Scene Analysis: Opening Scene

Question 1

Cinematography;
1. establishing shot of the train and boat
2. slow plan of city woman looking at houses
3. mid shot of city woman getting ready
4. static camera movement
5. chiaroscuro lighting of city woman’s room

Answer 1

3. turns into a tracking shot when she begins to look around
4. contrasts the dining room

Question 2

Sound:
1. dramatic sound in city, slower and more melancholic in countryside
2. dramatic music as the man debates what to do
3. loud and fast paced music during train journey from city to country

Answer 2

1. shows chaos of the city juxtaposed with the tranquility of the countryside

Question 3

Mise en scene:
1. warm lighting in cottage
2. city woman presents herself as classy and rebellious, dressed in black
3. juxtaposition of the wife
4. the man’s buttons are undone
5. the country

Answer 3

1. connotes safety
2. black symbolises evil and temptation, affirms her role as a seductress
3. long dress, hair tied up, no makeup. domestic role
4. suggests he is sexually open
5. provides a sense of calm (kammerspiel)

Question 4

Editing:
1. title cards fade in and out
2. long takes
3. superimposition of ship on one side and swimmers on other

Answer 4

1. give context to the film, common convention of silent films
2. displays exaggerated action
3. bustling image

Question 5

Performance:
1. exaggerated actions
2. city woman waltzing around seductively
3. man hunched over the table awkwardly
4. wife laying the table
5. the man has stiff and slow movements

Answer 5

1. compensates for lack of voice
2. suggests her role as the seductress
3. shows he is guilty
4. reaffirms gender roles
5. conflicted