Film, like most forms of media, is an illusion. They are pictures in motion acting as a facsimile of reality. I noticed on my first viewing of Civil War something that momentarily broke this illusion in a way that I have yet to see discussed in depth elsewhere online. Im referring to the passage of time and how a few of Civil Wars lighting and costuming choices may have inadvertently disoriented the audience respective to time. The scenes in question begin with Peggy Carters Funeral and extend all the way to Buckys capture in Bucharest. These scenes comprise the most narratively dense segments of the entire film, and though I have no doubt it was meticulously drafted, shot, and edited, a major problem seems to have slipped under the eyes of the Russo brothers. Time does not seem to change. To make understanding what I mean easier, here is a brief timeline of events and locations:
London Peggys Funeral - Natasha and Steve
Peggys funeral begins with a giant title card filling the screen telling the audience they are now in London. As is typical of England weather, the sky is overcast and it is somewhat difficult to discern the actual time of day. However, considering what follows immediately afterwards, lets assume that this is a grey London morning on which Peggy Carter is being laid to rest. The cathedral through which Steve carries Peggys casket is lit with beautiful natural light filtering in through both clear and stained glass windows. Its obviously daytime.
Following the eulogy, we immediately cut to Steve standing alone in that same cathedral. Natasha makes her way down the pews towards him, not only to comfort him but also to let him know that her visit is a pit stop before she makes her way to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. Note what Steve is wearing.
Vienna Accords Signing // London Sharon and Steve
Another title card and suddenly were in Vienna. The day looks like its just beginning. TChalla directs his gaze through giant glass windows before being approached by Natasha. This is where the first red flag went off for me. For those unaware, Vienna is east of London and located in the heart of central Europe. Commercial flight times between the two cities clock in at about 2hrs. While Natasha is undoubtedly flying in a private jet, likely a super advanced quinjet of Tony Starks making, she would still have had to travel from the London cathedral back to the airstrip, fly, land, and make her way to the location of the signing. Private jets can be slightly faster than commercial airlines but even so, its highly unlikely that her entire travel time is less than 2-3hrs. But why does it look like its still morning? Even if we ignore the geographical constraints of flying east from London and how that alone would put you later in the day, the sun should still have moved across the sky as Natasha traveled to Vienna and yet it has not. The sun appears to be suspended in the sky.
This detail in isolation would be an incredibly minor nitpick - a fumble that should have been caught but not beyond what our subconscious is willing to swallow to enjoy a movie. The film continues and Zemo bombs the UN summit. As the dust settles, we cut back to London where Steve, still in his funeral clothes, is escorting Sharon Carter through a hotel lobby back to her room. Its not clear how much time has passed at first glance but its hard to ignore the sunlight pouring in through the windows. Once theyre informed of the bombing, the viewer can infer by the news reports that the story is only just now breaking. Sharon tells Steve she has to go to work and *BOOM!* were in Vienna again.
Vienna Bombing Aftermath
As paramedics and cleanup crew comb the area, Natasha receives a phone call from Steve who is now in Vienna. How in the world did Steve get there so fast? And theres that damn sun again, shining bright as ever. Now is when the time distortion starts to become significantly disorienting. The passage of time is not something that is often directed straight to the viewer. Most commonly we see subtle cues that clue in our subconscious to the fact that time is moving forward. The casting of shadows will change, clocks may appear in the background, scenes alternate between day and night, etc. Its basic filmmaking that few people actively notice but easily internalize if done right. The making of Civil War was a colossal endeavor costing hundreds of millions of dollars to produce and yet the seemingly benign detail of daylight changes was completely missed in editing.
Bucharest - Bucky Identified
The disorientating effect is further exacerbated by the next scene which cuts to Bucky in Bucharest. Again, it is at latest around midday. Bucky spots someone giving him the side eye in the marketplace and finds a picture of himself plastered on a newspaper. Clearly this isnt the same day as the UN bombing but you would never have known that judging by the scene changes and the static lighting. While objects like newspapers, clocks, or calendars can effectively clue in the audience that time is moving forward, changes in daylight are the easiest to detect. The lighting is telling us one thing, the newspaper another, and even though the viewer can acknowledge that this is likely not the same day, coming to that conclusion requires an unnecessary step.
The importance of avoiding these kinds of extra steps in filmmaking cannot be understated if the illusion of film is to be maintained. Civil Wars momentary lapse in timekeeping is eventually corrected and the film carries on without any further hiccups but this mistake in these moments end up causing more harm than one would think. The film is a packed 147 minutes long, and one of the more common complaints Ive noticed is that the pacing in the first act feels like a slog. This was not my impression any of the times I saw it during its theatrical run but I wanted to see if the criticism had any merit upon my first home viewing. What I noticed was the first act feels much more condensed than either of the two that follow but is neither incomprehensible or particularly boring. That being said, the sloppy use of lighting as we jump from location to location gives the latter half of the first act a rushed, disjointed feeling that is hard to shake. I noticed it the first time I saw the film and cant ignore it now that Im actively looking for flaws. The movie feels like its moving too quickly through these scenes because the lighting cues give the impression that it is all occurring on the same day, in close proximity, within the span of a few short hours. Our conscious brain can recognize with a little effort that hours to days have passed but our subconscious brain is telling us something completely different. The result is a feeling of unease that unfortunately distracts our subconscious, marring the experience and breaking the illusion.
- London Peggys Funeral
- London Natasha and Steve
- Vienna Accords Signing
- London Sharon and Steve
- Vienna Bombing Aftermath
- Bucharest Bucky Identified
- Bucharest - Buckys Capture
London Peggys Funeral - Natasha and Steve
Peggys funeral begins with a giant title card filling the screen telling the audience they are now in London. As is typical of England weather, the sky is overcast and it is somewhat difficult to discern the actual time of day. However, considering what follows immediately afterwards, lets assume that this is a grey London morning on which Peggy Carter is being laid to rest. The cathedral through which Steve carries Peggys casket is lit with beautiful natural light filtering in through both clear and stained glass windows. Its obviously daytime.
Following the eulogy, we immediately cut to Steve standing alone in that same cathedral. Natasha makes her way down the pews towards him, not only to comfort him but also to let him know that her visit is a pit stop before she makes her way to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. Note what Steve is wearing.
Vienna Accords Signing // London Sharon and Steve
Another title card and suddenly were in Vienna. The day looks like its just beginning. TChalla directs his gaze through giant glass windows before being approached by Natasha. This is where the first red flag went off for me. For those unaware, Vienna is east of London and located in the heart of central Europe. Commercial flight times between the two cities clock in at about 2hrs. While Natasha is undoubtedly flying in a private jet, likely a super advanced quinjet of Tony Starks making, she would still have had to travel from the London cathedral back to the airstrip, fly, land, and make her way to the location of the signing. Private jets can be slightly faster than commercial airlines but even so, its highly unlikely that her entire travel time is less than 2-3hrs. But why does it look like its still morning? Even if we ignore the geographical constraints of flying east from London and how that alone would put you later in the day, the sun should still have moved across the sky as Natasha traveled to Vienna and yet it has not. The sun appears to be suspended in the sky.
This detail in isolation would be an incredibly minor nitpick - a fumble that should have been caught but not beyond what our subconscious is willing to swallow to enjoy a movie. The film continues and Zemo bombs the UN summit. As the dust settles, we cut back to London where Steve, still in his funeral clothes, is escorting Sharon Carter through a hotel lobby back to her room. Its not clear how much time has passed at first glance but its hard to ignore the sunlight pouring in through the windows. Once theyre informed of the bombing, the viewer can infer by the news reports that the story is only just now breaking. Sharon tells Steve she has to go to work and *BOOM!* were in Vienna again.
Vienna Bombing Aftermath
As paramedics and cleanup crew comb the area, Natasha receives a phone call from Steve who is now in Vienna. How in the world did Steve get there so fast? And theres that damn sun again, shining bright as ever. Now is when the time distortion starts to become significantly disorienting. The passage of time is not something that is often directed straight to the viewer. Most commonly we see subtle cues that clue in our subconscious to the fact that time is moving forward. The casting of shadows will change, clocks may appear in the background, scenes alternate between day and night, etc. Its basic filmmaking that few people actively notice but easily internalize if done right. The making of Civil War was a colossal endeavor costing hundreds of millions of dollars to produce and yet the seemingly benign detail of daylight changes was completely missed in editing.
Bucharest - Bucky Identified
The disorientating effect is further exacerbated by the next scene which cuts to Bucky in Bucharest. Again, it is at latest around midday. Bucky spots someone giving him the side eye in the marketplace and finds a picture of himself plastered on a newspaper. Clearly this isnt the same day as the UN bombing but you would never have known that judging by the scene changes and the static lighting. While objects like newspapers, clocks, or calendars can effectively clue in the audience that time is moving forward, changes in daylight are the easiest to detect. The lighting is telling us one thing, the newspaper another, and even though the viewer can acknowledge that this is likely not the same day, coming to that conclusion requires an unnecessary step.
The importance of avoiding these kinds of extra steps in filmmaking cannot be understated if the illusion of film is to be maintained. Civil Wars momentary lapse in timekeeping is eventually corrected and the film carries on without any further hiccups but this mistake in these moments end up causing more harm than one would think. The film is a packed 147 minutes long, and one of the more common complaints Ive noticed is that the pacing in the first act feels like a slog. This was not my impression any of the times I saw it during its theatrical run but I wanted to see if the criticism had any merit upon my first home viewing. What I noticed was the first act feels much more condensed than either of the two that follow but is neither incomprehensible or particularly boring. That being said, the sloppy use of lighting as we jump from location to location gives the latter half of the first act a rushed, disjointed feeling that is hard to shake. I noticed it the first time I saw the film and cant ignore it now that Im actively looking for flaws. The movie feels like its moving too quickly through these scenes because the lighting cues give the impression that it is all occurring on the same day, in close proximity, within the span of a few short hours. Our conscious brain can recognize with a little effort that hours to days have passed but our subconscious brain is telling us something completely different. The result is a feeling of unease that unfortunately distracts our subconscious, marring the experience and breaking the illusion.
