My third blog posting that I am going to be talking about is the narrative function of mise-en-scene with the movie The Killing. I believe that the Kubrick film The Killing is a great choice for this topic, because of its brilliant uses of mise en scene and also because it fits into the heist film genre.
The film The Killing (1956) is about an ex convict Johnny who organizes an elaborate heist during one of the largest horse races. He assembles a team with a wide range of criminal experience. The most of the larger players do have some criminal experience and really don’t have a connection to Johnny. Other members including George who is a nervous wreck who works for the race track and is only participating in the heist to try to please his money hungry wife. The men assemble and plan out their crimes trying to smooth out the inevitable bumps along the way which include George’s money hungry wife trying to intrude on the gang so that she can set up her husband and take the money for herself and her younger lover. Once the time comes to execute the heist, during the start of the seventh race, the camera begins to show the point of view from each member of the team. The last of course is Johnny’s part and it shows him completing the job. The gang goes to assemble back at the arranged meeting location only to find George’s wife’s lover waiting for them to steal their loot. A gun fight breaks out and leaves everyone dead. Once Johnny shows up to find everyone dead he decides to hightail it out and catch the next plane out of town. While at the airport, the airline refuses Johnny the right to take his suitcase, which is where the money is, on board as a carryon and he is forced to check his bag. He reluctantly does and right before he boards the plane he sees his luggage fall off of the bag cart and burst open with all of his money flying everywhere. The movie ends while he and his wife try to flee the airport but he is caught at the last second by the police.
I believe that mise en scene plays a large role in this film because of the well executed setting, costumes, and lighting. According to cod.edu, mise en scene has 15 elements: dominant, lighting key, shot and camera proxemics, angle, color values, lens/filter, subsidiary contrasts, density, composition, form, framing, depth, character placement, staging positions, and character proxemics.
In The Killing, Kubrick does a fantastic job with the mise en scene function in the film. His choices of setting in the movie really allow the audience to follow the flow of the story. Also for each particular setting his use of natural light and artificial light really allows the film to have an intimate feel to it. The use of natural light in certain settings like at the race track or at the airport gives the idea of openness and realism to the film. Also the use of artificial soft lighting and low lighting during the scenes when they are planning along with the close up camera angels make the audience feel as if they were right in the smoke filled room. Also according to Gerrard, There is a shot in The Killing which shows Johnny opening a door and walking down a hallway. Suddenly, the camera zooms back to reveal that the viewer has been watching this through a mirror, a disorienting revelation, and one obviously designed to call attention to the film's artifice.
Without the Kubrick’s brilliant narrative function of Mise en scene throughout the film, this movie would not be what we as an audience have come to know and love about it.
Works Cited
Gerrard, David. "The Kubrick Site." The Herd & Self-Reflexiveness. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. <www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/0015.html >.
"Mise en Scene." College of DuPage :: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. <http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/pruter/film/15points.htm>.
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