The mis-en-scene of'The Lord of the Rings' conveys that it is a fantasy genre. It is set in a dark and scary place and the costumes are not ordinary. The characters wear armour and carry swords, which symbolised the potential battle of good versus evil.
The effect of the narrative in 'The Lord of the Rings' is extremely clever. The opening scene is a flashback with the narrative dubbed over the action (voiceover). The images represent to the viewer what the storyteller is conveying. The deep, calm voice compliments the fictional action on the screen.The manner in which the opening scene is profiled intrigues the viewer and suits the fantasy genre.
The events are relayed in a chronological order and it is almost like a child being told a story by a parent. It is relatively easy to follow and that makes it easier for the viewer to digest the strange things that take place.
There are many signifiers in 'The Lord of the Rings' that make it clear that it is a fantasy genre. The background is dark when the storyteller (voiceover) sets the scene. This makes it very mysterious and exciting and compliments the story behind Sauem's ring.
When the storyteller relates to the danger of the evil ring her voice is more powerful, moreover music is introduced to attract the viewers attention. Organs and violins are used to make the music and these instruments represent evil. This helps establish the genre and narrative of The Lord of the Rings.
The opening scene of 'The Lord of the Rings' is an effective way of filling in the viewer about the history of the ring. The flashback allows the viewer to establish that the genre of the film is a fantasy.
Conversely, the genre of 'Gladiator' is slightly different to 'The Lord of the Rings'. "The Lord of the Rings' is a fantasy, action, whereas 'Gladiator' is an action movie.
- Straight away in 'Gladiator' we are introduced to a potential hero. He is Russell Crowe and he is stereotyped to be brave, courageous and a great leader. This is a key aspect of an action movie and helps to determine the genre.
The opening subtitles are extremely moving and hint at unrest. The background is dark with smoke rising in the foreground, possibly representing a battle. A robin represents winter, which is the darker side. The viewer knows there will be consequences to follow this scene and helps establish the genre.
The inevitable then happens. There is a violent battle, which is a feature of an action movie. It is very graphic and realistic. Armies arrive in woodland on horseback. This is stereotypical of an action movie. There are no women represented in the opening scene. This shows that the movie was set hundreds of years ago where emperors ruled and males were represented as rich, strong and powerful beings. The sound effects are dramatic, exaggerated and symbolize a battle, which helps to establish the genre. An overhead camera angle shows large armies and the camera moves rapidly to show the intensity of the battle. The language the emperor uses also helps to define the genre. 'On my signal, unleash hell'. This also depicts the intensity and sheer will to win a battle; moreover it also helps to establish the genre to be action.
Another aspect of an action movie is that the events take place in a chronological order. This is exactly what happens in 'Gladiator', right from the first encounter with the respective armies, up to the eventual battle.
The sound effects that are dubbed over the storyteller are appropriate to the battle. These make the words seem more realistic as the groans of soldiers and roaring fires depict an intense battle; they add realism to the experience for the viewer. They also make the story seem more interesting. The screams and groans of anguish make it more compelling and intriguing for the viewer. The sound of a violin, slowly echoing a melody adds pain and atmosphere to the opening scene. It also makes it spooky and eerie for the viewer. Furthermore the narrator is omniscient so it can tell us exactly what is happening because it is all knowing. These all help the viewer to establish the genre in the opening scenes of the movie.
The narrative styles of the two respective movies are similar in some respects. 'The Lord of the Rings' uses a voiceover, accompanied by images to convey the story of the viewer; conversely 'Gladiator' uses subtitles to fill the viewer in on the history before the battle. Both openings to the films are in chronological order. These are the varying techniques they use to convey to the viewer the genre of their movies.
The mis-en-scene supports the action on view. The costumes the characters wear support the narrative. For example the poor people (peasants) in 'Gladiator' wear rags and do not ride around on horseback, while the wealthier people with a more upper class status, the generals for example wear more ornate costumes (reds and purples), which symbolise royalty and regal ness. Furthermore they commute on horseback, rather than foot.
The music supports the action in both movies. The music in 'The Lord of the Rings' is mellow and represents evil, depicting a fantasy genre. On the other hand in 'Gladiator' the music is very slow and represents pain and suffering, this time depicting an action movie.
Clues are given to the viewer about the genre in 'Gladiator' as the characters discuss death and honour before the battle scene. This allows the viewer to establish genre and narrative.
The representations the two films use allow the viewer to establish genre in the opening scenes. 'The Lord of the Rings' representations are all fantasy based. The evil side are all ugly and which is a convention of a fantasy movie. Most of the human characters are adults aged between twenty-five and thirty-five and are mostly white. Elves are superior, intelligent and pure. The leader of the elves is a female representation. The only other female is the omniscient narrator. Men are stereotyped as superior and dominant. The way the characters are represented helps the viewer establish genre and narrative.
In 'Gladiator' only white European men are represented. No Asians, females or any other race. This shows to the viewer that the battle is not because of cultural differences. Males are stereotyped because it is the traditional role of men to be fighters and protectors. Different classes are represented. Generals are wealthy and dominant, while peasants are poor and wear rags.
Different codes and conventions are used in order to establish genre and narrative in the two movies. In 'The Lord of the Rings' the codes are fictional; which represent a fantasy genre, for example, the different races, which are represented, the nine rings. The swords and weapons that are used represent evil and drama. Conventions are 'rules' of a film and there are many significant ones in The Lord of the Rings that help the viewer determine the genre and narrative. The battle of good versus evil paves the way for a hero to be made. .This is a key aspect of a fantasy genre. The mysterious lands and strange names of the characters are obvious clues for the viewer. There is also a violent battle, not for land, money or beliefs, but the quest to capture a ring. This is the main indicator that the genre of the film is a fantasy.
The codes and conventions of 'Gladiator' do not differ that greatly from 'The Lord of the Rings'. The different races are represented, with the generals stereotyped as rich and powerful, and the peasants, slaves and worthless. The generals ride horses, which is a symbol of wealth. Flames and screams are evident which symbolise a battle. Similarly to 'The Lord of the Rings' there is a hero that will save the day and be an inspiration towards hid army. The general watches from afar showing the difference in class. Unlike 'The Lord of the Rings' it was a traditional battle fighting for rights. The music compliments the action and helps establish the genre.
The genre and narrative of the two films does not differ a great deal from the respect that there are two extremely intense and purposeful battles in each of them, but what the respective characters are fighting for varies significantly. 'The Lord of the Rings' have based their battle around a fictional story about nine rings, this supports the intended genre of an action fantasy, whereas in 'Gladiator' there is a battle but without the fictional effect. The battle seems very real and is engaging for the viewer. The mis-en-scen supports the genre for both of the movies and makes them extremely effective.
I much prefer the movie 'Gladiator' as I feel 'The Lord of the Rings' has a very specific target audience and is much to far fetched for me. 'Gladiator' appeals to a wider market as it has a historical and factual base, which results in a very engaging movie.
