Mis-en-Scene

Almost Famous

Although this wasn't my first choice in this assignment. I feel this is a great scene with a lot of symbolism that depicts rock and roll music. Some of that symbolism goes deeper than eye level.
Penny Lane is the name of Kate Hudson's character which links back to the Beatles song. Her character is suppose to be the spirit of rocking roll. She is a free spirited character that "listens to the wind of her soul". She is dancing in an empty auditorium as the morning sun shines through the windows after a party had taken place. To me this is the party the affect that rock n roll had on our society. Then I feel another connection takes place. The highlight of this movie is when the band is singing Tiny Dancer on the bus. The line "as she makes her stand in that auditorium" sounds like the "death rattle" that Lester Bangs is talking about earlier in the movie. It reminds me of a child not yet ready to leave a party. The last dance. Cat Stevens song The Wind is playing which I feel is a good fit because it has a sense of depression as things might come to an end, but optimistic at the same time we might move on to the next thing that life has planned for us.
This is said to be Cameron Crowe's favorite scene in the movie. It is hard to say that John Toll should get the credit for the framing of the scene because this movie is loosely based on Cameron Crowe's own experience as a rock journalist following bands such as the Eagles when he was 15 years old.

Director: Cameron Crowe
Director of Photography: John Toll
Set Decorator: Robert Greenfield