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Lecture 14:Lecture 14:Breaking the EnvelopeBreaking the Envelope

Professor Daniel Cutrara

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)Charlie Kaufman (screenplay)

Previous Lesson

• Who they are and What do they want?– Marketing to the

buyer

• How do you make it stronger?– Development Notes

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This Lesson

• Merging Genres• Breaking the

Envelope in The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

• Assignments

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Merging GenresMerging Genres

Lesson 14: Part I

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Fluid Genres

• Action, Sci-Fi, Western, Drama, Comedy, Thriller, Horror, Adventure, Romance.– Think Dark Knight

• Chase scenes• Romance• Abilities

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Genres in Eternal Sunshine

• Drama, Sci-Fi Romantic Comedy – Love Story– Complex

characters and relationships

– Memory erasure

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Eternal Sunshine Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindof the Spotless Mind

Lesson 14: Part II

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BackstoryBackstory

• The Director– Michel Gondry, second feature film, previous

work music videos. Brings his image manipulation techniques.

• The Writer– Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich,

Adaptation, Human Nature– for Michel Gondry.

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Breaking the EnvelopeBreaking the Envelope

• Academy Award, 2004– Best Original

Screenplay– Story by Charlie

Kaufman, Michel Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth

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Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth

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The Concept

• A love story told through memory.

• Begins after the break up as opposed to the typical Romantic Comedy

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Characters

• Atypical Characters- Both “Losers”

• Joel Barish– Overwhelming

shyness, afraid to risk

• Clementine Kruczynski– Impulsive, addict

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Wants and Needs

• Joel Barish– Wants security, needs a

relationship, must accept the riskiness of being with Clementine.

• Clementine Kruczynski– Wants the thrills of life,

needs a relationship, must accept the ordinary with Joel.

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The Structure

• Labyrinthine- like our memories– Places us in the shoes of the characters

• Narrative begins at the end of Act Two– Joel and Clem meet as if for the first time

• Narrative rupture at the end of the first sequence.– Sudden jump to night as Joel weeps.

Meeting for the “First Time”

• Pause the Lecture and watch the first clip from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.– How is the tone established?– Are the genres clearly telegraphed?– What is the irony on the second viewing?

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Breaking Rules

• Slow, serious beginning, unlike Romantic Comedy more like drama.

• Sci-Fi element not yet introduced.

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The irony– they connect quickly. Because they normally would? Because they connected before? Because they are needy?

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Act Two

• Act Two recounts relationship backwards as memories erased.– Joel chooses to save her– They work together as a

team– “Clem” shares Joel’s

most traumatic moments.

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Breaking Time

• Pause the Lecture and watch the second clip from The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.– Who and when are the characters in this

scene?

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Breaking Time (Cont’d)

• Joel remembering in voiceover, and in the memory.

• Joel in the memory• Joel’s construct of

Clem.• Clem in Joel’s

memory.

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Subplots

• “Subplots should be spawned by, intersect with, and resolved by the main storyline.” Garfinkel

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Triangles

• Patrick and Clementine– His impersonation

affects her

• Stan, Mary, and Dr. Mierzwiak– Her reaction leads to

tapes distributed

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Act Three

• Building toward a dramatic resolution.

• Subplots pay off.• Joel and Clem must

face the uncertainty and pain of a future relationship.

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The Drama

• Pause the Lecture and watch the third clip from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.– What they record is what people think but

generally don’t say in relationships.

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The Resolution

• A dramatic commitment, not to happily ever after, but to a relationship that will demand work and forgiveness.

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From Script to Screen

• Trimming Naomi– Scenes with Joel’s previous girlfriend cut.– She is cut prior to Joel meeting Clem and

after he has Clem erased he briefly hooks up with her.

– The effect: keeping the focus, telling what is essential in a given amount of time, and strengthening the destiny aspect.

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The Theme

• Love is inevitable

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Themes

• Destiny, Fate– A romantic interpretation

• Identity, Memory, Love– Exploring how memory functions in

relationship to who we are. – The intersection of love and being.

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AssignmentsAssignments

Lesson 14: Part IV

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

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E-Board Post #1E-Board Post #1

• Approximately 200 words. Answer the critique posted for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

• Comment on two of your peers.

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End of Lecture 14End of Lecture 14

Next Lecture:

Where to go from here

Bowfinger (1999)