Analyzing Iconic Sequences- Cinematic Techniques in Classic American Films

A sequence from The Graduate

The sequence that this paper is interested in is that Ben sits alone in front of his aquarium before the party until Mr. McGuire tells him about “plastics” beside the pool. (Chapter 2: ca. 3.000—ca. 6.00). The sequence starts with Benjamin staying by the aquarium, and on his face is the expression of dullness and hopelessness. At this moment, his father tries to have a discourse with him concerning his future, and in this scene, at no point does Benjamin establish facial contact with his father and his eyes are transfixed into space. The feeling of one who is lost, is relayed throughout the film, and is essentially what forces him to break and taking Elaine from her wedding. It suffices to maintain that this hopeless and lost feeling is made clear in various ways throughout this sequence, and it gains momentum as the film progresses. The big way that filmmakers portray how lonely and lost and still surrounded by other people is the painting hung on the wall, which is seen in this sequence as Benjamin’s parents take him downstairs to the party. By so saying, the camera pauses on this painting, zooming in briefly before quickly turning back to the party. It is a black and white clown painting, and the clown in the painting appears as if it is happy from the outside, but behind the mask, it feels alone and trapped, mirroring the situation that Benjamin goes through as he is supposed to be happy and surrounded by persons who are affectionate towards him but still feels alone (Lederer, 2016). The early depiction of the situation that Benjamin is in was virtually a strategic method that filmmakers employed to bolster the audience’s understanding concerning the feeling that Benjamin has.

Another potent way through which filmmakers portray how Benjamin feels is through the usage of cinematography. In this sequence, when Benjamin walks around this party, the camera is firmly fixed on his face and it follows him, even as he tries a way to flee from the crowd. Instead of showing how Benjamin is surrounded by this crowd, by focusing on Benjamin, the filmmakers paint a context that shows how isolated Benjamin is. By so doing, cinematographers could advance the notion of the solitude that the main character goes through. As such, the viewers are able to associate themselves more with Benjamin in his isolation providing more perception as to the reasons behind Benjamin’s feeling of being besieged with questions when what he needs is space. It is also clear that in this sequence, as Benjamin moves across the overcrowded floor, the camera that is focused on him moves and shakes as if it is held by the hand. In this case, it constantly moves with Benjamin’s moves, more so when he makes his way downstairs and talks to the guests who have come to the party (Cardullo, n.d). As such, with the intentional shooting of this scene, the cinematography intended to make it uncomfortable for the audience as it is for the guests interacting with Benjamin. Also, it extends the audience’s understanding of how and why Benjamin feels alone in a room so full of people.

Furthermore, the lighting that is present in the entire film adds to the sharp feeling present in the film. It is clearer that the film is quite dry yet relatable to significant levels at the start of the sequence. All the cinematic elements advance the absolute tone that the film in this sequence depicts is what the filmmakers put to use, and the lighting. When the sequence begins, Benjamin is in his room and the lighting is less bright, implying how the fact that Benjamin feels most comfortable when he is alone. Conversely, when he has to go downstairs, it is clear that he gets into obvious discomfort as the lighting becomes too bright for him to hide, gaining more attention than he would have hoped for. The filmmakers’ intentional changes bolster the notion that Benjamin needs to escape from this overwhelming situation where the friends of his parents besiege him, and he yearns for solitude. Also, Benjamin’s seclusion directly contrasts the older generation’s world that has control over the life he lives. In the sequence, he appears to be bored and not satisfied because he is restless and feels empty. In this case, the editing feels the mechanical routine by matching diverse places together, making them seem to be a single action. As such, the editing portrays Benjamin as one floating through space and time while keeping the outside world from accessing him. This sequence also tremendously discusses the theme of alienation, and it is primarily developed by its form rather than the plot narrative. For instance, the mise-en-scene offers numerous elements which suggest the reasons for the personality change that occurs in the character of Benjamin, as he is by the aquarium. The sunglasses that Benjamin wears when he is by the pool is an indication of his alienation. The mis-en-scenes points of intrigue are the shapes and colors that convey a claustrophobic and depressing atmosphere, which potently influences how viewers react to the scenes in this sequence. Also, the 2.35:1 aspect ratio offers potent space on the screen to provide the arrangement for the props and the actors so that it allows for one to take slow movements that do not compensate for any narrative. As such, the scene in this sequence advertently depicts Benjamin’s inner state. By zooming in the shots, it underlines the impacts of the mise-en-scene. The transition that is between several shots are frequently developed with Benjamin’s close-up face. It is also bolstered by the black color in the background that the viewer is allowed to have, and one gets the impression of a claustrophobic depiction of the situation.

A sequence from The American Beauty

In this film, the sequence of interest for analysis is the shot of a few family pictures until the scene ends with the shot of a single-family picture (Chapter 2: 6:50–10:15). The scene begins with Carolyn, who drives Lester from work after getting news that cutbacks would be present at work. The scene quickly changes to one where they are having a family dinner with Jane, Carolyn, and Lester. Here, the scene serves to introduce us to the life that Lester leads. It is the demonstration of his day-to-day routine, and a demonstration of how Lester feels trapped in his life. It is a life that is not just caused by Carolyn and the work that he does, but also the challenges that come with trying to live as the ideal ‘perfect and nuclear’ family.

With that knowledge in mind, it is imperative to understand that the filmmakers, in this case, extensively used the notion of music to advance the message in the film. After alighting from the car in this scene, Carolyn and Lester argue concerning the sycamore tree that Carolyn had cut, and as the latter raises her voice, so does the music become louder than the ranting she is having. The transition of music between Carolyn’s yelling and Lester’s appearance is that which entails one being deep in thought, and it helps in the demonstration of the helplessness felt by Lester with his life and the draining that he feels from this routine to the extent that he cannot hear Carolyn speak of the superficial things in their lives. The fresher instrumental music that follows indicates Lester’s desire for something different or something else that would be a stark contrast to the events in his life. This assumption is further bolstered by the fact that Jane protests when music plays through dinner time, and Carolyn chooses what music they would listen to that evening. However, Lester does not mind because it helps drown out Carolyn’s voice and the life that makes him feel trapped. Once dinner is finished, and Lester moves to the kitchen with Jane, the music fades away to imply that in that brief spell in the absence of Carolyn, he feels free to say what he feels need to be said. He confides to Jane that he wished they had met earlier and wished they could be close. At this point, the music fades, and it is almost still in this scene in that sequence, suggesting to the audience that by saying what needed telling, Lester now feels free, as if he has just secured freedom from the state in his life. When the discourse turns sour, a separate music comes on, and Jane departs from the conversation, and it is depressing, even to the audience (Hewison, 2003). However, in the film, it is symbolic of implying that Lester is anything else but free once again. In fact, he seems to have made a folly of himself, exacerbating the hopelessness that he feels.

Furthermore, another potent element that is present in the mis-en-scene is the cinematography. In this case, every time the music plays during this sequence, the camera zooms in to Lester’s face to portray the meaningless and unexciting he finds the tasks that he has to do. Often, filmmakers use the long shots to stress the environment or the setting, to show the character’s position in reference to their immediate environment (Prince, 2004). In this case, it manifests clearly when Lester washes the dishes just after the awkward and embarrassing argument he had with Jane, and the scene where he walks into the house after his argument with Carolyn, who has been married to him for over twenty years. Also, the camera pans in when the trio are having dinner. The shot zooms in much closer until Jane leaves the room and quickly zooms in to Lester and his wife as they begin arguing.

Lastly, the filmmakers of this film portray the solitude and distance that Lester feels by placing his characters during the scene in this sequence when they are having dinner. The husband and wife are sitting at the opposite ends of the dining table, and Jane is sitting between them. The fact that they are both far apart in their marriage, sitting physically apart is symbolic of the irreparable damage in their relationship.

References

Cardullo, R. THE GRADUATE.

Hewison, D. (2003). ‘Oh Rose, thou art sick!’Anti‐individuation forces in the film American Beauty. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 48(5), 683-704.

Lederer, P. S. (2016). Presence: An Existential-Humanistic Analysis of Bodymind Unity in The Graduate. The Dovetail Journal, (2), 18-35.

Prince, S. (2004). Movies and meaning. An introduction to film. Boston: Allyn.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Question