Big+Fish+(2003)

The main character of Big Fish, Edward Bloom, is a dying old man who loves to tell unrealistic life stories, especially the story of him catching a big fish on the day his son was born. Edward wants to create extravagant stories to change some events in his life that didn’t turn out the way he wanted or left him regrets, and to make his life into the legend that he wants it to be.
 * Plot (what does the character want):**

**Theme (what does the character need):** Because Edward’s stories are so unbelievable, his relationship with his son actually falls apart and they stopped speaking to each other for three years. Edward’s son, Will, feels that Edward has told him nothing but lies, and that they are just strangers. What Edward needs is for Will to understand him. He also needs to mend the bond between him and his son. The evolving father-son relationship is one of the major themes of this movie (Edward doesn’t have to be the one that changes, Will can also be the one that comes to understand him and change as well).


 * Scene: when Will tells what he thinks is the story of his dad’s death **

1. **Editing: match-cut.** In Will’s story of his father’s death, after he puts Edward into the river, the next shot cuts underwater, showing the big fish swimming around. The big fish is a huge recurring motif and can symbolize many things. In this shot, the big fish represents Edward himself, who becomes the big fish after he dies. He becomes his stories and becomes spiritually immortal. This also points to another theme of this movie, which is the purpose of storytelling. Edward had told his story so many times that he himself became his stories, and is passed on forever. This match-cut ties with the beginning of the film when Edward caught a big fish: His son’s birth was his big fish, and now he’s his son’s big fish. This indicates how Will now truly understands Edward, and that their relationship is stronger than ever.

2. **Mise-en-scene: everything from the past** In this scene everyone and everything that appeared in Edward’s story reappears. His old red charger, the giant, the twin sisters, the witch, the poet... even the cheerleaders in Edward’s highschool are there. Will’s wife took off Edward’s shoes and threw them into the air like what people in the Town of Spectre did. When this happened to young Edward, his ambitions only pushed him further away from this comfort zone and into his journey. But now, this indicates a stopping point. Everyone’s presence represent Edward’s journey coming to a full circle, and that his life is now fulfilled. Because this story is told by Will, everyone’s presence also represent Will coming to embrace his father’s stories. This signifies the father-son relationship between Edward and Will, as Will is able to end the story of Edward’s life the way he wants it to, and believe in the unreal characters.

3. **L****ighting: cold vs warm** The lighting, especially when Will just began the story, forms a strong contrast with the lighting of the actual hospital room. When Will starts the story, the hospital room suddenly becomes warmly lit with key light. But the shots then cut back and forth from the story to the reality. In the actual hospital room, the light is lit with cold and dark fill light. This draws to what I think is another major theme of this movie - fantasy vs. reality. The fantasy is exciting and momentous, while the reality can be cold and dull. However, fantasy is created from reality, and this contrast again shows the significance of storytelling.



4. **Music: non-diegetic background music** As Will starts his story, a cheerful background music begins. The music then accelerates and gets more intense as Will and Edward run out of the hospital. It then continues throughout the whole scene. The music here makes the scene vivid and lively, giving it a joyful and comedic mood. Whenever the shots cut back to reality, the music becomes silent. When the shots cut to the story, the music goes back up. This relates to the theme of the purpose of storytelling. As the music made Will’s story come alive, it shows how a story can change a solemn reality into something joyful and ultimately fulfilling.

5. **S****ound: diegetic, will narrates the story** Another significant sound in this scene is Will’s voice as he narrates the story. Throughout the whole movie, Edward narrated his stories by himself. Even after he narrates them, Will does not believe that they are true. By having Will narrate the last story of his life, the two finally come back together after all the misunderstandings and conflicts that they’ve had. This also represents that Will is now taking his father’s place, and that he will carry on Edward’s legends by starting his very first and Edward’s very last story.

6. **Cinematography: Wide shot** When Will brings Edward down into the river, there is a wide shot of the entire scene. This shot shows the full setting and surrounding of where the action is taking place - the river where the big fish was caught by Edward. As Edward gets closer to the river, the shot shows everyone else standing on the river bank, staying behind. This again portrays the spiritual immortality of Edward - although he is dying, his stories live on forever. The shot shows that the only people in the river are him, Will and his wife Sandra. This also suggest that everyone’s big fish is different - it is what fulfills our lives. For Edward, his family is his big fish, the ultimate boon of his life.

7. **Cinematography: Close-up shot** This scene used many close-up shots, especially of Will and Edward in reality. The use of close-ups in this scene effectively shows the characters’ inner emotions. The close up on Edward’s face in reality when Will tells the story shows the power and purpose of storytelling. Although he is dying, his eyes are shining with tears and hope, and he is smiling weakly. This shows how he is finally fulfilled from finally achieving what he needs - his son’s understanding. The close-ups on Will’s face show a transition of how he first starts off unsure and hesitant towards how to tell the story, but slowly grows more and more confident. When he gets to the end, he tells the story with an expression like he’s seeing the story happen in front of him. The close-up thus serves as a close-up of the transition in Will and how he comes to understand his father.

8. **Mise-en-scene: wedding ring** When Edward sees his wife in the river, he takes his wedding ring off and gives it to her. Earlier in the movie, Edward told the story of how he caught the big fish with his wedding ring. By giving his ring to Sandra, Edward is suggesting that he already got the big fish, and doesn’t need this to attract any other fish anymore. The ring here thus represents the eternal love between Edward and Sandra.

9. **Cinematography: medium shot** The medium shot in the hospital room shows Edward lying on bed and Will next to him, telling him his story. This resembles how when Will was a child Edward would sit next to his bed and tell him stories of his life. This shot shows how Edward and Will’s relationship now comes to a full circle, and that Will is now playing the role his father used to play. This suggests both character growth and the development of their father-son relationship to the fullest. 10. **Mise-en-scene: costume** The clothing that everyone’s wearing is exactly the same as what they wore when they met Edward. Unlike Edward himself who is aged and old, everyone else is still young like before. This shows that everyone is honoring Edward and his legacy, and that they all came specifically from Edward’s stories. This is also a fusion of reality and fantasy. Edward’s life is now complete as his son tells the story of him reuniting with everyone and him going to where he belongs. Although fantasy and reality are different things, they can still become one.