Knives Out(2019)
In the movie, Lieutenant Elliot, after conceding that slitting one’s throat is a “dramatic” way to commit suicide, argues that Harlan Thrombey practically lived in a “Clue board,” suggesting that “dramatic” might make sense under these circumstances.
[In case you are not familiar with it, Clue was (is) a popular board game where players get to “play detective” by solving murder mysteries set in various rooms of an elaborate mansion . There are a set of characters and possible murder weapons, and various rooms for the culprit to hide out, commit murder, etc.]
Here, in Lieutenant Elliot’s statement, it would appear that Thrombey’s “real life” is re-imagined in the service of a game of mystery. But, of course, once the “murder” mystery comes to visit the Clue board, we cannot escape the game’s aesthetics and logic. The nurse in the study with the hypodermic needle, for instance…
Knowing something about the game allows the viewer to understand that the movie is winking at the audience, to tell us that we are in on the joke, that this mystery movie is very aware of the mystery genre and its role as entertainment within those familiar conventions of mystery.
While the prompt on Knives Out for this Review lecture was going to be on another topic, since this important topic about “Contemporary Twists” from the first lecture on Knives Out did not get much attention, here’s another go at it!
Contemporary Twists
Knives Out takes pains to show its viewers that its producers know the classic murder mystery genre. But the movie also successfully mixes the old and the new in its references, in its atmosphere, in its detecting methods, and in its relevant social “messaging.” The lectures on the movie spent some time contextualizing the traditional detective fiction aspects of the movie. Now consider ways in which Knives Out essentially announces itself as more uniquely rising out of the concerns occupying its contemporary audience.
Discussion Prompt: Knives Out
Choose ONE of the following topics, and start by presenting at least one or two pieces of relevant textual details. Then go on to explore the thematic significance of those details. That is, go beyond stating that these details point to a contemporary issue. Why might what gets said/depicted/discussed be important for our understanding of what the film’s producers wish to get across to its viewing audience?
A) Role of technology in the movie
B) References to contemporary social, political, or cultural issues in the movie
The response should be at least 150 Words before citations.
Requirements: At Least 150 Word Response Before Citations Times New Roman Size 12 Font Double-Spaced APA Format Excluding the Title and Reference Pages | .doc file
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