Now obviously this image has classic elements of a film noir, the room is very dimly lit with the only sources of light coming from a window and the open door. This type of low lighting is seen often in a film noir. It also contains the typical crime drama plot of a film noir. These types of crime drama rose in popularity after the great depression with the rise of gangsters during this time period. The sexuality throughout the film between Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson pushed the limits of the moral boundaries established by the Hollywood Production Code. Two people who would kill for love and money was shocking for the times.
The mise en scene of the shot is actually done quite beautifully and symbolically. First, you have the dim room with the only light coming from the window and opened door as I mentioned before. Neff's shadow in the door, to me, represents whats to come for Dietrichson, while the light from the window casting the
"bars" on the wall represented what is to come for Neff. Also, they are both dressed very formally, as if they were each dressed for their own funeral. The blocking of Mrs. Dietrichson hides her away from the audience, in the same way that she is also hiding the gun from Neff in the cushions of her chair. Not to mention the lighting on her character. As the film progresses, we find out that she was not only unhappy with her husband, but how she may have been implecated with the death of the original Mrs. Dietrichson. Neff has discovered this information and in this image you can see how wrapped up in darkness she truly is. This film was the embodiment of a film noir and received high praise with its Academy Award nominations, while setting the standard for future film noirs.
Nice job, Atlee. I think you do a good job of identifying several significant elements of this shot. Still, you could do even more to develop a fuller interpretation of their potential meanings. You say that Neff's shadow and the streaks of shadow on the wall represent what's to come for each of the characters here, but I think you can be a bit more specific about what you mean by that. It's worth recalling, too, the narrative context of the shot, and that Neff's shadow precedes him. How might we read that sequence of appearances, for example?
ReplyDelete