May 12, 2008
Like a Hopper painting
Posted by Deborah Lipp under Season 1 Episodes | Tags: Babylon, Edward Hopper |A long time ago, our own Dansj mentioned that Roger and Joan in the episode Babylon are like a Hopper painting.
I left myself a note to look into that, and my lovely sister saw the note (in our shared “notes” space under the blog hood) and sent me this (actually, she sent several, but this one is it):
It’s not exactly right, of course, but it has exactly the feel of the episode. Compare it to this:
And now look at this Hopper:
…and compare it to Roger and Joan again:
Here’s the whole Babylon closing sequence.
May 12, 2008 at 3:26 pm
This post, she leaves me speechless. This is my version of speechless.
May 12, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I can’t watch the video right now but, thinking about it, I also think that a lot of the rhythms and pauses in MM evoke a Hopperesque quality of distance and loneliness (if that makes any sense).
May 12, 2008 at 3:53 pm
It does make sense, Eme. The whole section of Roger and Joan getting dressed evokes that painting; it was hard to choose just one screen grab.
May 12, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Nice!
May 12, 2008 at 5:28 pm
right - and that’s what i meant. in reality, i copped the ‘hopper’ comparison from someone on the amc site.
but it resonated so well … distance and lonliness. that’s hopper.
that one continuous camera shot of them silently finishing getting dressed and preparing to leave the hotel room is so powerful.
May 12, 2008 at 5:39 pm
and i also have wondered about that last shot - of them on the street … the street is on an incline, placing him above her (the professional and social heirarchy, i suppose) … but i wonder if it was naturally like that or if they did something to the shot in post-production.
May 12, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Hey, Mad Men made its debut on Spanish TV last week. Loose and dirty translation:
“Sexist, homophobic sharks. That’s what the men are like on Mad Men, a drama series that makes its debut on Canal+. TV fiction of the highest quality, heir to the Sopranos, it’s a sensation in the U.S. Addictive.”
May 12, 2008 at 6:31 pm
that closing sequence of babylon knocks my socks off every time…
along with dansj, i noticed how the incline places roger above joan…i also took the diagonal composition to convey a sense of imbalance, which was consistent with the feeling of instability created by all the preceding camera movement)
rachel just kills me there, sighing as she folds the ties, no doubt remembering how she dabbed the spot on don’s tie earlier, realizing that she’s a total goner
May 12, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I forgot my favorite part of the article:
“Mad Men depicts its milieu with such impeccable aesthetics that we expect Jack Lemmon to appear at any moment, as if Billy Wilder were behind the camera. Shot in 35 mm and devoted to the still permissible vices, it rediscovers an era with social mores that would feel very last century if that century were not so close to home.”
May 12, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Eme, thanks for those translations.
I never noticed the incline, but Babylon is Christine Hendricks’s Emmy entry, and she is so stunningly vulnerable in it.
that one continuous camera shot of them silently finishing getting dressed and preparing to leave the hotel room is so powerful.
Notice how they never look at each other throughout. Also his vest? Her red dress? I’d be surprised if the painting I posted wasn’t used as a reference.
May 12, 2008 at 10:24 pm
[Off-topic]
Hey Everybody!
OK, someone please help me catch up with y’all, as I’m not on the internets regarding Mad Men as most of you. What’s this I read on the “AMC Burns My Toast” post about the series jumping ahead in years? What?
May 12, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Hey, Oaktown.
There’s not much on the Intertubes about Mad Men; my sister and I have almost (not quite, but close) got the market cornered. Feel free to poke around and read the archives to your hearts’ content. We get email notifications of new comments, even to very old posts.
Here’s the scoop you’re looking for.
May 12, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Thanks for the link, Deborah. Wow, going to 1962, eh? I’ve got to chew that over for a while. So much was left at the end of Season 1 that I’d like to see how it played out in the immediate aftermath. Oh well. We’ll just cross our fingers for a similar level of quality and emotional impact.
Yes, I know BoK is the definitive authority on all things MM! I just wish I had more time to peruse your archive. Keep in mind I’m new at this site, so there’s tons of catch-up reading to do, and not much time to do it, sadly. Times are tough in Oaktown. (Oh, and Roger that on the email alerts).
May 13, 2008 at 3:49 am
Once again I am impressed by the sheer volume of knowledge you BoKers possess.
Those paintings really do capture the bleakness that is Mad Men. Despite the vibrant colors and serene landscapes, Hopper’s paintings are so hollow and cold. I’ve read that he was heavily influenced by Ibsen, which explains a lot.
Some years ago, I saw a filmed version of “A Doll’s House.” It was fascinating because they filmed it as if it were happening in the late 1950s or early 1960s–instead of the 1870s or 80s, as was originally written. The clothes, the sets, the attitudes, the situations–it could have been an episode of Mad Men. Even the characterizations were similar: the charismatic, but oppressive husband, the child-like wife who wants more from her life, the sniveling blackmailer, the single mother trying to make a go of it while still conforming to the “norms” of society. It was all there.
May 13, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Oaktown, you might use Category browsing to help with the volume of reading. Try “Season 2 Speculation,” “Scoops,” and “Writer Talk” for the maximum behind-the-scenes impact.
May 15, 2008 at 2:40 am
Thanks for the tips, Deborah. By the way, I’ll never click on “Season 2 Speculation”. I don’t want to risk hearing or reading about something I hadn’t thought of, and thereby ruin the surprise if that’s what actually happens!
Say, since we’re talking about blog features, here’s my wish list for this site: 1. An email alert for readers when new comments are posted. That way we can all stay in the conversation, even in posts that are a few days old or more, and, 2. A “preview” function for the comments section. It makes it easier to catch errors, and also we can see if our html’s are working (links, italics, etc) so we can correct it before it gets posted as gibberish.
Thanks for everything you’re doing already!
May 15, 2008 at 8:27 am
Oaktown, we are working with free WordPress features. The features you want are part of Haloscan comment system, but that’s not part of WordPress. However, I am investigating what can be done with plugins.
May 15, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I don’t know shit about tech stuff, but I know the features I mentioned are available as plugins for WordPress because I had them on my blog. But as you say, it was no longer in the realm of “free”. I had to hire tech help to set it up (along with some other features), and I needed to obtain the additional services of a web hosting company.
So if you ever suddenly have an excess of time and extra money… : )
July 7, 2008 at 3:49 pm
BTW - some may be interested to know that MW makes a Hopper reference in his “Smoke” commentary. It’s at the very end of the show.
July 7, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I mentioned that in the DVD thread — Hopper was also mentioned on a later commentary — gonna say Babylon.
July 7, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Yep, Babylon, by the director (Glatter). And I noted both of those, intending to post, but you all are too fast for me.