by Moses
In a medium where everything is always moving, directors and cinematographers have found different ways to make sure they have the attention of their audience in the right place. Leading lines, lighting, and composition are all tools used to direct the audience’s attention. One of the most explicit ways to tell your audience where to look is with the iris effect, which completely isolates a section of the frame until the subject is the only thing left to look at. In Life Lessons, one of three shorts made for the anthology film New York Stories, Martin Scorsese uses the iris effect to give access to the mind of his character. The iris effect motif of Life Lessons acts as another layer of access to Lionel’s desires and obsessions.
The film opens with a short montage of close-up establishing shots. We see the iris effect repeatedly used over shots of paint covered tools, cluttered tables, and alcohol. This is our first look at the loft, which is where a large majority of the film takes place. The montage ends with a man coming up the elevator, and we learn that Lionel is three weeks away from a deadline with no work completed. These first moments give us an idea of what kind of person Lionel is. He is unorganized, messy, and a procrastinator. This opening two minutes uses the iris effect seven times, which is the most we see the effect used in such a short amount of time. It establishes the characteristics of dependence and obsession that are built upon during the rest of the film. We see his obsession with art as paint and art supplies are piled up all over the loft. We see his reliance on unhealthy sources of inspiration with the uncorked half empty alcohol and glass at easy access. While none of this is an explicit presentation of character, we get an idea of who he is by seeing the environment he lives in.
During the rest of the film, the iris effect is used less often and is only visible five more times during its 45-minute runtime. Four out of five times, it is used on Paulette. At the airport, the iris opens around Paulette. It introduces Paulette with significant importance and immediately gives her significance before we even hear her speak. Later, in the loft, the iris opens on Paulette's foot. This shot is used twice and creates an uncomfortable image of perversion from Lionel’s perspective. The next use is in Paulette's room, she silently sits and stares at her painting. The iris closes around her and is a transition to the next scene in the diner. This use of the effect is the only time we see it without Lionel present. The iris closing seems to relate to the relationship coming to an end, as this is the first time the iris shrinks to a point instead of expanding. Each time the effect is used before this scene, the iris starts in the middle of the screen and expands to reveal the subject. These uses of the effect seem to track the decline of Paulette and Lionel’s relationship. Lionel’s obsessive desire for Paulette expands until it reaches a breaking point and Paulette finally decides to leave for good. These uses all ultimately give us access to Lionel, the innocent and the perverted sides of his obsession with Paulette.
The loft is the setting we see the most during Life Lessons. It is also where the iris effect shows up the most. The iris seems to physically manifest in the architecture around Paulette and Lionel. About 11 minutes into the film we see Lionel throw a basketball through a seemingly random hole in the wall. This hole leads into Paulette’s room, and breaks what little privacy she has in her room. 13 minutes into the film, Lionel opens the door to a sleeping Paulette. The light from the space outside the door floods in and creates a rectangle of light around Paulette. These instances show the same fixation from Lionel and give the relationship a form of tactile physicality.
The use of the iris effect in Life Lessons is a unique and creative way to disclose the characteristics and flaws of the main character. It takes the iris effect past a simple transition and makes it into a symbol of claustrophobic tunnel vision and obsession. It acts as an extension of Lionel’s character and without it, the themes of fixation and obsession would be present, but not nearly as prominent.
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