Shadow of a Doubt

      

'Shadow of a Doubt' is a film made in 1943, by Alfred Hitchcock, and was one of his personal favourites. In media lesson today, we looked at this film opening and analyzed it in terms of Mise en Scene. We discovered;

Settings and Props

            - a sum of money. The money is screwed up on the floor and table, suggesting that it is unimportant to Uncle Charlie, and to him it is worthless.

            - an empty glass, which Charlie angerily throws at a wall, which suggests that he could potentially be aggressive, violent and dangerous.

Although Charlie looks rich, the scene is set in a run down looking area, making the audience want to know why, and watch on.

Positioning of characters and objects within the frame

When the audience is first introduced to Uncle Charlie, and to his niece, also named Charlie, they are both first seen laid out on a bed and the camera approaches them from the same angle. This technique is known as a mirroring effect, and it suggests they are 'two sides of the same coin' but with differing personalities. This is shown in the above video of the two shots.   

Costume, Hair and Make up

Uncle Charlie wears a suit which looks expensive, reinforcing the idea that he is rich. His hair is sleek and gelled back, and looks well looked after.
 Facial expressions and Body language

Both Unlce Charlie and his niece are found lying on a bed. They both look tired, relaxed and uninterested in their enviroment.

Lighting and Colour

To begin with, there is light entering the room through the window shining on Charlie, laying on the bed. When a woman enters the room and pulls the blind down, Charlie is covered in darkness, at which point he moves from his relaxed, lazy position on the bed, and begins to move around, smashing a glass. This suggests that he tends to 'come alive' in the darkness, and at night, hinting that he is the antagonist of the film. The opening seems to have a lot of shadows, and therefore I know it uses low key lighting He is provided with an ominous look when he is on the phone shortly after, due to the shadow that is created over his eyes, by the hat he is wearing.