Main uses of the film elements
Mise-en-scene is the overall appearance of the film and this is what the viewer gets to see when he/she watches the movie. The mise-en-scene, includes all visual aspects such as props, setting, lighting, the actors, their wardrobe, the expressions on their faces. In the film, this was presented in the background of the docks, the cold winter nights, the appearance of all the actors in the film, including the ones without any dialogues, and how the main characters looked when were talking to each other. Overall the mise-en-scene was dark and gloomy.
The film’s cinematography gives the viewer the perspective to take. Since this is how the scenes were taken, the viewer is able to feel close to the characters when there were close-ups and eye level shots. An example is the scene where Terry was showing a pigeon to Edie. This began with a high angle shot of Terry then shifted to a low angle shot of Terry. There were wide angle shots especially when the dockworkers were shown lined up and also when characters were shown walking through the snowy night.
Sound includes the music, the effects-- opening of doors, sound of footsteps, slapping sounds of a person’s hand and of course, the voices in the dialogues. The music was very powerful in the scene when Terry and Edie discovered Charlie dead and only music was heard during the first few seconds upon their discovery. The editing is how the scenes of the entire movie are put together, what comes after the other, and which parts would be included or cut off. In its entirety, this film’s editing was efficiently made because although there were parts that seemed to drag like lots of silences, at the end, these silences added up to the overall story.
Of these four elements, the most difficult to recognize was the editing because one gets immersed in the story that the scenes, seemed to just smoothly flow from one to the next. There were no sharp and sudden transitions and the viewer was made to feel like he/she was a part of the neighborhood, looking over what was transpiring in the docks.
Of the four elements, sound elicited the most response from me because as the film progressed I notice the music becoming louder and sounding more ominous. The background music made me feel that something scary is going to happen next. The sound made me anticipate the violent scenes in the next frames and my heart was pounding with the suspense.
Most obvious uses of the elements that are repeated
The use of the high-angle and low-angle combinations in cinematography, as well as the sounds increasing volume and pace were the most obviously repeated elements. These repetitions have established a linear progression of the story and the frequent up and down use of the music developed suspense and interest about which directions the characters would take the story.
Most emphasized areas of the film
The most emphasized area of the work is the background scenes. The setting convincingly presents a very realistic view of what a winter night in the docks would look like. Although this film was an old one and shot in black and white, the surroundings clearly showed a realistic picture of a shipyard. The steams, the snow, the appearances of the people all around, and especially the buildings partially covered by the snow look so authentic. The setting presented looks like the real thing. The viewer is given a picture of that particular period in history where real people go through such experiences in the dockyard. Although, of course having such good-looking actors in the lead provides a contrast that emphasizes the dark, gloomy surroundings.
Balance in the film
I started to get curious when Edie was introduced into the film. I became curious of what relationship she would develop with the characters, particularly of Terry. Her entry provided a lighter mood to the otherwise gloomy film. I felt anxious in the scene of Charlie and Terry in the taxi when Terry discovered that Charlie had something to do with him not being able to fight. The use of some sound effects indicated that there would be some revelations. Those effects made me anxious but also curious at the same time. I felt that the end was near when Charlie was found dead.
Unity and variety in the film
The film has a 70:30 ratio of unity to variety. Overall the film is gloomy, even tended to be boring. The plot is simple and the characters are either good or bad. The variety comes in the form of the entry of Edie and in a few other scenes. However, such very minimal variety strengthened further the message of the film.
One change I can think of making would be doing away with the black and white scenes. If the film was shot in color, the gloominess of the story would not be as distinct as it was with the black and white scenes. The colored setting would also lessen the impact of the setting to the entire film because the black and white scenes highlighted the emotions of the actors. The black and white scenes is also a very important metaphor about the choices one made in life which is either bad or good, black or white. There is a clear line between these choices and if you are on the other side, crossing the line might even cause your life.
Assessment of the experience
The experience of this piece was different from the previous one because this was a longer piece. I did not expect the gloomy and black and white scenes. I did expect a more complicated structure as this was a movie, and I was not disappointed. The involvement was deeper especially with the different angled shots and suspenseful soundtrack.
After watching the movie, I was very curious about how the setting was created. What were the preparations the production crew did to have a very convincing backdrop of the story? What were the decisions the crew made about the schedules and the number of persons included in the shots.
