Child of the Long Take: Alfonso Cuaron's Film Aesthetics in the Shadow of Globalization

Abstract

Abstract Alfonso Cuaron's 2006 film, Children of Men, not only suggests that the economic pressures on contemporary Hollywood directors differ little from those in the studio era, it also suggests that film style in the age of globalization is not as homogenized as many fear. The long take is the most prominent feature in Children of Men, including many which are digitally contrived. Lofty reasons by the filmmakers are given for these long takes, but there are more pedestrian reasons behind this. Other examples past and present suggest that often the long take serves the needs of both filmmakers and their producers, at least for awhile. Cuaron himself paid his dues over the years with more generic films, and is now making a bold auteurist declaration with these long takes. The question remains whether the economics of Hollywood will allow him to continue.

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