The film extract that I have chosen to breakdown is from the
film Sleeping with the Enemy. It was directed by Joseph Ruben and written by Ronald Bass. The genre of the film is a thriller with the
themes of love, revenge, betrayal, determination and freedom. It is about an
abused woman who attempts to escape and start a new life without her husband.
The scene from this film I have chosen to analyse is when Laura Burney (Julia
Roberts) thinks that her husband Martin Burney (Patrick Bergin) has found her
and is somewhere in her house.
At the very start of the scene Roberts notices her window is
open and the wind is blowing causing it to constantly hit the wall behind it.
The sound of the window banging and the pan towards the window causes you to
focus on the window so you are not expecting anything else. When she goes to
close the window, the window creaks and a reflection of a man is seen behind
her so the creak becomes high pitched music. The music is used just as the
reflection appears giving it a dramatic effect, causing the audience to react;
this music is effective because it is tense and unexpected. The camera shot
that is used when she closes the window is a close up of her back so that when
she turns around and screams you can see the emotion in her face. Although her emotions are not shown for long
because the camera quickly turns the face the person in the reflection. Rather
than being her husband it is Ben Woodward (Kevin Anderson). When it returns to
the close up of Roberts her emotion is made obvious as the relief can be seen
in her now relaxed facial expression.
The couple (Anderson and Roberts) are seen having a picnic outside
the house. The camera is behind the bushes
and is panning across. The camera being behind the bushes is a very effective
technique because although we do not know if anyone is watching them the camera
use implies that they are and it hints at where they could be by having leaves
across the camera. The sound of crickets can be heard and a dog barking. Both
these sounds are usual. This may be to show how normal her life is since she
left her husband. When they are sitting
outside on the grass a light is in-between them, light is usually used to show
safety because in most thrillers or horrors it is constantly dark to create an
eerie atmosphere. However this light is soon blown out and the darkness surrounds
both characters perhaps because Anderson is soon to leave Roberts so it is
showing danger. When the couple kiss sudden
dramatic music starts to play. The music is used to make the audience feel on
edge and to change the atmosphere from the romantic atmosphere that just ended.
The camera continues to pan through the bushes and follow Roberts as she walks
into the house signifying that it wasn't both people that were being watched
and implies heavily that it is someone that is looking for her.
The same music plays when she enters her house and again the
camera looks as if someone is watching her. The camera is down the hallway and
moves to the side as she comes further into the room almost as if it’s hiding
from her. The camera returns back outside where again it is in the bushes, but
this time it is looking at her through the window. It pans forward and the
camera pans right to keep her in clear view as she leaves the room. This makes
it seem like someone is watching her to find a way in. The camera is now placed
in the living room where a close up of a tape player is shown which implies
that the tape player will have something to add to the suspenseful scene. After
pressing play Roberts walks up the stairs and the camera is placed in front of
her. Although a close up is not used her emotions are obvious within her facial
expressions. I think the shot is closest
to a mid shot. Her facial expressions change from worried to a smile as it
seems she is telling herself that nothing is wrong.
When she walks into her bedroom handheld camera is used this
may show that she is slightly scared and confused. The sound of running water can be heard and a
close up of an overflowing bath is shown to emphasise what she is walking
towards and make it clearer to the audience what is happening because when it
first shows the bath it is quite difficult to understand what is happening. I
really like the next shot because it is used with very interesting angle. The
view is from under the water in the bath and the water ripples as she pulls out
the plug. Her face is slightly blurred when she pulls the plug which may show
her confusion because she doesn’t remember leaving the bath on. The music hits the highest pitch when she turns round to find a door slightly open, this was
used because in thrillers they usually use high music when something tense is
going to happen or has just happened. However her fire alarm goes off before
she is able to open the door. This is when the music stops playing.
Handheld camera is again used when she runs down the stairs.
When she pulls out the plug for the toaster it sparks will signifies danger. After
stopping the alarm she notices all the towels lined up neatly which reminds her
of her husband who had OCD. From watching the rest of the film this will make
the audience feel anxious because they will also be reminded of the husband.
Tense music once again starts to play creating suspense and a shadow is shown
on one side of her face the Black shadow implies the way she is turning or
where she is going is unsafe. A wide shot of the cupboards is shown to inform
the audience about where she is looking. The music hits the climax and the
volume is loudest as soon as she opens the cupboards. A Handheld camera follows her back and she slowly walks into the shadows, this contrasts with the light that was used earlier to show her fear. The camera then follows
Roberts as she runs from the room towards the front door in order to escape. A close up of the same
tape player shown earlier is in front of the front door to let the viewers know
what to expect. As a close up of Roberts is shown the camera moves towards the
right to show an out of focus Bergin walk into the room. As Bergin gets closer
he moves further into the dark shadows and becomes focussed.
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