How iconicity and illusionism create a believable film world

In the film Amar, Akbar, Anthony (1977), I chose a scene that I was very interested in, and

that was when Anthony goes to the church and finds the father has been murdered and

distraught. (Manmohan 1977, 2:19:00-2:23:19) I thought it was a good example of combining

iconicity and illusionism with realism and creating a convincing cinematic world.

In this scene, I see the director presenting the narrative style of the entire film through the use

of iconicity and illusionism. First of all, at the beginning of the scene, Anthony is dressed in a

white suit, and the father dies in front of the statue of God wearing a church uniform, with his

hands making a gesture of prayer, at which time the character's dress and behavior naturally

show that the role that should not be dead but unexpectedly died in the sacred church,

resulting the scene becomes a symbol of moral authority and spiritual guidance. At the same

time, when Anthony walks towards the God statue, the background music is mournful, while

the camera gives a close-up shot of the God statue. The solemn God statue plus the mournful

music will arouse strong emotion in the audience, which further highlights the tragedy of the

situation. The use of illusionism at this moment is reflected in the depiction of the details and

the ambiance of the setting, also underscoring the sense of loss and grief in the scene.

In addition, I think the use of iconicity and illusionism in this scene can be very effective to

combine realism, thus helping to create a sense of miraculousness and distinguish the film

from other genres such as social and devotional. In fact, in the clip, the death of the father and

Anthony's grief are both very common phenomena in reality. Most viewers will not find it

strange when they see Anthony's grief and prayer for God, most people will see this as a

natural phenomenon. While the father's death is sad, it is also reasonable. However, the fallen

Buddha's medal and Anthony's prayer to the statue give the father's death a more significant

meaning and transform the movie from a realistic subject to a mythological film.
In conclusion, through this scene with Anthony and the father, it is shown how the use of

iconicity and illusionism enhances the emotional impact. Precisely I think because the use of

culturally significant imagery in the clip, combined with music and dialogue, creates a

magical, compelling cinematic world.