Welcome back! Yet again, it is about that time where we get to learn a little more about the gangster film genre. This time, we are going to choose a specific scene from one of our favorite gangster films and provide an in depth analysis. Lets get gangster with it…
We will be using the mise-en-scene elements to analyze this scene because it will provide us with the greatest amount of understanding in such a short post. Let’s begin.
Costume, lighting, performance and movement, and staging are the components of mise-en-scene we will use to analyze the scene. Our scene that we are analyzing is from Scarface directed by Brian De Palma. In this scene, our anti-hero is Tony Montana a cocaine kingpin, and he is drunk, sitting at his table in a restaurant, and has just had his wife throw her drink in his face and run out.
The costumes that the actors are wearing are appropriate, Tony has a tuxedo on, and most people are dressed the same, or in a suit. De Palma tried to make these costume as close to what real people would be wearing in a high society up-scale restaurant, and he did well.
The lighting seems to be a frontal lighting system from the lack of shadows in the frame, but there is also lighting from the chandeliers, candles, and wall lights. This lighting makes the scene look very open and still because everyone is sitting in the restaurant.
The movement in the scene is really only our main character and the camera. Tony begins in his chair, and the camera is slowly panning to the right in a circular motion. Then he drunkenly stands up and stumbles as he yells obscenities at nobody and everybody in the restaurant. As he stands and very slowly stumbles toward the exit, the camera keeps panning around the table so we can see everyone reactions to him yelling. He finally reaches his mark and stays in the relatively same area, and the camera slowly starts coming in as he slowly walks backward toward the exit, preaching to everyone as he goes.
The performance by Al Pacino is really exceptional as he plays an angry drunk cocaine addict who has everything material he could want in life. Perceived realism that he is drunk is all there, expressions are spot on, the only critique is that his body seems a bit stiff for a person in his condition.
Our last element is the staging. De Palma does a good job with the positioning of people and props in the scene. The focus is always on Tony as he is always in the center of the frame and is one of the few who are standing besides the waiters and Tony’s entourage in the deep space. The shot is a long take without cuts, so the fact that the space in the frame is balanced through out is a credit to De Palma.
Overall, the scene is very well put together as Tony does his monologue. Hopefully this was able to provide a clear analysis of the mise-en-scene in this scene. As this will be the last post for Gangster’s Paradise I guess there is only one thing to say..
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