What Makes Teddy Daniels Flashcards
Intro
Martin Scorsese’s, 2010 psychological thriller, ‘Shutter Island’ is a film with a
particularly engaging character. Set in 1954 in the Boston Harbour islands, the film
focuses upon Teddy Daniels, a US Marshall who is posted to Shutter Island to
investigate a missing patient from Ashcliff mental asylum. However, as the film
progresses, it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems. Through clever use of
camera, sound, dialogue, and flashback Scorsese successfully crafts an engaging
character in Teddy Daniels.
Paragraph topics
Camera Angle
Flashbacks
Dialogue
Music
Camera Angle Evidence
High angle journey Shot
Low angle of AshCliff
Close up of Teddy and Rachel
Music Evidence
Fog tropes
Malhers piano quartet
Dialogue Evidence
‘Which would be worse; to live as a monster or die a
good man’
‘Marshal, you have no friends.’
Flashback Evidence
First Happy flashback to wife
Liberation of Dachau
Conclusion
It is clear that through, utilising use of camera, non-diegetic sound, dialogue, and
flashback, Scorsese creates a memorable character in Teddy Daniels. Scorsese’s use of
camera angle shows Teddy’s vulnerability while the flashbacks that he experiences
remind the audience of his trauma which creates his engaging and trouble personality.
The dialogue throughout Shutter Island clearly exposes Teddy’s isolated and conflicted
nature and the non-diegetic sound provides a backdrop to this, supporting the audience
into feeling Teddy’s emotions and engage in his character. Scorsese masterfully
combines these techniques to capture a truly unforgettable character within Teddy
Daniels. Ultimately, it is Teddy’s vulnerability and conflicted relationship with reality and
the truth that makes him such an engaging character
High angle journey Shot
Low angle of AshCliff
makes Ashcliff look large and intimidating which
further infers that Teddy is potentially under threat, which builds audience concern for
him and enforces the fact that as a character he is at risk.
Close up of Teddy and Rachel
In this scene we see Rachel embrace Teddy in a close up shot. The
close up of the two characters establishes an intimate atmosphere and clearly suggests
that Teddy has a more loving, compassionate side. The close up zooms in on Teddy’s
more human side and helps establish an emotional connection between Teddy and the
audience. The close up surprises the audience as we do not expect Teddy to have a
more caring side. The shot helps to create the contrast in his character which makes
him so engaging, he has both his tough and damaged side, but a small loving side still
remains.
Fog tropes
e film is opened
with the Orchestral track ‘fog tropes’ and it is during this track that we first meet Teddy.
The music is both mysterious and dark in tone, which gives Teddy an enigmatic aura and
helps to foreshadow his dark past. The dark tone of the music also suggests that
something negative or scary it about to happen, which helps the audience to see Teddy
as the vulnerable character he is
Malhers piano quartet
is. Another key piece of music in the film is ‘Mahler’s
piano Quartet’ which plays during several key scenes. It features in flashbacks to both
happy memories in his life such as times with his wife and also very negative times,
such as when he discovered the dying head guard of Dachau. The piece is feels deeply
emotional as it features both piano and strings intensely. The Quartet helps to amplify
the emotions Teddy experiences in each scene through the A minor key, which is used to
offer sad and melodramatic tones; helping the audience empathise with him and the
music supports the audience into feeling the same emotions as Teddy. The fact that it
plays several times throughout the feature helps to bind his character together, by
linking the scenes and helps the audience remember the diversity and adversity of his
past which make him an engaging character.
Wife flashbacks
e use of colour is
extremely important during these scenes. For example, in the opening sequence of the
film we see Teddy warmly embracing his wife, and the scene features a wide range of
warm and bright colours. This makes it clear that this moment is full of joy and passion,
effectively representing the happiness and love that him and his wife are experiencing in
that moment.
Liberation of Dachau
d with dark and murky hues of grey and
brown which successfully contributes to the serious and sad nature of the scene. It is
this complete contrast in mood and atmosphere portrayed through colour which makes
it clear the wealth of extreme experiences Teddy has gone through and how they
contrast one another, showing his inner conflict and making him memorable.
Marshal, you have no friends
This short, sharp sentence highlights the theme of
isolation that plagues Teddy’s character which helps us feel sympathy towards him.
Rachel speaks in a matter of fact tone, further emphasising that Teddy is a lonely and
lost character, that doesn’t have anyone close to him. It is later revelled that Rachel
was never really there, she was just a figment of Teddy’s imagination, merely speaking
his inner doubts and vulnerabilities that make him an engaging characteR
‘Which would be worse; to live as a monster or die a
good man’
’ Teddy’s word choice of ‘monster’ holds connotations of evil, horror, and
violence while is suggestion of ‘good man’ holds the opposite connotations. By using
the conjunction ‘or’ to juxtapose these two sides of good and evil Teddy clearly shows
the two conflicting sides of his character. It is in this moment that Teddy decides to be
lobotomised as he wants to be freed from his past trauma and wrongdoing. The quote
evokes a shocked response from the audience as they can now recognise Teddy’s fate
that he has chosen for himself due to his troubled past.
Flashback Analysis
Overall,
the flashbacks cleverly build Teddy’s character as we see how his past experiences
have affected his current state and the audience are encouraged to fill in the gaps in his
life. Through involving the audience and altering the narrative structure his character is
made unforgettablE
