Can anyone suggest a really good movie scene to analyse for film studies coursework? - Britmovie

sunshineface · 16-10-2006, 04:27 PM

My task is to analyse a scene no more than four minutes and look at things like mise-en-scene, camera angles, editing, sound, costume, characters..basically everything!

Can anyone suggest a movie and scene please?

x

penfold · 16-10-2006, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshineface

My task is to analyse a scene no more than four minutes and look at things like mise-en-scene, camera angles, editing, sound, costume, characters..basically everything!

Can anyone suggest a movie and scene please?

x

The enemy aliens internment board sequence from The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp....initialy a dialogue between Anton Walbrook's Theo and AE Matthews' Civil Servant, then an intense monologue from Walbrook...seemingly very still, but with some very subtle camera moves, it's a tour de force piece of filmmaking that gets the most out of a tour de force performance. It's also the crux of (one of) the main themes of the film, and one of the best-written, most personal speeches in film history.

spinalman · 16-10-2006, 05:01 PM

The Right Stuff..the penultimate scene. Chuck Yaeger has been sidelined by the 6 new hot shot US spacemen - they are destined to go into space and are made into PR heroes but Yaeger has to stay flying a desk in a remote airbase. ..but he has one shot left at the altitude record as an experimental jet arrives in the hanger. He takes it up, against orders, pushes the envelope, fights for his life - his drama cross cut beautifully with the tedious PR event of the 6 spacemen watching amongst a huge audience a fan dance to Debussy's claire daLune. Their dawning realisation that this is not what they trained for is contrasted starkly as we cut back to yaeger falling from space.... culminating in survival. Cue soundtrack theme. Yaeger emerges from heat haze - everyone cheers. Terrific.

Discuss: great sound effects (won an oscar) , good use of music, brilliant pacing, cross cutting (visuals and sound), brilliant aerial photography, on the button editing, maximum use of established characters, spot-on final shot.

Wolfgang · 16-10-2006, 05:11 PM

I think Don't Look Now's climax would give itself over to fantastic analysis. It uses everything - editing, camera angles, sound, time, colour, clothing and even religious symbolism.

Steve Crook · 16-10-2006, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by penfold

The enemy aliens internment board sequence from The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp....initialy a dialogue between Anton Walbrook's Theo and AE Matthews' Civil Servant, then an intense monologue from Walbrook...seemingly very still, but with some very subtle camera moves, it's a tour de force piece of filmmaking that gets the most out of a tour de force performance. It's also the crux of (one of) the main themes of the film, and one of the best-written, most personal speeches in film history.

A gradual close-up on Anton. And note the background noises as well

Steve

Hackett · 17-10-2006, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshineface

My task is to analyse a scene no more than four minutes and look at things like mise-en-scene, camera angles, editing, sound, costume, characters..basically everything!

Can anyone suggest a movie and scene please?

x

It's not a British film but "SNEAKERS" 1992 has a great scene in it. Phil Alden Robinson directs Robert Redford as Bishop/Brice, Timothy Bushfield as Dick Gordon and Eddie Jones as Buddy Wallace in a scene at the NSA office. It's the second time in the film that they meet and Gordon and Wallace convince Bishop/Brice that it would be in his best interest to help them. May be a bit longer than four minutes but it's all in one take with lots of movement of character and camera.

julian_craster · 17-10-2006, 04:41 PM

The final minutes of ODD MAN OUT (d. Carol Reed 1948)

JamesM · 20-10-2006, 01:20 PM

There's a really clever scene in an Australian film called The More Things Change... (1986) in which Connie (Judy Morris) reaches the climax of a state of anxiety brought on by the fear of a relationship developing between her husband and their live-in au pair.

It uses many devices to heighten the potential and actual anxiety being felt and then goes on to cleverly take full advantage of these cinematic devices to momentarily fool the audience that the impending explosive situation has been reached only to dissipate it completely with one simple cut.

A scene like this serves well to show how mise-en scene works. A better known example of such a scene, though not nearly as cleverly executed, is in Silence of the Lambs where we are fooled into believing the police have caught up with Hannibal Lecter when in fact it is the vulnerable Grace Starling who is at Hannibal's door. In order to orchestrate this, the film makers have deliberately used as many of these devices as possible.

ChristineCB · 23-10-2006, 01:03 PM

These Requests For Suggestions try my patience only because we may never read about the end-result paper.

faceoff · 03-11-2006, 12:23 PM

No more than 4 minutes? - no. The opening scene in "Once Upon a Time in the West" has only just started to warm up by then.

The scene in another Leone film "Once upon a time in America" is worth a shot though. Robert de Niro and James Wood - Woods on a real throne and de Niro is just simply stirring his coffee. It is terrifying and worthy of research, as is the last but one scene of the same film.

Spoiler coming up!

No-one can decide if one of the main characters is bumped off or if it is another hoax death. You decided.

dylan · 03-11-2006, 01:33 PM

Holly and Harry's famous meet on the Prater Wheel in The Third Man.

D.

greeneggst · 09-11-2006, 03:51 PM

the american film ... Citizen Kane has some Amazing scences.
also, any of chaplin's films is always a great option
and as for british films ...walkabout offers some amazing opportunities to analize mise-en scene, etc

Sgt Dudfoot · 09-11-2006, 05:45 PM

The beginning of Passport To Pimlico covers all the required points quite nicely.

image45 · 09-11-2006, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshineface

My task is to analyse a scene no more than four minutes and look at things like mise-en-scene, camera angles, editing, sound, costume, characters..basically everything!

Can anyone suggest a movie and scene please?

x

From the Silent Era why not try 'The Lodger' from 1926 that was Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The scene were Ivor Novello is pacing up and down and the ceiling becomes transparent is wonderful vissual direction. I have a lovely copy if you need a reference copy like!

greeneggst · 14-11-2006, 05:13 PM

its a film adaptation of a 1980's play ... its very very long yet there are some valium induced tripping scenes where you could get info.
also there is an awesome dream sequence with loaded mise en scene , angles ect ...

16-10-2006, 04:27 PM	#1
sunshineface has no status. Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Essex Posts: 1 Country: iTrader: (0)	Can anyone suggest a really good movie scene to analyse for film studies coursework? My task is to analyse a scene no more than four minutes and look at things like mise-en-scene, camera angles, editing, sound, costume, characters..basically everything! Can anyone suggest a movie and scene please? x

16-10-2006, 05:01 PM	#3
spinalman has no status. Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Deepest Surrey UK Posts: 266 Country: iTrader: (0)	The Right Stuff..the penultimate scene. Chuck Yaeger has been sidelined by the 6 new hot shot US spacemen - they are destined to go into space and are made into PR heroes but Yaeger has to stay flying a desk in a remote airbase. ..but he has one shot left at the altitude record as an experimental jet arrives in the hanger. He takes it up, against orders, pushes the envelope, fights for his life - his drama cross cut beautifully with the tedious PR event of the 6 spacemen watching amongst a huge audience a fan dance to Debussy's claire daLune. Their dawning realisation that this is not what they trained for is contrasted starkly as we cut back to yaeger falling from space.... culminating in survival. Cue soundtrack theme. Yaeger emerges from heat haze - everyone cheers. Terrific. Discuss: great sound effects (won an oscar) , good use of music, brilliant pacing, cross cutting (visuals and sound), brilliant aerial photography, on the button editing, maximum use of established characters, spot-on final shot. __________________ Paul Last edited by spinalman; 16-10-2006 at 05:05 PM.

14-11-2006, 05:13 PM	#15
greeneggst has no status. Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Essex Posts: 24 Country: iTrader: (0)	angels in america its a film adaptation of a 1980's play ... its very very long yet there are some valium induced tripping scenes where you could get info. also there is an awesome dream sequence with loaded mise en scene , angles ect ...

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16-10-2006, 05:11 PM	#4
Wolfgang has no status. Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: England Posts: 599 Country: iTrader: (2)	I think Don't Look Now's climax would give itself over to fantastic analysis. It uses everything - editing, camera angles, sound, time, colour, clothing and even religious symbolism.

17-10-2006, 04:41 PM	#7
julian_craster has no status. Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Isle of Foula, UK Posts: 1,543 Country: iTrader: (0)	The final minutes of ODD MAN OUT (d. Carol Reed 1948)

20-10-2006, 01:20 PM	#8
JamesM has no status. Moderator Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: London Posts: 1,413 Country: iTrader: (0)	There's a really clever scene in an Australian film called The More Things Change... (1986) in which Connie (Judy Morris) reaches the climax of a state of anxiety brought on by the fear of a relationship developing between her husband and their live-in au pair. It uses many devices to heighten the potential and actual anxiety being felt and then goes on to cleverly take full advantage of these cinematic devices to momentarily fool the audience that the impending explosive situation has been reached only to dissipate it completely with one simple cut. A scene like this serves well to show how mise-en scene works. A better known example of such a scene, though not nearly as cleverly executed, is in Silence of the Lambs where we are fooled into believing the police have caught up with Hannibal Lecter when in fact it is the vulnerable Grace Starling who is at Hannibal's door. In order to orchestrate this, the film makers have deliberately used as many of these devices as possible.

23-10-2006, 01:03 PM	#9
ChristineCB has no status. Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 1,738 Country: iTrader: (13)	These Requests For Suggestions try my patience only because we may never read about the end-result paper.

03-11-2006, 12:23 PM	#10
faceoff has no status. Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Sidcup, Kent Posts: 104 Country: iTrader: (0)	No more than 4 minutes? - no. The opening scene in "Once Upon a Time in the West" has only just started to warm up by then. The scene in another Leone film "Once upon a time in America" is worth a shot though. Robert de Niro and James Wood - Woods on a real throne and de Niro is just simply stirring his coffee. It is terrifying and worthy of research, as is the last but one scene of the same film. Spoiler coming up! No-one can decide if one of the main characters is bumped off or if it is another hoax death. You decided.

03-11-2006, 01:33 PM	#11
dylan has no status. Moderator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: London Posts: 517 Country: iTrader: (0)	Holly and Harry's famous meet on the Prater Wheel in The Third Man. D.

09-11-2006, 03:51 PM	#12
greeneggst has no status. Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Essex Posts: 24 Country: iTrader: (0)	the american film ... Citizen Kane has some Amazing scences. also, any of chaplin's films is always a great option and as for british films ...walkabout offers some amazing opportunities to analize mise-en scene, etc

09-11-2006, 05:45 PM	#13
Sgt Dudfoot has no status. Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: East Yorkshire Posts: 130 Country: iTrader: (0)	The beginning of Passport To Pimlico covers all the required points quite nicely.