The Green Mile Characterisation H/W due THURS 7TH

[missmcgrory]

TASK: MAKE UP YOUR OWN REVISION NOTES ON EVERYTHING DISCUSSED SO FAR ON CHARACTERS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS IN THE GREEN MILE. WRITE ABOUT HOW THE FILM MAKES USE FILM TECHNIQUES TO MAKE US FEEL SYMPATHY FOR SOME CHARACTERS AND DISLIKE OTHERS. POST YOUR NOTES HERE


You should focus on the scene we looked at in class where we meet Percy and John Coffey.

Look at what we said about Del, too.

Include a discussion about how the film maker SUBVERTS our assumptions about good and evil characters.

[christophergrant]

John Coffey: John is a very tal and polite character, from the start when he is introduced to his prison. He shakes one of the guards hands and a mid shot is used to show the height difference between the two. When John gets arrested and later when there is a flashback sent to one of the guards, he realises John was the one trying to heal the children and Wildbill was the one that killed them. Percy is one of the officers and he is very evil, he might have the role of a nice person but he kills a mouse and he is very small and he is even smaller when a mid-shot is done on him when his head is only up too John's stomach. Del was a really nice character who had a pet mouse who got killed by Percy, Percy also killed Del wrongly in the electric chair by not wetting the sponge and giving him a horrible death. The film maker has traditionally swapped the roles around by putting prisoner's as good characters and putting police officer's as evil.

[missmcgrory]

Thank you, Chris. I'm glad you've completed the task.
However, you were asked to focus on the techniques used in the scene we studied in detail in class. (Percy brings Jon Coffey to the prison.) How is the camera used in this scene to make us feel sympathetic towards Jon and dislike Percy? How is dialogue used?

I would also have liked to see some notes from our discussion on biblical allegory. What are the parallels between Jon Coffey and Christ?

As with any task set in English, focus on what the question is actually asking you to do, rather than telling the story.

[hannahsteedman]

Darabont reverses the roles of Percy and the prisoner. It gives the impression that the big prisoner is good because he is polite and acts like a kid. The prisoners don't think that he is acting normally because of his appearance. The prisoner says something to the officer which makes him think that he killed the two girls. Percy is immediately disliked by watchers because he is violent towards all of the prisoners. When a new prisoner is coming to the Green Mile he shouts 'Dead man walking'. This tells us that he thinks that the prisoner is going to misbehave. Even though Percy looks like a toddler compared to the other man.

'Can you keep the light on because i get scared of the dark'. John acts innocent and like he is a little boy. And because he is tall and looks tough it makes it hard to believe.

They both have the same supernatural powers, to heal people. They would also both rather be in pain themselves than see other people suffer. John and Jesus both have the same initials and were both executed for the wrong reasons, by their so called 'friends'.

Eduard Delacroix seems like a caring and kind character because of the way he treats his 'pet' mouse. He also believes in a non-existing place which makes him imaginative.

It is unusual because these men are in prison for committing serious crimes, you would think that they would be evil and misbehave but instead, they try to get along with the officers. But Percy, one of the officers doesn't want to be 'friends' with the prisoners.

In the scene with John Coffey and Percy, one of the officers. The camera is set at an angle so it makes it look like Percy is so much smaller than John. The camera slowly moves up to get across how tall John is. This is a comparison between the two men and it makes John look loyal compared to Percy.

[missmcgrory]

Thank you, Hannah! I'm please to see you included some notes from our discussion on biblical allegory and that you are identifying and commenting on film techniques.

You do make some interesting observations - I'm interested in why you say Jon's height makes him seem loyal, for example? (Loyal to whom?)

Thanks for doing this

[Christopher Grant]

Darabont reverses the characters' roles by making Percy (a police officer) an evil character and John Coffey (a prisoner) a good character, but normally it is the police officer that is good and prisoner bad. John Coffey the prisoner is tall and looks tough but infact he has a child like mind- "Can you keep the light on at night, because I am scared of the dark?" John says something to the guard which makes us and the guards feel like it was him that killed the two children. When Percy is bringing John into the prison there is a medium shot on Percy and John and it shows how small Percy is compare to John. The camera also slowly moves upwards to show the real height of John (a tilt shot) this also show that John might be scary and violent.

John Coffey and Jesus Christ both have the same initials and a few similarities- they both have unnatural powers,healing powers,both got executed by friends,kind and nice,feels others pain, rather him suffer than others. Normally if you are on death row you have done hideous and violent crimes, but all the prisoner's got on well with the police guards except Percy and Wildbill.

[missmcgrory]

well done, Christopher - thanks for doing this

[missmcgrory]

Thank you everyone for your notes. Can I ask you to please now type them up and post them here over the break? Great stuff

[laurenhouston]

When we first see Percy guide John Coffey towards the block with Percy shouting "dead man, dead man walking" repeatedly we immediatly dont get a good vibe from him & further into the scene Percy is violent towards two of the characters. Also the camera angle is close on Percy & John Coffey's arm, in which we see John's muscles & we notice his arm is at Percys head which means John must be a tall character.
When they arrive inside the mile John tells Paul (an officer) that he's scared of the dark & wishes for a light to be kept on during the night & also tells Paul he can only spell his own name. We get a feeling that John is a childlike character & from this feeling we begin to like him.
John resembles a Jesus like figure, they both had the power to heal & the same initials, & also were executed by there friends for the wrong reasons.
Another criminal who we end up liking is Eduard Delacroix, a french man. Del, what he's called by the officers, looks after a mouse who would come into the block sometimes, which makes us think hes a harmless creature & cry's when Percy stands on the mouse, another reason not too like Percy.

[missmcgrory]

Well done, Lauren. Brownie points for doing this before you get caught up in Work Experience and the holidays! Good lass!

[jodiearcher]

We immediatley don't like Percy, because when he brings in John Coffey he starts shouting 'Dead man walking!' and has a smug look on his face when he says this, we know the other guards don't approve of this because of their facial expressions and attitude towards Percy. The camera at this moment only shows Percy and part of John Coffeys arm, this tells us that Percy is quite small and John is a very tall and built character.
John has been taken into the Green Mile for Murder, but the way he talks to one of the officers, Paul, he doesn't think he's the type of person to do something like this. John talks really polite and is sweating alot, this tells us John must be really nervous and he talks really slow aswell. John also tells Paul that he is scared of the dark and if they could keep a few lights on at night. Paul looks shocked but agree's. John then shakes Paul's hand and tells him he wants to be his friend. We feel John as a very childlike character and we begin to like him.
We figure out John resembles alot to Jesus. They have the same initials, have the power to heal things and were both executed for the wrong reasons.

We also begin to like the other prisoner Eduard Delacroix, mostly because he seems kind and caring because of the way he treats his pet mouse, and how he believes in an imaginative place, which makes us think how can this guy be in Death Row?
We then see how nasty Percy is when after a fight with Del, Percy stands on his mouse, this shows he's defenitly not a very nice character.

[missmcgrory]

Well done Jodie.
I am extremely disappointed no one else has done their work at this late stage.
This was formal homework so can I just remind all of you that detentions will be issued to those who have not completed it by Tuesday.

[home work]

When Percy took John Coffey out the van the attention was drawn to him as he was shouting "dead man walking" at this point we only see a close shot of Percys face and John Coffeys body.This shot shows the size of Coffey compared to Percy this also makes percy feel good as he has full control over this huge man.
Percy also attracts attention to himself by picking on other people in death row as if hes trying to show them hes boss we soon then realise Percy isnt a good person. A person on death row becomes attached to a mouse who keeps appearing and Percy seems like he doesnt like this prisoner and he laughed at percy once he gets his own back by killing this mouse.
In the mile although john looks like this big man as he is muscular he asks paul the officer if the light can be kept on in the night as he is scared of the dark. The prison guards are shocked to be hearing this from such a big man John also sayd he can spell his own name at this stage we have nothing against him he also comes as quite a child like character. He reminds us of jesus and he has thr powers to heal things and also feels other peoples pain and would prefere to give his life away than others.

[Zoe Archibald]

Oct 26, 2010 15:55:30 GMT @home work said:

When Percy took John Coffey out the van the attention was drawn to him as he was shouting "dead man walking" at this point we only see a close shot of Percys face and John Coffeys body.This shot shows the size of Coffey compared to Percy this also makes percy feel good as he has full control over this huge man.
Percy also attracts attention to himself by picking on other people in death row as if hes trying to show them hes boss we soon then realise Percy isnt a good person. A person on death row becomes attached to a mouse who keeps appearing and Percy seems like he doesnt like this prisoner and he laughed at percy once he gets his own back by killing this mouse.
In the mile although john looks like this big man as he is muscular he asks paul the officer if the light can be kept on in the night as he is scared of the dark. The prison guards are shocked to be hearing this from such a big man John also sayd he can spell his own name at this stage we have nothing against him he also comes as quite a child like character. He reminds us of jesus and he has thr powers to heal things and also feels other peoples pain and would prefere to give his life away than others.

[Connor Ross]

As soon as we first see Percy in the film we are immediately not supposed to like him because of the way he looks and at the start of the film we see him taking John Coffey to death row shouting "DEAD MAN WALKING" thin suddenly makes us feel that he is not a nice person to be with.
when John Coffey is brought to the cell by Percy, Percy hits him in the chest with a bat telling him to get in. Once he gets in another police guard goes in the cell called Paul, as he is much nicer than Percy. Once John starts talking we wouldn't of thought he would of been sent to death row for raping and then killing two little girls as he is very quite when he talked and he was very polite to the police guards, even Percy.
when Paul goes into the cell to talk to john, we can tell that he will be friendlier and more helpful towards the prisoners.