This week, we’re taking a look at five different scenes in which characters hang upside down. I’m sure there’s some bigger philosophical point to be made about inversion as in Alice in Wonderland, about the ways in which hanging upside down represents helplessness–to the ideal of beauty? to a torturer? to love?–for the characters, or possibly even the inherent physical comedy of characters in this ridiculous position. But out of sheer laziness, I will be pursuing none of those arguments in this blog post.
1. Jungle Book (HU DVD 6643)
This scene with Kaa has Mowgli hanging all kinds of ways, and it is so artfully animated that I remember it frame for frame. Insanely well executed animation to produce this very humorous example.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (HU DVD 6047)
It happens so fast in the movies that you might miss it, but one of the ways James bullies Severus is with the jinx Levicorpus:
3. Spiderman (HU DVD 7121)
The kiss. You know the one.
4. American Gigolo (HU DVD 4640)
Apparently this movie established Giorgio Armani in Hollywood, but I see no Armani in this scene. I’ve watched it several times. For research.
5. Django Unchained (HU DVD 6208)
This scene is so horrible I can’t even watch it.
Happy viewing!