How does the exposition of American Beauty establish themes and character?

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Sophie Bailey

Film Coursework

 How does the exposition of American Beauty establish themes and character through the use of?

American Beauty was directed by Sam Mendes in 1999. It was released on the 4th of February 2000 and won 5 Oscars. The film is about a man who is lonely and going through a mid-life crisis who ends up falling for a sixteen year old girl.  The sequence I am analysing is exposition which establishes the character and theme of the film.  

The first image is of the onscreen titles. The colour of the titles is red which could connote danger or lust but, referring to the word’s “American beauty” it could suggest that it’s to do with love. The beginning scene opens with an extreme long shot of a bird’s eye view of suburbia. The colours are very desaturated and all we can see is tree’s that seem to cover the city. The camera then does a tilt and zooms in suggesting we are going to take a closer look at this world. This links to the theme and it also reflects in the notice at Lester’s desk that says ‘Look Closer’. As it is zooming in it reminds me of the film Beetle Juice where they zoom in on his life in this fake model board. It’s like the audience are spectators and are watching from a position of objective superiority as a person’s life unfolds.

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It then cuts to the Lester Burnham the protagonist of the film asleep on his bed in his bedroom. The camera angle is a bird’s eye view angle which makes it seem like we are looking down from heaven like a God character. There is a very bare mis-en-scene and everything seems to be in symmetrical order which could connote that his everything is his life is in order. As we look at him lying on his side of the bed, we realise that the other half is bare/empty suggesting that something is missing in his life e.g. ...

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