《教父1》-开场长镜头分析----表演、设计、灯光、音效、音乐评价(英文)

1、1332709Zhuoyan LiuDRAMM0009_2013How films and Television programmes workAssignment 1Sequence analysis GodfatherWord account: 2871TimePicture actionShot descriptionPerformanceLightingDesignEdit pointSound 1- DialogueMusicDramatic functionComments00.01.1700.01.20Black scene.Picture begins at second se

2、ntence instead of “I believeinAmerica”.An often-used opening method. Has a subtleironiceffectunderthis situation.A mans low and slow voice: I believe in America.He Presents his age, non-American(accent), andhismood(negative)Brief and strong opening sentence.Silent background.The man istalking abouts

3、erious topics with a heavy heart.Establishing aheavyand brooding mood, a sense of painful deception and self-mockery.The Black scene indicates Bonaseras complex emotion of America. The tone of his lines andtheblack scenehintsa negativetone while the content of the line saying Ibelievein America, sho

4、ws a morepositive aspect. Therefore adramaticcontrastexistsandthecharacters inner conflicts are built.00.01.20Bonaserais talking.ZOOM-OUT FROMBonaseras close-up(point- of-view shot)Narrow eye-line to the camera giving a fullimpactofBonaseras emotion, including a strong empathy.Big talking head in th

5、e centre of picture,so Bonasera occupies absolute emphasis of the picture.Many details on facial expression couldbewitnessed: slightly frowning, tensedupmuscles,he seems to speak with his teeth. He givestheimpression of trying hard to suppress hisstrong painful feelings.Sort of hard light comes from

6、 the up-frontof Bonaseras head so that gives Bonaseras face a low-key, strong contrast tone. Shadow on eyes and chin creates a texturethatstrengthenshis haggard, depressed, even a little scary face. And two streams oflightsreflectingfrom his eyes indicate imperceptible tears in them.His suit merges

7、with the black background, which is too dark to see any detail. Flat set of light builds a dull， depressive atmosphere.Lack of exposure, a broad grayscaleBonasera wears a dark-coloured suit with a white collar, he has a gold tooth is in his month. He has a strong accent. Thesetraitsdescribehis ident

8、ity: a rich immigrant trying hard to integrate into the American way of life and becoming an American.A smooth cut afterBonaseraendshiswhispering, which is the point audience feeling willing to look the face of the shadow because their curiosity has accumulated for along time.This shot keeps zooming

9、(enlarge)fornearly3mins without introducingany main characters. Thishowever contributes to the sensethata complicated story isslowlyunfolding. This accompanied with the zooming in, gives audiences a growing feeling of Godfathersworld, which has(Monologue)America has made my fortune. And I raised my

10、daughter in the American fashion. I gave her freedom, but- I taught her never to dishonour her family. She found a boyfriend; not an Italian. She went to the movies with him; she stayed out late. I didnt protest. Two months ago, he took her for a drive, with another male friend. They made her drink

11、whiskey. And then they tried to take advantage of her.Self statement about his identity (Italian immigrant) and social status(rich,observance of law)No music, no sound effect, no background sound.Sound and music areeffective elementsto exaggerate emotions. In this shot the director chooses mute to c

12、onform to the sobernarrating style of this film, and also makes a strong contrast to the lively grand wedding ceremony outside the dark office.Darktoneindicates that things happened in this room, that thereareskeletonsin closets, and it also creates a heavy andserious atmosphere.Lack of depth of fie

13、ld, low-key lighting confines the performance of actors to a small movement, which require them focusing on inner world of characters and give a precise performance.Close-up andmedium scene,whichkeeps audiencesin arms, highlights the notion of performance, too.ThestrongApart from the end, Bonasera i

14、s the emphasis of this shot and his monologue dominatesthe pace of the shot. But audiences can continuously feel the vibe from the back figure sitting in the shadow because of the subtlebuteffective movements from him. This is most apparent in the end of the shot; DonCorleone easily robs the dominat

15、ing role of the talk with even tones and movementsassoonashe decides to.Thelongmonologue is splendid in both its form, which00.02.45without subtlegradations all along, gives an unpleasant sense to viewers.different rules and orders from the world Bonasera (and also our) lives.Moreover,the slowcamera

16、 movement establishes a slow pace,whichindicates the dignified, stately, calm and patient character of Don Corleone.contrast lighting imitates Rembrandts paintings, bringing a sense of the theatrical, nameless despair and also religious majestyand mystery.imitatesthe brilliant opening speech shot in

17、 the film Patton, and its content, which introduces collisions last in the whole piece of film, such as justice and rules, oldworldconnection and American dream, etc.TheDirector spends a long time telling how Bonaseras daughtergets assaulted and how the criminals get offthepunishment because they ar

18、e from good family. Alongwitha close-upof Bonaseras sadness and a narrow eye-line, thedirector deliberately builds a strong empathy with her. Thereforethree goalsareachieved:tell audiences that the gangster in this film is not something we could judge. To some extent, they play a part in theBonasera

19、 keeps talking, gradually becoming more emotional during the talk and ends with him sobbing.ENLARGETOMedium shot(point-of-view shot)Eye-line becomes widersothat audiences perspective tends tobemore observational and objective.Bonaserais composed on the right-centre of the screen. Figure is semi-prof

20、ile, not particularly close. EmphasisonBonaserais decreasing.Expressionon facebecomes more agitated and useofbody language increases: Slightly turning his head aside, hisfrowndeepens, his lips andthroat tightens up, his nose slightlysniffsonce.When goingthrough some difficult parts, he hides his fac

21、e in thedark.Indicating that he is trying his best to control his rage.Same aboveSame above(Monologue)She resisted. She kept her honour. So they beat her, like an animal. When I went to the hospital, her nose was broken.Her jaw was shattered, held together by wire. She couldnt even weep because of t

22、he pain.But I wept. Why did I weep? She was the light of my life - beautiful girl. Now she will never be beautiful again.Telling the tragedy of his daughter. An offended and helpless Italian immigrant.Same aboveSame aboveDon Corleone slightly protrudes a hand andanotherman brings Bonasera a glass of

23、 wine.Bonasera drinks thewine,narration continues,andasksDonCorleone for help.ENLARGETOOver-shoulder ShotBonasera moves more to the right of the screen. Don Corlenoe becomes seen in the foreground, larger and larger till he occupies half of thescreen.ThereforeDon Corlenoe instead ofBonasera becomes

24、relatively emphasized.Eye-line between Bonasera and Don Corlenoeis horizontal.The eye-line to lens is narrow so that we can only see the back of Don Corleone.Focus is on Bonasera and he is still the one whokeeps talking.Bonasera:In emotional instability, rigid gestures and movement.Recovers himselff

25、rom sadnessGetting irritated when a suspended sentenceis mentionedWhen mentioninghis purpose to be here:business negotiation gesture:backstraight, and holding his head erect.DonCorleone:elegantand relaxed gesture, subtlebut effective movement:His right hand rests on his chinElegantly protrudinghis h

26、and to his right side,signalling over his assistant withoutwords,thesegentlymove levelled actions point to Bonaseras.Polite, modest nature but also demonstrates his authority and power.Casually and calmly tickleshimself whileBonaserais getting irritated. No sympathy or pity is shown.The sort ofyello

27、wand orange light drops on the brown wide desk, giving the room a feeling of warmth and safety.Still in the dark tone.Don Corlenoe is a vagueblack silhouette with a slim bright fringe, giving a mixed senseofmysterious, secretiveness, and ofbeinga saviour.A wealthy mans elegant den: neat brown wide d

28、esk, only with pens, a telephone and a box on it.Sophisticated den indicates that the ownerisan elegant gentleman.Neatness:theownerisorganized.The wide desk hintsthemagnificent and stable character of the owner.(Monologue) Sorry.I-I went to the police, like a good American. These two boys were broug

29、ht to trial. The judge sentenced them to three years in prison- suspended sentence. Suspended sentence! They went free that very day! I stood in the courtroom like a fool. And those two bastards, they smiled at me. Then I said to my wife, for justice, we must go to Don Corleone.Throughthemonologue,i

30、tforeshadowsthe culture of Italian and some fundamental information aboutcharacters,forexample, Italians family honour and attachment, and Don Corleones role a judger/ a policy maker outside the law.Same aboveIn this scene, it offers a first time glimpse at the Corleones seductiveand secretive world

31、: the set is designed in an elegant and elaborateway;lightisstillsombre,but constructs a cosy room complemented with orange and brown color. The contrast between theseelements produces a feeling that you carry an initial trepidation of entering the gangsters world but discover that your fears are un

32、founded, therefore surprised (Lewis, 2010).Horizontal eye- line contributes to an objective and sober visual style, which is thefundamental of the language in this film.A growing vibe from the back figure is passed throughseveral small movements that successfully attractsthe audiences attentionand e

33、stablish several characters of Don Corleone: powerful, but also accommodating.businessman,amurderer,and also a notable and accommodating gentleman.00.03.3500.04.07Don Corleone waves his hand, questions him and asks what he can help him withBonasera walks to Don Corleones side and whispers to him.STA

34、YATover-shoulder ShotCamera stopszooming justbeforeDon Corleone touches his moustache and begins to talk.Focus still on Bonasera. But when Bonasera leaves the focus point and walks to Don Corleone(andcamera doesnt follow), the emphasis of the picture turns to Don Corleone.BothDonCorleone and Bonaser

35、as range ofbodymovements become extended but Don Corleone stays calmer, he achievesa dominating persona by doing little.Don Corleone: He changes into a straight gesture, implying that he isreadyto dominate the talk. Stayingpolite and calm when Bonaserais acting rude and disrespectfully.Bonasera:He i

36、s aware of godfathers indifference thereforeactsurgentand impatient, trying to pursue what he wants from the talk. Thats the reason why he is the one making a move.Same aboveSame above-(Pause) Why did you go to the police? Why didnt you come to me first?Interrogatory and strict, big-parent style. Le

37、ads the talk to another direction. Implying that he doesnt care what a tragedy it is or how sad Bonesera is. What he cares about is being respected and refusing to be controlled.Subtext: I cant believe your first visit in years is to make me murder for you and moreover I am your sub-optimal choice.-

38、What do you want of me? Tell me anything, but do what I beg you to do.Impatient, trade-like, subconsciously arrogant and despises the Mafia.Subtext: why do you ask such a bullshit question? All I want is a deal for murder. Give me a price.-What is that?Nonchalance,acting like a God.Subtext: I can do

39、Same aboveStopping zoomingjustbeforeDon Corleone begins to talk passes a subtle hint of Don Corleones influencebyproducinga holding-breath effect.Theintense atmosphere built by incongruous dialogue and the change on pace made by different talking tempo of the two persons make the scene climbing to a

40、 sober climax, in which godfather is going to play the game to require what he wants.While audiences have a strong sympathy withBonasera,Don Corleones indifference indicateshis ruthless part as a murderer.whatever I asked to do but I wont do it under any kind of force. Tell me anyway, but I will dec

41、ide whether or not to what extent I will fulfil it.Rationale:As one of the most acclaimed works of American cinema, a perfect work, the Godfather isnt only an epic that provides muti-perspectives to deconstruct almost a century of American life and culture and even human social order, but also achie

42、ves remarkable and creative breakthrough in terms of film language and the American crime film. Early in its opening shot we can taste its audacious visual style. The shot, which is a zoom-out long scene, accomplished three functions in only 3 minutes: foreshadowing background information, establish

43、ing thematic contradictions, and building nostalgic and sober visual style.Foreshadowing background information:During the long monologue of Bonasera, we could uncover enormous amounts of information besides a story of tragedy, such as the Italian sense of family honour, which is the driving force o

44、f several essential turning points in the story, and American society and the immigrants life situation at that time. The latter is the main reason why this film can be called epic. Bonaseras miserable story is not only about a girls assault going unpunished, but also about an Italian immigrant tryi

45、ng his best to get rid of his “old world” and become an American, but he unfortunately finds out that he is still an Italian American who needs to rely on “old-world connections” to gain justice. In other words, it is about the disillusion of American dreams.Establishing thematic contradictions:All

46、clues in the whole story, which established in the first shot, could be connected with each other in chain:Family-Fortune-Business-Crime-JusticeIn this chain, business is the core, through which Corleone made his fortune to take care of his family. Violence is the dark side of business whereas it is

47、 also “A constituent part of a scheme of justice rooted in social necessity” (Browne, 2000).In conventional American crime films, violent elements such as reports of guns, police whistle and chasing scenes composed the signature of this genre, and the opposition between gangsters and laws is the mai

48、n contradiction. However, the heart of Godfather appears to be the family as it is the cause and the drive force of the business while violence is just the rational strategy and expense of the business or punishment to the betrayal of family, in other words, a tool. The change of violences role and

49、attachment among family members constitute the distinctive part of Godfather and therefore moves the thematic contradictions from a sanctioned frame up to a level of human nature, for example, conflicts between business and affection, personal will and family honor.In the opening shot, the director tries to undermine violences salience by strengthening audience iden