My coursework 3rd draft

How does the use of cinematography and Mise en scene create suspense in the Escape from the Bastille (01.47:40 to 01.50: 08) from The Man in The Iron Mask? 

This scene starts off with a long shot of a grand tall building which sets the scene to the audience for where this takes place. Then the camera tilts down when the Musketeers walk past, they are carrying someone with them. The audience knows which ones are the Musketeers by the Mise en Scene, the Musketeers are wearing black capes which shows that they could die while wearing this uniform, they are wearing hats with black and red feather to show the danger of their job and what could happen to them but it could also show their passion, they have silver strips going down the side of their uniform to show that they are pure at a heart and the gold cross on their chest show that they have wealth for their protection, it could also show that the person paying them for their protection is rich. The Musketeers are the guards to the King and royal family.

The scene cuts to a close up of a steel door with a spy hole in it, this is to show the audience that this place needs to be guarded and not anyone can walk in there. The audience is shown the person behind the door through the sky hole being open, they this scene shot it frames the eye perfectly so you cannot really see any of his face. The lighting is low key, which adds a sense of mystery and suspense. Then the Musketeers hand him a note. Then it cuts back to a duel shot and mid shot of the Musketeers one of the Musketeers has their face hidden which adds a little mystery to the scene but this mid shot is to show the audience that they are shocked that it actually worked and it added a little humour to the film, this made me laugh because they way they looked at each other was like ‘wow it actually worked’ and how one Musketeer was rubbing the back of the prisoner. This is a convention of the action adventure genre because they are musketeers they can get into the place they want to, the prison because they have authority given by the King, this is a convention because the protagonists are always resourceful.  Also the way the camera is angled it shows that the Musketeers are only a little higher than the prisoner they are carrying which shows that there is more going on here then they are showing. This also went well with my view because rubbing someone’s back is a sign of affection.

Once the Musketeers enter the prison it cuts to a high angle, which shows the inside of the prison and where they are walking. This could show that they are out of their depth and they are overpowered because of all the prison guards and there is no way they can actually pull this off. This made me feel really nervous because I didn’t know how this was going to turn out and they looked so small and powerless, I was routing for their success but I couldn’t see a good outcome at this point. This is similar with the film 'The Bank Job' (56:05 - 57:07 up) in this scene the similarities to ‘The man in the iron mask’ are they used close ups and duel shots to show the emotion of the robbers and how they reacted to the police showing up at the vault and the scene keeps cutting from the police to the robbers to build tension in the audience and it had me on the edge of my seat. The fact that there are a lot of dark place surrounding them shows that they are unsure of their surroundings and they don’t know the best route out, this adds more mystery and makes the scene more worrying for the audience if they know it or not. The unknown is scary and it plays on your mind. This shot also shows that this prison uses fire touches to light certain areas up. The use fire could also have religious connotations with hell, this deed they are carrying out could end them up in hell because it is a terrible thing they are doing. This is seen in horror films such as Frankenstein and some films with vampires etc, they use fire in similar way like in Frankenstein when the fire gets near him he gets scared, this shows that even though he may look like a monster risen from hell he is afraid of it himself.

Then it cuts to a mid angle to show the audience that the musketeers are coming down the stairs they are no longer holding onto the prisoner. As they are coming down the stairs the lighting is high key and coming through the bars to create a sense that they are good people and they could actually go to heaven, this is another connotation of religion in this scene this is similar in the film Constantine where religion is used immensely to show the battle between good and evil by using light to determine which religion the demon is from and also the repetition of crosses in the shots. Also this mid shot shows them walking down the steps but they are behinds bars which shows the audience that they could either end up dead and either go to heaven or hell, or they could end up in prison themselves. Once they are all down the stairs Aramis removes a piece of paper from his glove which shows that audience that they have a plan, maybe a note of where something is or maybe a map. At the same time the prisoner removes the tatty robe to reveal that he is another Musketeer, which makes it the cliche of ‘The three Musketeers’ which is a convention of the action adventure genre, the protagonist or protagonists in this case are usually male and white. This is shot in a duel shot but all three of them are in it, this is to show them working as a team. Then the camera pans as the Musketeers move into the shadows first of all the audience thinks that they are starting their journey to find the thing they are looking for. But then the camera pans back when the guards run past and then the audience knows that they were hiding from them instead.

Then it cuts to the outside, where the trees are making a good view for the man on a horse using rule of thirds. This scene is shot in a long shot so the audience cannot see the face of the man on the horse so it leaves then feeling suspense because they want to know why he is there and why is he so far away and on his horse? Then it cuts to a mid shot of a woman who is standing at an open door as if she is closing it, on the door there is a cross which is a religious connotation. The Mise en scene in this scene is a woman wearing a blue dress and a tiara which suggests that she is royalty or rich, the blue dress symbolises the sadness in her life, the Mise en scene in this scene is similar in other period drama films where there is a queen involved, the queen always wears a grand dress and her hair is perfectly done also she always wears a crown to show a status. This woman is a convention of the action adventure genre because she is a weaker female character with a sex appeal, but she is used in a way just to lightening the mood of the film and also to add a twist to the story. Then this develops into a shot reverse shot because it cuts back to the thing that she sees which is the man on the horse. The man is on a white horse which suggests that maybe he is her saviour, her ‘knight in shining armour’. This is a similar in Romeo and Juliet (1996) when Romeo goes to the Capulet household for a party (25:32 - 32:11) the Mise en scene in this scene is Romeo is wearing a costume to this party which is a Knight’s costume suggesting that he is Juliet’s knight in shining armour. But the man who is on the horse, from where the woman is standing the audience can see that he is wearing a lot of red which shows the love they have for each other and the passion between them. Then it cuts to a mid shot of the man on the horse to show the audience that he is a musketeer, D’Artagnan. This part warmed my heart because it was like he had come to see her but cannot get close because he is not royalty, the forbidden love of this film is so good. D’Artagnan is holding a red rose and his face is grim which says that maybe he is sad about something, maybe the lady and he witnessed something sad together or he is saying goodbye. He brings the rose up to his nose and this made me feel sorrow for him because he was being slow and caring which shows that he is trying to cling on to the last bit of the love they have left, this made me feel like it was a good bye scene.

Then it cuts to a close up of the red rose which he slowly places on a stone bench, I thought this symbolised that he had a stone exterior towards her in the past to protect her but he did indeed love her, shown through the red which connotes love and passion but also danger and blood so maybe this was goodbye because he was standing into some danger and there could be some bloodshed. It might also foreshadow his death in some ways. Then it cuts to the woman at the church door and her reaction to this is curiosity because she wants to know why he is staying away and put a rose down, she moves her head to get a better look, this was building suspense in me because I was gaining her feelings and I wanted to know what was going on. Then realisation rushes over her and she places her hand gently on her lips, it might be through shock and also through comfort, knowing that they did love each other and they kissed and she can still feel all of that. Another shot reverse shot to show the audience their reaction so the audience feels it too. So from the lady it cuts to a mid shot of D’Artagnan who looks sad but brave and he nods to show that the goodbyes are over and it’s time to go. Then it cuts to a long shot and maybe a point of view shot of what the woman can see as D’Artagnan turns his horse around and rides off putting even more distance between them. This is similar in Titanic when Rose kisses Jacks hand and then lets go off him, the shot shows her saying goodbye then by using shot reverse shot you see Jack going deeper, could this be seen his goodbye to her and their distance now, then it cuts back to rose for her reaction, and finalisation of the goodbyes. There is a mid shot of the woman to show that their goodbyes have been finalized and then it cuts to D’Artagnan ridding his horse quite fast, the camera pans to get the audience involved and also reveal another musketeer walking up to watching him leave, he turn and walks off with a purpose also his musketeer outfit is different to the ones we have seen previously, his is blue not black.

It then cuts back to the prison and the 3 Musketeers are still together working as a unit trying to find the person or thing they are looking for, there are a lot a camera pans, zoom ins and outs to create a scene of involvement for the audience. When the Musketeers are where they need to be a musketeer in blue steps into shot but is behind bars holding the key that the others are looking for, this created a scene of suspense and anger inside of me because I wanted to know who he was, why he was in there with the key but also I want to hit him for being in there with the key. A conversation goes on between them but I found this boring and I just wanted to see some action and then it did and it shocked me because you cannot see it happen, because the musketeer who is guarding the thing behind bars gets hit on the head which reveal the thing the Musketeers are looking for, a person who is in an iron man. He is the leading man, the main protagonist. The iron mask poses him as a secret; no one can see his face. This creates suspense because you want to know who he is and also you want to help him yourself. The musketeers and the man in the iron man make a start on the escape through the prison. Then it cuts to a man wearing armour, gold and red clothes to show that he is wealthy and maybe going out for blood but there is some danger facing him, he is surrounded my Musketeers which shows that he is the King. He is the villain but this does not conform to the normal conventions of the action adventure genre because the villain is usually disfigured and foreign but in the case he isn’t both of them.