Research paper
Breaking Away Analysis
Breaking Away is a coming of age film about four high-school graduates and their bigger than life dreams. The tale evokes the feeling of being set adrift in the wonderful summer and autumnal tones of Bloomington, Indiana. The story follows young Dave Stohler in his quest to become a world-renowned cyclist. Surrounded by his quirky friends Mike, Cyril, and Moocher, also known as “cutters,” Dave is able to transcend the obstacles he faces and triumph in the local Little 500. Throughout the award-winning masterpiece, producer Peter Yates and cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti are able to capture heart-warming and disastrous moments with their use of distinct camera movements, angles, and frames. To begin, when meeting the characters for the first time, long shots and eye level angles are used to portray a “life” size figures that are easily relatable. The adolescent men come to life on screen because of the precise way the director creates a relationship between the camera and the object being photographed. The angles and shots portray emotional information to the audience and guide our judgment about the townies and the gownies. These personal images give us the sense that we too are like the cutters and help us build an emotional connection that will further dramatize scenes. With the incredible acting of Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quad, Daniel Stern, Jackie Haley and many others, Breaking Away comes to life. Continuing, after the climactic scene where Dave’s dreams are shattered by the ruthless Italian cyclist, cinematographer Leonetti does a masterful job of depicting the insignificance of the boys with an extreme birds-eye view of the town. This godlike position relays to the audience that there is a larger scheme of things and that the problems being faced by the actors are in reality petty. Finally, in the closing scenes of the film the action rises to an apex. As the quartet battle in the Little 500, audience members are
Breaking Away is a coming of age film about four high-school graduates and their bigger than life dreams. The tale evokes the feeling of being set adrift in the wonderful summer and autumnal tones of Bloomington, Indiana. The story follows young Dave Stohler in his quest to become a world-renowned cyclist. Surrounded by his quirky friends Mike, Cyril, and Moocher, also known as “cutters,” Dave is able to transcend the obstacles he faces and triumph in the local Little 500. Throughout the award-winning masterpiece, producer Peter Yates and cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti are able to capture heart-warming and disastrous moments with their use of distinct camera movements, angles, and frames. To begin, when meeting the characters for the first time, long shots and eye level angles are used to portray a “life” size figures that are easily relatable. The adolescent men come to life on screen because of the precise way the director creates a relationship between the camera and the object being photographed. The angles and shots portray emotional information to the audience and guide our judgment about the townies and the gownies. These personal images give us the sense that we too are like the cutters and help us build an emotional connection that will further dramatize scenes. With the incredible acting of Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quad, Daniel Stern, Jackie Haley and many others, Breaking Away comes to life. Continuing, after the climactic scene where Dave’s dreams are shattered by the ruthless Italian cyclist, cinematographer Leonetti does a masterful job of depicting the insignificance of the boys with an extreme birds-eye view of the town. This godlike position relays to the audience that there is a larger scheme of things and that the problems being faced by the actors are in reality petty. Finally, in the closing scenes of the film the action rises to an apex. As the quartet battle in the Little 500, audience members are