This question is simply asking you to explain how two films use
devices to
manipulate the
spectator (i.e. you) and provoke an emotional response (e.g. fear, sympathy, sadness, anxiety etc.).
Devices used to do this can be considered as belonging to one of four categories:
camerawork,
editing,
sound and
mise-en-scene.
Let's look at how each of the four categories are used to
manipulate the spectator in our two focus films.
Camerawork in Jaws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrEvK-tv5OI
The start of Jaws (Chrissie's death) uses careful camerawork to
position the spectator (both in terms of your proximity to the action and your feelings). First of all, the spectator is made to feel part of the beach party (MCU eye level shots make you feel that you are drinking with the characters). Remember that 'horror' films appeal to a youthful audience and that drinking, smoking dope and flirting will be activities that many spectators will have indulged in.
The 'Male Gaze' can be seen with the young woman stripping off and running into the sea.
Remember the moral messages and values of American horrors that often link sex and death.
Spielberg positions the camera close to water level to enable the spectator to identify with her and experience the horror of her death.
However, there are also underwater shots looking up at the girl swimming on the surface. These shots create vulnerability (she is naked and unaware of what is below her) and also represent the shark's view (we can see through the eyes of the predator).
When the shark attacks, we don't see any teeth, bites or blood. Everything is below the surface and therefore left to our imagination. Bear in mind that there could be an enigma code operating here - what is attacking her? However, there was so much hype surrounding this film that contemporary spectators could not have been unaware that the likely killer was a shark.
As Chrissie is pulled to and fro by pulleys, we imagine the shark tearing at her lower body. At this point, the camera is positioned at water level and very close to the attack; so much so that waves caused by the struggle threaten to swamp it. It's very unsettling viewing.
A particularly poignant moment is when she clings to a buoy, desperate for the trauma to stop. The spectator probably feels the same way but is forced to continue to watch as she is dragged off again and pulled towards the camera.
She fills the frame, pleading for help (we can give her none) before her ordeal (and ours) is ended as the unseen shark pulls her under the surface.
Summary of devices used:
- Positioning and involvement
- 'Male Gaze'
- Identification through proximity
- Horror through proximity
- Shark perspective
- Representation of vulnerability
- Using our imagination
- Violence of struggle
- Moving of character towards the spectator
- Inability to give assistance (boy on beach and spectator)
Camerawork (and dialogue) in Psycho
The scene where Marion encounters the traffic cop is a good scene to analyse in terms of camerawork and its impact on spectatorship. By this point in the film, you may already be
aligned with Marion and hope that she achieves her goals. If that is the case, you will see the traffic cop as a threat to her success and will feel as nervous as her when he abruptly appears.
In the previous scene we see Marion struggling to see the road ahead as she drives into the night to Fairvale and Sam. Ellipsis is used because the first shot (an extreme long shot) in the next scene shows the specatator that time has moved on to the following morning and that Marion has parked up on a quiet rural road for the night. Perhaps she felt that this road would be a good place to sleep without attracting unwanted attention.
A police car passes, stops and reverses. The spectator feels anxiety because we are aware of the danger but she is not (dramatic irony). The long take increases the suspense of the moment.
The patrolman taps sharply on the window of Marion's car but a point of view shot shows that she is still sleepy and does not react. This creates more tension because she will need to be alert and skilful to get out of this situation.
She awakes and is startled by the patrolman. She rises so that she is framed in a big close up, point of view shot which allows us to see just how alarmed she is. The spectator is aware that she needs to be calm but she appears far from it. Many spectators would be able to identify with her feelings. An encounter with a policeman can be intimidating when you have done nothing wrong let alone when you have stolen $40,000. All of us know the feeling of looking guilty even
when we haven’t done anything wrong. But Marion
has done something wrong and policemen are trained to sense guilt and catch criminals. Will he sense her guilt?
The patrolman is shot with even tighter framing emphasising his impassive, authoritarian expression and the coldness of eyes hidden behind dark glasses. His unsmiling face indicates that he might not be an easy man to appease. The shot is Marion's point of view (note the slightly lower angle) and he seems very close to her which may make it easier for him to detect her guilt.
The shot reverses back to Marion and she panics, rushing to start her car. The patrolman tells her to "Hold it there" after a cut to a two shot. This is not a good start; her anxious actions are far more likely to arouse his suspicions and the sympathetic spectator will be urging her to control her emotions.
Cut to another big close up of Marion in which her wide eyes show that her alarm has not passed. She winds down her window (a sensible action) and the shot reverses back to the patrolman. Again he is framed more tightly than her so that his head seems much bigger than hers and he is represented as a looming, powerful figure. Half questioningly, half accusingly he says, "In quite a hurry?" Marion responds with a plausible explanation; she slept longer than expected after pulling over the previous night after feeling drowsy. However the shot again reverses to the patrolman who expresses surprise and concern that she slept there all night particularly as "There are plenty of motels in this area...you should of...I mean, just to be safe". (On subsequent viewings this statement may appear ironically foreboding to the spectator as the perceived 'safety' of a motel is proved to be false as Marion is murdered at the Bates Motel.)
There is a sub-text here too. The patrolman seems also to be hinting at Marion's attractiveness by suggesting that her actions might have led to her becoming the unfortunate victim of a sexually motivated attack - remember that it was the screenwriter's (Joseph Stefano) intention that all the men Marion encounters before her death are attracted to her. If you don't read the patrolman's words as attraction then an alternative interpretation is that he is genuinely concerned and softening his attitude towards her (pretty women are said to be able to manipulate policemen to their advantage). However, if she has this potential she spoils it with her next words:
Marion: "Have I broken any laws?"
Patrolman: "No, Ma'm."
Marion: "Then I'm free to go."
The words "Then I'm free to go" are said assertively as if she is making a statement rather than asking a question. Marion is probably used to getting men to do what she wants but this is not any man, he is a policeman and it seems that she is telling
him what is going to happen rather than the other way round. He asks her if anything is wrong and she says no, but he is unconvinced and says that she is acting as if something is. Marion then really gets under his skin by replying brusquely, "I've told you there's nothing wrong, except that I'm in a hurry and you're taking up my time". With that, she tries to drive away but the patrolman, plainly irritated, stops her and asks to see her licence. Marion's interaction with the policeman is designed to cause the aligned spectator anxiety. We want her to get away with it but she doesn't make things easy for herself, or for us!
To find her licence, Marion needs to go into her handbag which also contains the money. The suspense of the moment is increased by positioning the camera
inside the car which positions the spectator
with Marion and places the threat (the patrolman) outside the car but far too close for comfort. The two shot enables us to see his proximity to Marion; surely he will discover her crime? She turns her back to shield what she is doing from him; will he see this as suspicious? The spectator is privileged to see her take the money out and push it between her body and the seat. The patrolman tries to peer around her but is obscured from seeing what is going on.
The patrolman checks the licence and her number plate in a point of view shot. A close-up of the Arizona plate is significant to the plot because in the next scene Marion decides to trade her car for one with California plates in an effort to blend in more and throw off any potential pursuers.
The patrolman hands back her licence and without a word returns to his car.
As Marion drives off, the 'high anxiety' leitmotif begins and the patrolman follows her. Then there is a wonderfully suspenseful sequence (over a minute long) where the shot mostly alternates between a fixed camera position looking directly at Marion and a shot of her rear view mirror showing the patrol car. The medium close up shot of Marion is very personal and gives a direct mode of address so that the spectator feels that Marion is looking almost directly into our own eyes. This makes the connection between spectator and character more intimate and enables the spectator to feel more aligned with Marion's emotional state, which is highly anxious. She scans the mirror nervously, her furrowed brow and wide eyes communicating her fear. The rear view mirror shot is Marion's point of view, so again the spectator is positioned in such a way as to experience what Marion is experiencing, both visually and emotionally. Whenever, we are followed in our cars by police vehicles we feel a little nervous - 'Are they following me?' Marion has
even more reason to feel nervous as there is a genuine reason why she
should be stopped. Despite her crimes, many spectators will be rooting for her and hoping that she gets away with it. These sympathetic spectators will breathe a sigh of relief as the patrol car turns off (Marion is also clearly relieved).
Summary of devices used:
- Ellipsis
- Early establishing shot sets time and place
- Appearance of police car is unexpected and creates dramatic irony
- Suspense and tension (the uncertainty of what will happen)
- Vulnerability (Marion is sleepy and off-guard)
- Uniformed authority
- Big close-ups / tight framing
- Good and bad, right and wrong is subverted so that we desire the criminal to succeed
- Alignment with a character we like
- Sunglasses add to the patrolman's intimidating representation
- Eyeline matches
- High and low angles (Marion sitting down, patrolman standing)
- Point-of-view shots
- Two shots (proximity of characters)
- Shot-reverse-shot (between Marion and the patrolman and between Marion and the rear-view mirror)
- Marion's performance (alarm, panic, anxiety, rudeness)
- Framing the patrolman to make him appear bigger
- Dialogue creates suspense (and forewarns)
- Marion's attractiveness to men (Male Gaze)
- Spectator positioning and privileged information
- 'High anxiety' music
- Direct mode of address (connection between character and spectator)
- Past experiences that spectators might have had with the police (personal context)
Editing and Sound in Jaws
'Alex's death' is a masterclass in editing and owes much to Hitchcock in it's carefully planned manipulation of the spectator.
The first image is like one of those naughty postcards that show a comic view of seaside activities.
It puts the spectator off-guard and the sounds are similarly fun - splashing, laughing, dog barking, music etc. The dog and owner in the background will become more significant later on.
Without cutting, a tracking shot takes us away from the water as we follow Alex up the beach to his mother who seems over-protective. Still without cutting, Alex's journey carries on up towards the beach huts to get his raft.
This allows a transition (without cutting) to a pensive Chief Brody. His eyeline is towards the water and he seems oblivious to the conversation going on to the side of him.
The first cut takes us to his point of view shot which is of the fat lady in the water. The water is calm and the boy and his dog run across the frame. The atmosphere couldn't be more serene but Brody's unease is contagious and the spectator may feel that everything is too quiet. Perhaps we are being set up here?
Alex runs past his mother and dives with his raft into the water, creating waves as he does so.
Cut to the dog, paddling away furiously. The sounds of the beach drop away from the soundscape completely, leaving just the splashing sounds of Alex and then the dog. The splashes could attract the shark.
Cut to the fat woman floating. The absence of any sound other than lapping waves adds to the unease. Is this the quiet before the storm.
Cut to Alex paddling on his raft. It feels like something is about to happen...
But then the suspense is broken by shots of the dog and his owner playing on the beach and the cheerful sounds of a radio. Relax.
Cut to a medium shot of Brody, still watching the water anxiously. A person passes in front of him, disguising a cut to a medium close up. Another person passing disguises a cut to a close up. Each shot brings us closer to Brody, literally and mentally. He cannot relax and neither can we. A reverse shot shows his POV which is of the fat woman continuing to float calmly on the ocean. There seems to be no cause for alarm and another person passes him, disguising a third cut to a medium long shot. Our distance from him seems to be a coded way of saying 'There's nothing to worry about'. The DJ's prattle on the radio also suggests that it's just a normal day at the beach.
A fourth 'wipe' transition, as another person walks across his eyeline, is followed by Brody's POV of the fat woman who is now more tightly framed so that the spectator can see a threatening black shape cutting through the water towards her.
A reverse shot takes us back to Brody, who edges forward in his deck chair with concern.
However, another reverse shot shows that the black shape was just an old man in a black swimming cap.
A fifth wipe transition is used as another person walks in front of Brody's POV and this allows an invisible cut back to a MCU reverse shot of the nervous Police Chief, looking sheepish about his voyeuristic obsession with the bathers.
Cut to a side angle two shot in which a local man tries to speak to Brody about a parking issue he hopes Brody can help him with.
Cut to a an over-the-shoulder shot that shows Brody is pre-occupied. The spectator hears the man's words from Brody's sound perspective and they seem to fade away as his attention returns to the water. A reverse over-the-shoulder shot allows the spectator to see Brody's restricted POV, looking over the man's shoulder. A female bather screams and seems to be dragged under the water.
Brody jumps to his feet but a reverse POV reveals that it is just two young lovers frollicking in the sea. This is a 'red herring' that plays on our fears (shared by Brody) that something bad is going to happen.
Brody seems to accept that he is being too anxious and allows his own children to go into the water which they do gleefully, again with lots of splashing which could attract a hungry shark. There is a slightly comic interlude with the old man in the swimming hat, Harry, before Brody's wife tries to relax him with a shoulder massage. A mellow song is playing on the radio and the tension is dropping for spectator and Brody alike. However, we cut back to the children playing in the sea and the relaxing music abruptly stops. Now we are aware of spashing and the children's cries. A series of quick cuts emphasises the commotion and each cut takes place on a loud splash.
Then we see the young man calling for his dog which has gone missing. He scans the sea anxiously and his actions are clearly designed to raise the question in the spectator's head of 'Has the shark taken the dog?' A shot of the dog's stick floating forlonly on the water seems to confirm our fears.
Immediately, there is a cut to an underwater shot of the children's legs in the water and the Jaws leitmotif begins threateningly. Remember that this music was not used for Chrissie's death so the spectator has not yet made the association between the leitmotif and death. However, the music raises the tension significantly.
As with Chrissie's death, the spectator is positioned as the shark and the camera moves steadily towards a raft as the music builds in intensity and pace, indicating an imminent attack.
Alex's death is sudden, bloody and swift. In the space of ten seconds, he is attacked (with a fountain of blood) and dragged below the surface (we hear his gurgles). The spectator sees the incident from the perspective of someone on the beach and from the perspective of the shark. This killing is far more graphically violent than Chrissie's death which used our imagination to create the horror.
Our shock is shared by Brody (alignment), whose disbelieving stare is given extra emphasis by the famous Hitchcock-style dolly zoom and a two stage violin sting.
During the aftermath of Alex's death, the soundscape includes the sounds of Brody shouting for people on the beach to get the bathers out of the water and music which continues to carry a sense of threat. It is this ongoing threat that stops Brody from giving any assistance to the people (mostly children) in the water. He is a flawed 'hero'.
The music fades to a stop and Alex's mum moves into the frame calling for her son in a sad repetition of the earlier incident with the dog.
The final shot of the scene has no sound other than the gentle lapping of the bloody waves as Alex's punctured raft is washed up on the shore. This quiet moment allows the spectator some reflection time after this emotionally draining scene.
Summary of devices used:
- Ramping the tension up and dropping it down again to manipulate the spectator
- Using humour to diffuse tension
- Characterisation to engage sympathy
- Using beach sounds and music to create a feeling of normality
- Shots of Brody create anxiety
- POV shots allow us to share his anxiety (alignment)
- Changing the sound perspective so that the beach seems friendly (lots of ambient noise) but the sea is dangerous (lack of noise, i.e. isolation)
- The use of fake 'wipe' transitions to bring the spectator closer to Brody
- Shot-reverse-shots between Brody and the activities on the sea
- Mixing the sound to show Brody's concentration on the sea
- A 'red herring'
- The use of splashing and crying out to increase tension
- Cutting on the splashing
- The loss of the dog foreshadows Alex's death and indicates a genuine threat
- Shark perspective - positioning
- Shark leitmotif
- Use of blood (colour red) and violence
- The sounds of Alex's death
- Dolly zoom effect and two stage sting
- The incongruous combination of Brody's shouted instructions with his lack of help
- Alex's mother's worried calls foreshadowed by dog owner)
- The washed up raft, blood and sound of waves
Editing and sound in Scene 4 of Psycho
After leaving her apartment with her suitcase and the money, we see Marion driving across town (Phoenix in the state of Arizona). The spectator is privileged to hear her thoughts for the first time. This and the direct mode of address (she is looking directly at us) creates an intimacy with the character; the spectator is merging with the character. (Later in the film, we also hear what Norman Bates is thinking.)
She is clearly still agitated by the decision to steal the money and is not reconciled to it. Her thoughts are of Sam and what he will say when she turns up in Fairvale. His imagined words to her confirm that it is her intention to go to him - some spectators might already have suspected this. However, she has not made Sam aware of her plan because it's important to the plot that her disappearance later is a mystery. She seems concerned by what Sam will think when she unexpectedly appears in Fairvale: "What is it Marion?" She will have to tell him what she has done. How will he react?
Lost in thought, Marion stops at a pedestrian crossing and is horrified to see Lowery and Cassidy pass in front of her vehicle. Lowery acknowledges her courtesy in stopping and Marion smiles back (shot-reverse-shot).
Bear in mind that Marion told Lowery that she was going to deposit the $40,000 at the bank and then sleep off her headache; neither of which she has actually done.
Lowery seems puzzled and slightly irritated to see her. It's unlikely that he would have any reason to think she had not deposited the money but Marion is driving and smiling when she is supposed to be unwell. Some spectators might see her as a woman with the ability to manipulate men with her charm and good looks. Lowery could view the encounter as evidence that Marion was feigning illness to get off work early on a Friday, hence his annoyed 'double-take'.
We have all pretended to be ill to get off school or work and experienced the guilty feeling when lying to teachers or bosses. Even worse, is being exposed as a liar when we are 'caught in the act' as Marion is. The sympathetic spectator will therefore feel sorry for her misfortune. Another interpretation of events is that Lowery crossing her path is fate rather than accident and a providential sign for her to 'do the right thing' and return the money. The 'high anxiety' leitmotif is used for the first time as Marion's already troubled conscience is given further woe with the unexpected meeting.
Marion's furrowed brow and wide-eyed distress show that she is not a hardened criminal. This is tough for her and encountering Lowery has not made it any easier. She seems to look straight at the spectator as if pleading for help. But we can't. We can only watch.
Marion appears more innocent and child-like as she drives away from Lowery. We hear only the anxious music, not her thoughts, but her thoughts are written all over her face; she is scared and deeply concerned. The spectator may want to give her advice: 'Take the money back' or 'Get out of there, quick!'
An 'out of town' insert shot establishes that she has not taken the money back. Dusk starts to fall showing that time has elapsed and she is continuing to drive away from Phoenix.
A big close-up of Marion shows how tired she has become (elliptical editing suggests that she has been driving for a long time). Her tired eyes are dazzled by the oncoming traffic and the high paced music slows to reflect the weariness that is overwhelming her.
Summary of devices used:
- Spectator privilege
- Direct mode of address
- Alignment with the character or even spectator interpellation (you adopt Marion's thoughts and goals as your own)
- Negotiated response - we are encouraged to interpret Marion's thoughts and non-verbal communication and make our own inferences and judgements (i.e. we make our own sense of what we see and hear)
- Point of view shots
- Shot-reverse-shot
- Shared experience (the spectator has done what Marion has done)
- Non-verbal communication (facial expressions and body language)
- 'High anxiety' leitmotif
- Pathos (our sympathy is engaged for Marion by her pitiful NVC)
- Enigmas (what will she do next?)
- Continuity editing
- Elliptical editing (time passing)
- Insert shot (indicates change in time and space)
Mise-en-scene and genre in Jaws
The scene in which Brody and Hooper hunt for the Great White shark at night is classic horror.
Brody is scared of the sea (like many people) but he is out on it at night, in a sea fog. These factors make it even harder to see the threat. A search light and the red lights on Hooper's boat add to the spookiness of the first shot. It could almost be a ghost ship.
Brody has his life-jacket on and is drinking wine (perhaps he is only out on the ocean at all because of 'Dutch courage'). His performance suggests that he is trying to convince himself (as well as Hooper) that he didn't leave New York because he's a coward.
Hooper is scoffing pretzels; his boyish enthusiasm and unapologetic openness about his wealth adds humour to the scene and helps to offset any early tension.
Hooper's sonar starts emitting strange, 'other-wordly' noises. This raises the tension and introduces an enigma to the spectator's thought processes: Is it the shark? Hooper: "There's something else out there." Horror films use dialogue like this to forewarn the spectator of a threat. Thus we become more edgy and liable to 'jump' at an unexpected scare.
After the humorous opening to the scene, Brody and Hooper are now seen anxiously scanning the sea. We don't get a reverse shot of the sea because restricting the spectator's situational awareness is an effective way (device) of raising tension. The up-lighting on the characters' faces makes them seem ghostly and enhances their concerned expressions.
Hooper uses the searchlight to scan the sea and they see an item floating in the water. An over the shoulder shot reveals a small fishing boat appearing out of the mist. Brody recognises it as Ben Gardner's, a local fisherman.
The boat is "all banged up" and Brody asks, "What Happened?" The low angle and harsh key light allow the spectator to 'read' the men's faces and understand that Brody, in particular, is concerned for Gardner's safety. The search light casts a spectral beam.
The lights from Hooper's boat bounce off the mist and create an ethereal atmosphere. Hooper says he wants to check the boat's hull which is not what Brody wants to hear; he suggests towing it in but Hooper is young and fearless.
The spectator is privileged with a shot from close to the port side of Gardner's boat (the opposite side to the one closest to Brody and Hooper. The shot reveals a gouge in the side of the boat that Brody, even with his searchlight, cannot see.
Note the use of swirling mist and low key lighting which are classic horror effects. Brody's words and body language show that he is strongly against Hooper going overboard, but Hooper insists: "Don’t worry, Martin, nothing’s going to happen." We know, as seasoned movie watchers, that when a character says that, something will happen.
A crane shot shows Hooper's boat in relation to Gardner's. The lights cast onto the surface of the sea make the ocean look like another world; Hooper could almost be an astronaut leaving his spaceship. He breathes rapidly in preparation for diving in, which increases the tension further as rapid breathing is associated with threatening situations.
Underwater, the analogy of space seems even more appropriate; the lights on Hooper's boat's hull are like stars illuminating the dark mysterious world.
Hooper finds a hole in the hull of Gardner's boat and a large shark's tooth. The spectator will already have felt trepidation when Hooper entered the water but the tooth confirms that the shark was responsible for whatever happened to Ben Gardner. It could still be in the area which means that Hooper, who is a very likeable character, is in real danger (a possibility not lost on him). Moreover, the spectator is positioned very close to the action which makes us feel that we are in danger too. While hooper is distracted by the tooth, he is not looking at what is behind him and we expect the shark to come out of the darkness of the depths at any second. The twist is that the sudden appearance of something comes from in front of Hooper, not behind him.
Suddenly, a wildly staring head appears in the hole, giving an extreme fright to both Hooper and the spectator. The death mask of the shark's victim is horrifying and as ghoulish as a Frankenstein movie but the real scare comes from our nervousness that something is about to happen and the screeching 'scare chord' that is combined with the sudden appearance of the head.
Summary of devices used:
- Brody's fear of water (many spectators will share this)
- The dark
- Mist
- Ghostly searchlights
- Humour to diffuse tension
- Strange noise (fish finder)
- Ominous music
- Low key lighting and up-lighting
- Forewarning dialogue
- Forewarning objects (the bite out of the side of Gardner's boat and the shark's tooth)
- Privileged knowledge for the spectator
- Conflict between the sensible option and the brave (reckless?) option
- The sense of the ocean being a magical but dangerous world
- Mystery (what happened to Gardner's boat?)
- Hooper's heavy breathing and Brody's anxiety
- Isolation (Hooper in the water and Brody on the boat)
- Softer version of the 'Jaws' leitmotif suggests the shark may still be close
- Shock of head appearing
- Scare chord
- The ghoulishness of the head
- Hooper's fright (matches our own)
Mise-en-scene in Psycho (Scene 3)
After leaving the office, Marion is next seen in her apartment.
Initially, we might expect that elliptical editing has been utilised and that the event of her taking the money to the bank has not been shown because it is unimportant. However, her fixed eye-line and troubled expression suggests that there is something significant off-frame. The camera drops in height to reveal the envelope full of money and pushes in to emphasise its significance. The nagging 'dilemma' leitmotif begins. Notice that Marion's white underwear has now changed to black to signify her 'fall from innocence'. (Once more, we could say that the 'Male Gaze' is in evidence here.) Her apartment is small and simply furnished; she is not a wealthy woman. This is relevant because her financial position contrasts with Cassidy who boasts that he can afford to lose $40,000.
The camera then pans left to her suitcase which is full of hastily collected clothes. The active spectator will appreciate that the amount of clothes suggests that she is going away for some time; perhaps even for good.
As she gets dressed, Marion can't stop looking at the money. She is conflicted; on the one hand, the money offers her the opportunity to 'buy off unhappiness' but on the other hand, it doesn't belong to her. It's important that we see her agonising over the decision because that shows us that she is not a bad person. She does know the difference between right and wrong. Could the spectator see her crime as justifiable in the circumstances? Is love more important than honesty and integrity?
We see Marion pack more items of clothing into her full suitcase, even some slippers. Is she really going to go for good? But where? To Sam?
She looks at herself in the mirror. She seems to be questioning who she is. Can she go through with it? We talk about being 'unable to look myself in the mirror' after doing something wrong. Is Marion asking herself this question? Could she look herself in the mirror in the future after stealing the money? Her duality is interesting in this scene. The change in underwear colour suggests that she is not all that she seems and the mirror shot also indicates that her personality is not as clear cut as we have been led to believe. Remember that at the start of the film she talks about respectability but is meeting her boyfriend to have sex in a cheap hotel during her lunch hour. Marion is an ambiguous character and her true personality is intriguingly elusive.
She looks away from the mirror and back to the bed. A point of view shot shows the money. It's inert, but powerful nonetheless. The envelope draws her attention, again and again. What will she do? Return it or steal it? The spectator is given the same dilemma because Hitchcock is manipulating us into taking sides. If we disapprove of Marion's sexual liaisons and betrayal of trust then we will be urging her to take the money to the bank. If our moral view is more liberal then we will be less inclined to condemn her relationship with Sam and see the theft as a 'necessary evil' that will enable the two lovers to be united. Many of us will also have experienced a similar moral dilemma where our lives could have been improved by giving into a dishonest or irresponsible action.
The question of what Marion is intending to do is resolved quickly as we see her checking a folder for important documents, such as her driving licence. If she is taking her important documents with her, it's unlikely that she is planning to return any time soon. She places the document folder in her handbag and attempts to close her suitcase but her eyes are once more drawn to the money. Has she had a final change of heart?
Slowly and thoughtfully she walks around the bed towards the money and then sits beside it. Uncertainly, she looks into space as if attempting to make a final decision. Finally, her mind made up, she opens her handbag, reaches for the money and puts it inside. The envelope is so thick with notes that it doesn't fit easily into her bag and she has to push it firmly down.
She allows herself one further moment of reflective soul-searching, then rises quickly and grabs her suitcase, as if delaying any longer will cause her to lose her resolve. She is dressed smartly; her dress is buttoned to the neck and has a waist belt. Her hair is neatly styled. She is the image of respectability but her actions are quite the opposite. Framed photographs, presumably of family members, surround her. What would they think of her behaviour?
Suitcase in hand and with her handbag over her arm, Marion takes her coat from the wardrobe (remember that it's a very hot day so the coat is for the future) and leaves.
Summary of devices used:
- Costume: underwear (sexuality - 'Male gaze')
- Colour black (corruption)
- The simplicity of her apartment (not wealthy - contrast with Cassidy)
- Props: framed photographs
- 'Dilemma' leitmotif
- Uncertainty about her intentions and resolve (suspense)
- Characterisation - internal conflict
- No dialogue. Messages are created through non-verbal performance
- Spectator is encouraged to 'take sides'
- Significant props - the money, the suitcase, the documents
- The jumble of clothes (rushing to leave)
- Mirror (duality)
- Costume: her smart dress
- Hair and make-up: neatly coiffured hair
- Costume: coat (unnecessary for that day; indicates leaving for good)
Music in Jaws (from Wikipedia)
Music scholar Joseph Cancellaro proposes that the two-note expression mimics the shark's heartbeat.[78] According to Alexandre Tylski, like themes Bernard Herrmann wrote for Taxi Driver, North by Northwest, and particularly Mysterious Island, it suggests human respiration. He further argues that the score's strongest motif is actually "the split, the rupture"—when it dramatically cuts off, as after Chrissie's death.[73] The relationship between sound and silence is also taken advantage of in the way the audience is conditioned to associate the shark with its theme,[74] which is exploited toward the film's climax when the shark suddenly appears with no musical introduction.
Music in Psycho
