when we see the present, in which Ellis’ father is much older, and collecting evidence (pictures) from the 1960’s to prove that Jenny is Adaline. We also see rhythmic shots to control film pace, between the bitter present and the joyful past is a contrast. Ellis’ father is in a hurry, and panicking to find out the truth, while we see a younger version of him with Adaline. This is done with rhythmic shots to improve the excitement that the viewer will get about the scene. It shows that Ellis’ father is having a lot of backflashes, and his time with Adaline. We worries a lot, and is mildly panicking. The shots contribute to get this feeling as a viewer. The viewer is dying to find out what will happen next.

Because of the temporal shots, the viewer knows what shot is the past and what shot is the present. The spatial shots makes the temporal shots more exciting, because we get a contrast, and a sense that Ellis’ father worries and panics. The shots work well together, and cause the viewer to be more involved with the story, and give a clearer idea how Ellis’ father is reacting to this conclusion.

Source list

https://literaryterms.net/intertextuality/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/intertextuality-in-film-definition-examples.html

https://ditchwalk.com/2014/12/19/narrative-context-and-motive/

https://nomapneeded.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/5-principles-of-film-form/

http://www.hollywoodlexicon.com/frame.html

http://screenprism.com/insights/article/the-filmmakers-handbook-what-is-one-point-perspective

https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/the-art-of-perspective-and-symmetry-in-cinematography/