Fargo Review

Director: Joel Coen
Year: 1996
Genre: Thriller/Drama

Setting plays an imortant part of the mise-en-scene in 'Fargo'. For the most part, 'Fargo' is set in a flat, snowy plain. The large empty land portrays a sense of isolation and lonelyness. The white snow reflects the coldness of the kidnappers. The characters are also established through the use of mise-en-scene. Costumes for example tell us alot about the personalitys of the characters, 'Jerry' especially. The character comes across as a dull and bland which is shown in his choice of clothing; brown and beige are generaly dull, boring colours. Alot can be determined about 'Jerry' also by looking at his office. His workspace is very empty and organised. In one corner of the room there is a collection of golfing trophies. This suggests that he has to have them on show to give an impression that he has achived something when infact the opposite is true. Also, golf is considered as a boring sport wich adds to the persona of blandness. The two kindnappers characters contrast greatly. While the larger 'hired goon' is portrayed as a calm, silent and emotionless, the smaller kidnapper is the exact opposite.

On reflection, i personally did not like 'Fargo'. I felt that the story was boring and the pace was too slow to hold my attension. There were scenes where i found the characters to be humerous but on a whole i feel that the film is not as good as others that i have seen of the same genre. On the other hand, i think 'Fargo' shows good examples of mise-en-scene and from it i have learned a great deal about establishment of characters especially.

Phone Booth Opening Scene Analysis - Mise-en-scene

Director: Joel Schaumacher

Year: 2002

Genre: Thriller

Phone Booth is a psychological thriller set in present day (2002) New York. The Plot sees Stuart Sheppard, an arrogant publicist, who unknowingly answers a call in a phone booth he has been using to cheat on his wife with another woman. He finds himself in a life changing situation, held at the mercy of an extortionist's sniper rifle. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, The Incredible Shrinking woman) and stars actors Collin Ferrell, Forest Whitaker and Kiefer Sutherland.

The film begins on the busy streets of New York, showing ordinary people going about their everyday lives. This sets the scene as the film is set entirely in this location. The hustle and bustle of city life portrayed also gives you a clue to the pace of the film ahead; the busy, frantic crowd suggests that the main character is set to get into some frantic situations. All of the shots consist of the public using a phone of some sort. This suggests that phones will play a big part in the film. From the start of the scene, you can hear diagetic singing from street performers. ‘Operator, give me information. Operator, give me long distance’, these lyrics are associated with phones which also gives you the impression that phones play a large role in the film. The music then fades out and a monologue starts. The narrator states facts about telephones whilst the camera jumps from pedestrian to pedestrian, using their phones. The narrator has a deep emotionless voice which suggests that the plot is going to be very cold. The camera falls on a phone booth where the narrator begins to set the scene and introduce the main character. ‘It is the last booth of its type. Hardly two blocks away, meet the man who is to be the final occupant of that booth’. This gives the audience clues that the main story will take place in this booth. The word final makes you wonder what is going to end and suggests that something dramatic is going to happen. The camera then jumps to the main character.

The camera follows the main character and his apprentice from in front as they walk the streets, juggling phone calls. On first appearances, Collin Ferrell’s character appears wealthy and important businessman with his flashy suit, slicked hair and sunglasses. He has a confidence about him in the way he talks on the phone and his body language as he walks. His apprentice on the other hand, comes across as a nervous, unconfident person. There is a contrast between the strong prominent character of Stu and the weaker, bumbling mess that is his apprentice. Although he is wearing a shirt and tie there is a clear class difference between the two characters. He has a frantic, hesitant demeanour about him; it seems as if he is scared of making a mistake around his boss. This makes you think that maybe his boss is less than forgiving. The apprentice drops one of the phones he was holding for his boss. ‘ADAM, I know three people looking for dog walkers, that could be you. Sit, stay... no worries fluffy, ill clean up your shit and wipe your ass’. From the way Stu spoke to Adam you discover more about his character. You can see he is not the nicest of people from the way he talks down to his apprentice. All previous preconceptions about Stu’s character have changed.