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While most people watch movies and enjoy them few people watch them to analyze and critic them. While there are a few theories to use in evaluating film one of the most common is neoformalism. The following will use neoformalism to analyze the 2018 film The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Before diving in to the analytical critique this piece will first provide the background of the film and broadly examine the previously mentioned film critic theory. Later, the examination will explore the three major aspects of neofomalism and how they relate to the mentioned film.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a 2018 film that is based on a novel of the same name by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows which was released in 2008. It was directed by Mike Newell and written by Don Roos and Tom Bezucha. This historical romantic-drama film is set shortly after WWII and explores England’s rebuilding after the German occupation (“The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.”). It follows young writer Juliet Ashton, played by Lily James, as she is connected with an island of Guernsey native, Dawsey Adams, played by Michiel Huisman and his accidental book club, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. After a few letters Juliet decides to travel to Guernsey to meet the members and listen to their stories. She quickly becomes fascinated by the story of the missing member Elizabeth McKenna, played by Jessica Brown Findlay, and helps the group solve the mystery of her disappearance after her arrest by German Soldiers. This film explores the themes of love and effects after the war in way that is different from most post WWII films.
Neoformalism is a cognitive theory that uses dominant devices, motivation and motif to interpret film. It derived from the work of David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson and is based on the idea that art is meant to defamiliarize the audience. This theory is dependent on an active audience and the entirety of the film is determined by what the viewers think of it. The goal of the filmmakers should be to make the audience rethink an idea or topic. In this particular theory there are three parts to consider. The first is the dominant. This is the main theme of the story and is the moral of the story. This dominant theme can be found by analyzing a films devices, motivations, and plot structure (Littlejohn).
The first element used to critic a film with neoformalism is by analyzing its devices. They are important in understanding the overall message and dominant theme of the film. Using the devices of audio and aesthetics filmmakers potray the film in hopes the audience finds meaning and connection to it. The themes of this film vary from romance to adjusting to life after the war. While both are extremely prominent, they present themselves in much different ways.
The audio in this film is telling throughout. When Juliet slides her ring across the table to end her engagement with Mark, it makes a terrible screeching noise. This noise is symbolic of the unfortunate elements that led to their demise and the obvious conclusion that Juliet is not in love with Mark. Audio is used again when Juliet begins writing for the first time since leaving Guernsey. When she decides to write a manuscript for the society about their story the filmmakers combined crazy typewriter clicking noises with upbeat instrumental music to symbolize the rebirth of her writing.
This film is very aesthetically pleasing. The opening scene shows the society walking through Guernsey in the dark. With the bright sky full of stars and dark silhouettes of the society members it is clear from the beginning of the film that aesthetics, feel, and capturing the beauty of the island were all priorities of the filmmakers. Throughout the film beautiful scenes are captured in a much different way than most. It is shot slower and with intention to reflect the simplicity of life on the island. A prime example of this is when Kit and Juliet are playing in the meadow by the water. It is here that viewers see, for the first time, how truly at peace and happy Juliet is in Guernsey. The theme of love is seen well towards the end of the movie when we see Juliet cleaning all of the dead flowers out of her bedroom to signify the cleansing of her soul after she ends her engagement to Mark.
Throughout this film the motivation is to not only tell the story of the society and even of Elizabeth’s heartbreaking disappearance but it is also about Juliet’s growth. The compositional aspect of this film does a marvelous job of showing the post war unity that steamed from the mutual heartbreak and loss the English experienced after the German Occupation. It is clear in the film that the residents of Guernsey felt mistreated and ignored in the repair of England. It is shown throughout the film that the film felt the government was grossly favoring the rebuilding of the main land and because of that even members of the society saw Juliet differently in the beginning. It was not until they learned of her loss that it became clear to them that although she came from privilege and wealth her experience of the war was not that different from the people on the island. This is where the realistic aspect of the film is most prevalent. While most viewers can not relate to post WWII specifically, they can relate to that feeling of connection and understanding of others. Most of all this film is filled with transtextual meaning. The entire movie is based on this literary society that uses books to cope with the German occupation. The last aspect of motivation is artistic. This is the element where we see the voice of the film maker. We see this in a variety of scenes described in the discussion of aesthetics. This film is different and the slow beauty in each scene is the best example of that.
The last part of neofomalism is the analysis of motif. This element describes plot actions as stair -steps and that is how the storyline continues and the characters develop. Furthermore, these actions can be separated into two parts. The first is landing otherwise described as the free motif and the second is the riser which is known as a bound motif (Bakken). In this film the bound motifs, the actions that move the story along to the end, are the big moments. These specific points include, Juliet receiving Dawsey’s first letter, Juliet deciding to travel to Guernsey, Mark showing up in Guernsey, Juliet writing about the society and ending her engagement to Mark and lastly Dawsey arriving in London. In contrast the free motif elements are just as important. This includes the small but special moments like the relationship Juliet shares with Sidney, the relationship Juliet builds with Isola and the story’s dedication to Kit. While all of these moments are small, they are special to the character development and overall theme of the film.
In conclusion The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is an exquisite film that beautifully tells a story of life after the war and epic love. It use of audio throughout the film is a tribute to the calmness the citizens were feeling after the madness of the war and the aesthetics of this film portrayed Guernsey beautifully. The many specific examples of audio and aesthetic were crucial in presenting the themes well and contributing to the overall motif. The motivations of the film are large factors of its overall beauty and story telling powers. In all The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a film that is soundly critiqued by neofomalism and shows the elements of the theory thoroughly.
Works Cited
Bakken, Virgil. “Film Theory & Criticism .” Lecture Videos. BSU, 20 Mar. 2021, Bemidji, MN.
“The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 19 Apr. 2018, www.imdb.com/title/tt1289403/.
Littlejohn, Stephen W., et al. Theories of Human Communication. Weveland Press, 2017.