Reading Log #5

Letter From An Unknown Woman (1948) By Max Ophuls is complemented with particular styles of editing techniques that contribute to its narratives. For example, blurred dissolves are used to indicate the character’s mental subjectivity. These blurred dissolves are used often as the story is based on a written experience of a character, the unknown woman who wrote the letter.

The Kuleshov effect is pointed out in the reading. It is about editing shots consequently that viewers’ readings are affected by its position. We would infer that a person is hungry in the shot followed by a shot of food.

Where can we see the Kuleshov Effect in the Letter From An Unknown Woman?

• A shot of Lisa swinging and then picking through a window followed by a shot of a man playing piano.

This juxtaposition of the two shots suggests that Lisa is watching the man playing the piano through the window. If there were only one shot of following Lisa’s point of view to the man, it would have a different effect and it is also more time and space consuming.

• The miniature train ride at the park, where both Lisa and the man sat inside. This shot followed by the man coming out the train ride to buy more tickets.

This effect seems that inside what is inside the train ride from outside view. But it may be that these two shots are taken in different places or time.