Scene Analysis

M
Sound in M (poster scene with Elsie):
A Complicated Sound Environment (Opening Scenes of M):
! M opens with sound and references to sound
! Before we see any images, we hear a bell toll, then hear a girls voice chanting
a childs game
! A woman yells at the children and complains about their song
! Elsies mother notes that hearing the song should assure mothers that their
children are safedespite its content
Sound vs Image (the phone convo)
! Soundin the form of the telephone conversation between the chief of police
and the ministerunifies the scene
! The conversation takes place in the present, and lasts for about five minutes
! The images show us a variety of activities encompassed by the investigation,
A key technique: the sound bridge
! At a number of points in Mincluding the very opening of the filmLang uses
sound bridges to create transitions in place and time
! With a sound bridge, we hear the sound of a scene before we see the action
! For example, we hear the childrens voices before we see their game; later, we
hear the newspaper sellers shouting Extra before we see them
The Wizard of Oz
The audience with the wizard
The throne room scene is the end point of a chain of cause and effect:
the goal of the characters has been to see the Wizard
The scene summarizes the plot and goals of the main characters;
notice how both Dorothy and the Tin Man attempt to narrate the story
It also takes the narrative in a new direction, with the introduction of a
new goal: obtaining the broomstick
The throne room and corridor: presented in long shot to give the sense

that the group is overwhelmed

A key visual motif used here and throughout Oz: shots of characters
walking toward the camera juxtaposed with shots of characters
walking
Protagonist: What enables us to identify with Dorothy?
! The moral opposition at work in the story: Dorothy on the side of good,
the Witch on the side of evil
! Her agency in the story: her actions and reactions drive the plot

! Her consciousness as the source of the dream ! Her quality of

ordinariness

Dorothy opening door scene :

! Camera movement here follows Dorothys walk through the door into Oz
! The camera then separates from her, to give the audience a full view of the
setting
! The shot ends with Dorothy in frame again, this time from the reverse angle
! Walking away/walking toward is a recurring visual motif
Song and Utopia Over the Rainbow
Some observations:
! The song is a tribute to the power of fantasy, to the desire to escape from
reality to another world
! Other songs also conjure up the possibility of better worlds/lives: If I Only Had
a Brain, for example
! Rainbow and other songs give voice to discontent, yearning for something
beyond the constraints of small-town/rural life

Grand Illusion
Opening Scenes- poetic realism
! The two opening scenes introduce us to two officers canteens: one French, the
other German
! Visual authenticity: costumes and sets drawn from real military experiences
! The prologue asks the audience to observe the similarities between the two
militaries

Differences in scene and setting

French
! Dispersed tables !
Casual attitudes toward authority
Poster making fun of the squadron leader

German
One central table
Respectful attitudes toward authority
Soldiers defer toward the squadron leader
Social types and social change:
The opening scenes illustrate class divisions in both countries
We see representatives of the traditional aristocracy of both nations: de Boeldieu
and von Rauffenstein
We also see the working class: Marechal and the German mechanic
Solidarity across national boundariesMarechal and the German soldier bond
over their shared experiences, as do de Boeldieu and von Rauffenstein

EmotionalIntensity:DeBoldieusDeath
Poetic realist films often include death scenes
The exchange between de Boeldieu and von Rauffenstein testifies to the
sincere feelings each man has about the other
It is also a scene that illustrates the melancholy view of life associated with

poetic realism
De Boeldieu recognizes that the time of the aristocrats has ended, that a
new Europe is emerging
ReintroductionofvonRaffenstein
Points to notice:
Renoir reintroduces von Rauffenstein with a tracking shot that surveys the
contents of his quarters
Only after we see all of the things in the room do we get to see the man
We get an inventory of his possessions and time to think about how they define
his character
Objects reveal characterVon Rauffensteins things connect him to military honor
(swords), to literature and art (the nude statue, the book of poetry), to luxury (the
cologne and champagne bucket)
Character and objects
Von Rauffenstein is defined for us as a character who carefully constructs and
composes his outward appearance for the world.

Camerawork
! Renoir uses two techniques here: a trackingshot and a long take
! Through a single, continuous shot of the space of von Rauffensteins quarters,
Renoir preserves the integrity of the setting
! Space is not fragmented through editing, but rather presented to us as it is in
life: continuous

Poetic Realism
! The long take tracking shot situates von Rauffenstein in his environment
! We are (re)introduced to him as a social type: a representative of the
aristocracy
! The long take tracking shot also puts emphasis on the miseenscene: the

contents of von Rauffensteins quarters are selected to convey a sense of

authenticityRenoir and the audience
! Renoir uses the long take tracking shot here not just to reveal character but to
engage the audience! The camerawork enables us to discover von
Rauffensteins traits gradually, to choose for ourselves what to make of this
collection of stuff
Audiencecenteredvisual style:Renoir shoots in long takes, often in deep focus.
He minimizes conventional shot reverse shot editing in order to preserve the
integrity of space and time for the audience.

TheatreandTheatricality:Theprisonerscabaret
Points to notice:
! Each of the three acts of the film features a moment of theatricality: the
prisoners cabaret at the first camp; the musical performance that distracts from
the escape attempt at the second camp; and the nativity scene at the farm
! Renoir often has theatrical or musical performances in his films
Why theatre?
! The use of space: stage space is not fragmented
! Relations among actors: on the stage, actors are connected to one
another; their interactions are not fragmented (or altered) by editing
! The relationships of actors to audience: actors in theatre have a direct and
immediate relationship to the audienceThe theatre vs. the prison
! The cabaret performance provides release and freedom, in contrast to the rest
of prison life
! Note how the costumes are permitted, while other nonuniformly clothing is
strictly verboten
! The rehearsals take the men out of their routines and permit them to imagine
life outside the prison camp
Act of resistance
This imaginative freedom becomes active resistance, when Marechal announces
the French victory and a performer leads the audience in the French national
anthem.

RomeOpenCity
PinasDeath
shotmainlyatlongshotandmediumshotdistance,tosituatecharactersand
environment
constructedaoundseriesoflongtakes:Pinaandsoldiers,thenFrancesco
shotofPinarunningaftertruckistakenfrominsidethetruck(FrancescosPOV)
TheArtificeofEvilThetortureScene
Takesstudioartificeastepfurther
BergmannstagesthesceneofManfredismirder
Lighting,props,settingarearrangedforDonPietrotowitness
HepositionsDonPietroandusastheaudience
BergmannattemptstoturnDonPietroagainstManfredibysayingheiscommie
andatheist
DonPietroarticulatesbeliefsaboutcommunityandsolidaritythatdrivethe
Partisans:therearemanypaths,everyonemakescontribution
Alliancethatcrosseslinesofreligionandpolitics
Rashomon
Thewoodcutterbeginsthestory
Editing:theshiftfromthepresent(thegate)thepast(theforest)donethrougha
straightcut
Cinematography:trackingshotstofollowmovementofwoodcutterthroughforest
andthedirectionofhislooks
Sound:althoughforestscenerepresentsthestartofthewoodcuttersstory,there
arenowordsspokenuntilbodyisdiscovered
FlashbackfromwoodcuttersPOV
Throughtrackingshotsweidentifywiththewoodcutter

Followprogressindiscoveringthecluestowhathashappened
Motifs:sunlightvsshadow,relationb/wobjects/evidenceandinterpretation,
progress/movementvsrepetition,silencevsspeech,POVandpartial
understanding
TheWifestestimony
Inthegatesequences,thepeasantlistenstothetalestoldbythewoodcutterand
thepriest
Theframedramatizestheactoftellingastory,andfeaturesacharacterwho
enactsthepositionoftheaudience
Audienceingatescenes:peasantsurrogateaudience(hisactivityoflisteningand
assessingmirrorsouractivity)
PeasantalsoargueswithPriestaboutaimsofstorytelling:hewantsastoryto
entertainhimratherthanprovide
Audienceinframe:charactersdelivertestimonyabouteventstounseenjudge
Charactersaddressthecamera,evenlookingatitdirectlyatsomepoints
Audienceincourtyardscene:framing/camplacementputthefilmaudienceinthe
positionoftheunseenofficialswhohaveorganizedtheinquiry
Testimoniesincourtyardsceneseemaddressedtoaudience
Weareaskedtoweightconflictingstories
ClosureinRashomon(ending)
Finalevent=discoveringbaby
Abandonedchild=illicitsexandfemaledishonor
Thetheftofthechildsbelongingsrecallstheothertheftsbythebanditandthe
woodcutter
Filmendsw/otellinguswhichistrue
Babyreinforcesthisideaofuncertainty
Endingalsoreturnsustotheactionofwoodcutterwalking,thistimeawayfrom
thegate,towardthecamera

Psycho
MarionandtheMoney
Wedontseemomentwhenshedecidestostealthemoney
Whenweseeherandtheenvelope,shehasalreadytakenthemoney
Recurrentuseofeyelinematchesalignsourperspectivewithmarions
purecinemaandPOV:nowords,justeditingandcammovement
sound:assceneshiftstocarHitchusessoundtocoveymarionsthoughtsand
imaginings,intensifyingourIDwithher
subjectivity:whencarstops,weseepedsfrommarionssubjectiveperspective
andsharehershockandanxietyatsightofboss
TheShowerSequence
Rapidediting,morethan70camerasetupsin45seconds
Noactualimagesofmarionbeingstabbedwithkife
Sovietmontageprinciples:juxtapositionofshotscreatesimpressionofviolence
shown
POV:camerashiftsalongdiffperspectives,someshotsobjective,someshots
Marionpov,someshotskillerpov
Sound:beginningandendingdiagetic(toilet,falloutoftub)
Scoreprovidesrhythmforeditingandintensifiessenseofviolence
Violenceasviolation:showersequenceviolatestaboosofnudity/feelingstowards
stars
ShapingAudienceIDNormancleansup
Sceneparallelssceneinmarionsroomw/money

Bothscenesinmundanedomesticspaces
BothscenesusePOVeditingtoalignuswithacharacter
purecinemanodialogue
cleaningscenegivesusknowledgeaboutnormansattempttocoverupformother
thatsamandliladonthave