Bereford\'s Double Jeopardy Double Jeopardy an Analysis

¶ … BEREFORD'S DOUBLE JEOPARDY

Double Jeopardy

An Analysis of Bruce Bereford's Double Jeopardy

Introduction to Film

Professor Kim Elliott-White

Double Jeopardy

Double Jeopardy (1999) is a thriller by Austrailian director Bruce Bereford, which stars Ashley Judd as Elizabeth "Libby" Parsons, a woman wrongly accused of murdering her husband, Bruce Greenwood as Nicholas "Nick" Parsons/Simon Ryder/Jonathan Devereaux, Libby's husband, and Tommy Lee Jones, as Travis Lehman, a former law professor who is Libby's parole officer and eventually helps her to reunite with her son, Matty, and clear her name. Bereford's previous directorial successes include Academy Award winning Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Black Robe (1991), and Tender Mercies (1984), his first U.S. feature, which earned him his first and only Academy Award Nomination for Best Director to date. Despite these early and criticial successes, Double Jeopardy (1999) was critically panned and was referred to as "not a successful thriller, but with some nice dramatic scenes along with the dumb mystery and contrived conclusion" by Roger Ebert (1999) when it was first released. Double Jeopardy (1999) relies heavily on a contrived narrative and the successes of its star actors, but fails to highlight Beresford's abilities as a director, which results in an easily forgettable, generic film.

Storytelling

Double Jeopardy (1999) is the story of a Libby and how she was framed by her husband, who at the same time, faked his own death, assumed another identity, and abducted her son. Her alleged best friend, Angela Green, played by Annabeth Gish, conspired with Libby's husband to rid themselves of Libby. Nick is able to successfully carry out his plan by disappearing without a trace from the boat he and Libby were on in the middle of the night whilst Libby slept and by calling 911 and claiming that his wife was attacking him, which prompted the police to arrive to the boat as Libby woke up and was searching for her husband. As a result of her husband's successful scheme, Libby was found guilty of murder and sent to prison, where she almost immediately befriended two other female inmates that would help to provide her with the emotional and psychological support she needs to make it to her parole, and subsequently, track down her conniving husband. The narrative of this film unfolds in chronological order over the course of more or less six years. The exact time that has passed is not easily determined because there are no indications of how much time passed between the time Libby's husband faked his death, to the determination that he was dead -- since no body was recovered -- to how long she waited for her case to go to trial. Furthermore, no indication is given that Libby has been incarcerated for six years besides a mention by Libby claiming that she cannot believe that it has been six years since she was incarcerated (Double Jeopardy, 1999). The film is devoid of any literary elements that would serve to create a secondary meaning, nor does it serve as an allegory. The narrative plot is simple in construct and is predictable. Furthermore, it rehashes the trope of a mysterious disappearance or death at sea and the trope of an individual that is wrongfully accused and will do anything to clear his or her name.

Acting/Characters

The characters in Double Jeopardy (1999) are difficult to find credible, however, it is not because they have been miscast or bad actors, but because the film fails to demonstrate or emphasize their acting range. Judd had previously been cast as a strong female lead in Kiss the Girls (1997) in which she played an intern who had been kidnapped and must fight for her life. While Bereford may have been able to recapture Judd's performance as a strong female who fights against her oppressor and manages to triumph, thereby restoring balance and achieving justice. However, Judd's performance falls flat because the narrative does not provide her with the tools necessary to be a compelling character. Libby is portrayed as a happily married, beautiful woman -- until she is not, who inexplicably has everything she needs handed to her; she immediately befriends a former attorney in jail who helps to introduce her to the concept of double jeopardy and a man who helps her to conduct an Internet search on Angela Green without her asking for help. Moreover, Libby is able to travel from Washington to Colorado to Louisiana with no apparent access to money or the necessary resources needed to travel across the country, especially since Libby was a fugitive and had violated the conditions of her parole (Double Jeopardy, 1999). Similarly, Jones appears to have been cast as Lehman based on his previous successes as a no-nonsense, law enforcement agent in his previous two films, U.S. Marshalls (1998) and Men In Black (1997). In Double Jeopardy (1999), Lehman assumes a similar role as in his previous two works; like in U.S. Marshalls, Jones is tracking an escaped convicted criminal -- although out on parole -- across the country based on the clues she leaves behind and helps her to restore judicial balance. Although, Lehman is supposed to have been conflicted and haunted by his past, his character is too two-dimensional to allow for Jones to grow as an individual, to be transformed from a no-nonsense parole officer to someone who believes Libby is innocent of murdering her husband.

Cinematography/Visual Style/Mise-En-Scene

Double Jeopardy (1999) lacks any real significant attributes that allow Beresford to differentiate the film from other films. Beresford's visual style is very direct and only depicts what the narrative requires. Although the film does not rely on visual style to help to propel the narrative forward, one of the most stylistic scenes is depicted when Libby is on trial for her husband's murder. These scene is dimly lit and, for the most part, devoid of natural light, save for a wall of venetian blinds situated behind the jury that allows natural light to shine through, which produces a lighting effect similar to the ones found in film noir. The courtroom itself is dimly lit with table lamps and light fixtures on the wall providing minimal amounts of light. While the courtroom is supposed to create a feeling of intimidation, and while the lighting attempts to create a confining environment, the room itself, and depiction thereof, is too open and creates a dischord between what is occurring and what Libby is supposed to feel. Despite the confinement that Libby is supposed to experience in prison, it is not possible to convey this feeling to the audience because of the liberties that Libby is afforded. She is not imprisoned within an individual cell, but rather is shown to be confined to a prison where women are not given individual cells but rather forced to sleep in barrack-like wings. Furthermore, she is given the freedom to work in the kitchen, to be a hair stylist, and to be in the prison yard regardless of the weather. Additionally, scene composition does not vary greatly and attempts to force the viewer to focus on static characters in a predictable narrative without adding an element of surpise or any allure to the film

Editing

Within a film, editing is supposed to guide the narrative and help the director fulfill his vision. The editing of the film transitions from one scene to the next without varying the length of sequence or the shots used, thus creating a consistent pace that does not change during climaxes or plot shifts. Double Jeopardy (1999) exclusively presents the events of the film from a third person perspective, the audience's point-of-view, and does not provide subjective points-of-view. There is a clear disconnect between the film and the audience as no attempt is made to integrate the audience into the narrative. The audience is simply a bystander, watching what happens from the outside

Sound

Sound is often used in film to help enhance the action, tone, or mood. Sound can be diegetic, which means that it is part of the film's action. In Double Jeopardy (1999), the majority of the sound in the film is diegetic and helps to emphasize the action of the film. Significant uses of diegetic music occurs in Libby's third leg of her search for her husband and child. In this part of the narrative, Libby has found her way to New Orleans and live jazz music, at a banquet and at a funeral, are used to create an atmosphere often associated with the city. However, there are a handful of instances in which non-diegetic sound is used in an attempt to enhance the tone or mood of a particular scene. The first instance of non-diegetic sound occurs towards the beginning of the film when Nick informs Libby that he has just bought a yacht and that they are going to take a trip shortly. The music in this sequence is supposed to invoke feelings of bliss and pleasure, and is supposed to convey to the audience that Libby and her husband are happy together, which will later prove to be untrue. A second significant use of non-diegetic sound occurs after Libby is released on parole and when she first witness what happens to individuals that violate the terms of their parole. As Libby contemplates and reminisces about her son, and while Lehman is in a bar drinking as though he wants to drown his sorrows despite him doing his job, music plays over these sequences to convey feelings of contemplation and reflection on the choices and desires the characters have made. The third instance of non-diegetic sound used to create or establish mood occurs at the end of the film as Libby is finally reunited with her son, Matty. Music in this last sequence is intended to arouse feelings of happiness and relief. Because non-diegetic sound is used almost exclusively in these three instance, and because the music does not vary in tone or style, it does not create the effect the director intended it to, but instead is jarring because they seem out of place.

Style and Directing

It is difficult to determine what Beresford's purpose was in making Double Jeopardy (1999) aside from the fact that, as Ebert (1999) remarks, "This movie was made primarily in the hopes that it would gross millions and millions of dollars, which probably explains most of the things that are wrong with it." Beresford does not inject the film with personal directorial trademarks, or at least none are obvious, and appears to only want to depict as much as is necessary on the screen to relay the film's story. Paradoxically, Bereford was once considered to be an innovative director and part of the Austrailian New Wave movement (Hale, 2013). Films of this movement shared an "old-fashioned approach to storytelling, a straight-ahead narrative style" and "also shared a vitality, a love of open spaces and a propensity for sudden violence and languorous sexuality that may have reminded Americans of their own new wave, the Hollywood-maverick period of the late 1960s and early '70s that had just about run its course" (Hale, 2013). However, Beresford, does not appear to integrate any of these characteristics into Double Jeopardy (1999) besides a "straight-ahead narrative style," which ultimately makes the narrative appear dry and uninspired. Furthermore, Beresford is known for his period pieces and small-scale dramas (Bruce Beresford, n.d.); Double Jeopardy (1999) is neither.

Societal Impact

Double Jeopardy (1999) attempts to bring attention to the concept of double jeopardy as outlined in the United States' Constitution that prevents an individual from being tried for the same crime twice. Furthermore, the film attempts to bring attention to the flaws in the U.S. judicial system by dramatizing a gross miscarriage of justice. Despite this attempt, Beresford fails at depicting the concept correctly and leads the audience to assume that Libby would get away with murdering her husband as she has already been found guilty of the charge, however, he fails to realize that murdering her husband would cause new charges to be filed against her, thus voiding the double jeopardy clause.

Genre

Double Jeopardy (1999) can be categorized as a thriller or suspense film that lso incorporates elements of mystery and melodrama. Double Jeopardy (1999) can be considered a thriller or suspense film because it attempts to invoke feelings of intense excitement (Dirks, n.d.). The audience is drawn into Libby's world and is by her side as she tracks down her husband, not knowing what will happen next. Double Jeopardy (1999) also incorporates elements of a mystery film as Libby uses a variety of resources and clue to track down her former best friend, Ashley, and her husband. By assuming the role of investigator, Libby is able to find her husband and bring the injustice done to her to light. Lehman also assumes the role of investigator as he tracks down Libby. Unlike Libby, Lehman is acting as an investigator within the law as he is a parole officer, which can be considered to be a type of law enforcement officer. Additionally, Double Jeopardy (1999) can be considered to be a melodrama because of its "unrealistic, pathos-filled" narrative that enables the audience to sympathize with Libby and support her endeavors (Dirks, n.d.). As a melodrama, Double Jeopardy (1999) appeals to a female audience through its strong female lead, and woman centric narrative. Moreover, the film exploits the mother-child relationship and makes the audience want to see the family reunited, which eventually occurs at the end.