Expressive movement unit 1

The contrast between a sick/militarily disciplined and healthy/civilian body on the one hand and the contrasting image of the military hierarchy on the other hand is staged in the interplay of acting – gestures, facial expressions and speech – and camera – framing and editing.

The contrast between Purckett and Ramirez is conveyed in their different bodily appearances: Purckett's outer-directed, large movements and Ramirez’s self-directed movement. While Purckett talks a lot, loudly and quickly, smiling without making eye contact (and moving his mouth a lot because he’s chewing gum), with one hand on his belt and the other on the propeller, Ramirez turns away from the camera and moves very little (supporting his head every once in a while), leaning most of his body on the propeller and working with a minimum of hand movements. Gestures, facial expression and speech thus create a contrast of expansion and contraction:

The difference in their corporeality, between healthy and ill, is clearly brought forth when Purckett taps Ramirez in a friendly manner and Ramirez drops his tool. His steady blinking functions as a sign of his illness, whereby the lighting emphasizes the sweat on his face. 

The dichotomic image of Purcket and Ramirez within one frame is juxtaposed by the figure of Lieutenant Bently who stands across from them in uniform – healthy and militarily firm – edited as an opposite in light of the difference in hierarchy. While Lieutenant Bently gives orders to move, Purckett and Ramirez remain framed together, united despite their bodily differences in their shared relationship to Bently.