Elements Of Perception

Elements Of Perception

Elements of Perception
Occasionally, what people believe they have seen and what they have actually seen are two very different things.   The way people perceive reality is influenced by any prejudices they may have acquired through previous events, other people’s opinions, and what they expect to see.   If a person has been made to believe they will see something then they will see it and vice versa, a person that does not expect to see something then they will not recognize it even if it is right in front of their face.   The Birdcage is a movie that focuses on the ability to toy with people’s perception.  
The viewer is first introduced to Val when he returns home to tell his father, Armand that he is engaged in a scene set up in a way that leads the viewer to think that Val is Armand’s younger lover. At this point the viewer is still unaware that Armand has a son and Armand’s partner, Albert has expressed his suspicions that Armand is cheating on him rather bluntly so that the viewer has no reason not to suspect Armand of infidelity.   The scenes leading up to Val’s arrival and the way Armand acts towards him are similar to how a cheating spouse would act.   For example, Armand returns to their house while Albert in on stage and has the housekeeper pull out a bottle of wine before asking him to leave.   Armand proceeds to fidget anxiously until Val’s arrival when they share a loving embrace, after which Armand continues to affectionately touch Val.   The fact that this is an obvious comparison to the actions of someone that is having an affair is an example of a prejudice acquired prior to the event.   It is only when Val refers to Armand as Pop several minutes into the scene that the viewer realizes what they assumed was a secret affair is actually a meeting between father and son.   The misleading references to unfaithfulness throughout the scene that are meant to confuse the viewer causes the viewer’s perception to become skewed based on what they...