The first major bit of drama to occur was the arrival of the Inspector, which are a minor event in one media and a relatively major event in the other media. The minor event was in the script with a simple stage direction indicating ‘Inspector appears’ but in the film the room goes silent for a second and the camera pans round to a space then four ‘gongs’ are sounded and an Inspector appears from nowhere, the sound is non diagetic. The problem with the film is that the Inspector has to be shown as a human figure, which releases some of the mystery that the script holds, because when he can not be seen you are left to ponder on his appearance and whether he was or was not a ghost but this is given away with Inspector Goole/Poole’s first appearance in the film. The film does try to indicate the eeriness about the Inspector by including a good use of backlight and high contrast to emphasis his pale and ghostly face. The timing of the Inspector’s appearance is signified in both sets of media as important, the time that he arrives is during Birling’s speech about their reputation and how he does not want it to be tarnished, then unannounced a figure emerges adding a dramatic sense of irony to the play. The visit is made more dramatic in the film but loses some of the suspense of the script version, because the reasoning of his visit is revealed straight away by the camera being directed on the expression of the Inspector, which is one of seriousness. The script does not mention the reasoning for the Inspector’s call; therefore the reader is kept in suspense for his comment explaining his calling upon the Birlings’ household. Whilst the interrogations are being conducted by the Inspector, the camera always has two frames of shots at the beginning of the quizzing which it ‘chops and changes’ between, one of these is of the interrogator, the Inspector, and the other is of the rest of the characters within the room so each member’s reaction can be seen by the viewer. The script can not possibly show this nor can it show the Inspector’s isolation and how he is in control and keeps his calmness the whole time. The Director is successful in the way he uses the camera with the zoom in, and he knows it too which is why he uses the same effect so often. When the Inspector mentions the name, Eva Smith, the camera immediately focuses on Birling for both a reaction and a comment, a clever use of the camera shot makes the viewer expect a quick reply by Mr.Birling but when a dramatic pause is in the place of the reply a feeling of guilt is signalled to the viewer. This enhances the script ‘leaps and bounds’, not one of these helpful (for the viewers sake) effects could be attempted within the script as there is no doubt they would be unsuccessful, owed to the fact the detail required to fully construe the idea would be longer than the text itself.
The script tries to present the Inspector as a calm man and a man whom is in control, but it took me for one a little while to completely get the image being put across. The film is done in such a way that even within the first few minutes of the Inspectors introduction, the observer can interpret the Inspector’s actions and personality to be calm and in control, for instance the camera has a wide shot of the Inspector sat on a chair patronisingly asking the man of the house personal and potentially difficult questions. Other times where the Inspector is querying the house members imposing his superiority by the help of the camera he is made to look like a giant by a simple trick of putting the camera at a low level looking up at him. The positioning of the camera is all-important and essential. The Inspector makes certain that he is always the dominant person in the conversation and when he is sat he is calm, but when the others are sat he leans over them and overpowers them. Priestley’s stage directions also strive in making the Inspector the authoritative figure but naturally not as successful. At the time when Birling remembers the name Eva Smith as one of his ex-workers, a sudden corny ‘gong’ is sounded as done in relation to show a brainwave in many cartoons. The script has no actual chance of imposing this effect, and can not
be made any more sudden nor dramatic than it already is. The way the script tells the story is in an explanative way which gives one side of the story, the idea by the director of the film is a good one and that is to tell the story by using flashbacks which are entirely accurate.
The flashbacks also give an image of Eva, which gives the watcher an impression of the woman. Eva is played by an attractive actress who adds to the sympathy felt for her by the audience. I imagined Eva to be an attractive young female and the script led the reader to believe just that throughout the book, then at the end Priestley clarified it in a statement letting those who read the script follow the book more easily. The fact that near the end of the script the point is clarified, is a bit disappointing and should be made earlier as then if the imagery of Eva is incorrectly made by the reader it can be adjusted easily which is the good thing about the film, this error cannot be made. When Eva is shown on the film you have a clear impression in your head of her looks and that she is beautiful. As well as that I noticed that Eva was played by the same actress throughout which is in a way a good thing, because the viewer then does not get confused by a different image of the girl, but then at the same time is a bad thing as it goes against the script. Which leads the reader into thinking there is a large time gap between events which contradicts with the film because no time change is shown by using the same actress. The use of ‘Mise en scene’ is impressive once again with Eva’s brightest moments in her life being verified by the lighting effect. The lighting effect is lit accordingly to Eva, a good example is her romantic scenes with both Eric and Gerald. The soft focus on the romantic scenes stresses a sense of nostalgia. The contrast of the film was mostly very high signifying a theatrical and dramatic storyline, which suits both script and film’s genre. The information the provides to all who watches it, is a bonus and a great addition to the script.
Mr.Birling’s flashback (which was started by quick high pitch dramatic five second cut of music, which was non diagetic) consisted of a mini demonstration by Eva and her co-workers about wanting a wage rise, the camera was in such a spot that only Eva out of the whole of the workers and Mr.Birling were in the picture, indicating a personal battle. The only possible way that this can be done in the text is via using a dialect form, where only Mr.Birling and Eva speak/argue, hence making a personal conflict between the two. The input of sound into the film again comes into play as the decision for Eva to be released without pay is announced, a dismal outburst of music is played at the exact moment of the statement.
The script of “An Inspector Calls” is absolutely brilliant for suspense, leaving each chapter ending with a dilemma and forcing the reader to hurry to the next chapter to read the conclusion only for another dilemma to form. In the film though suspense is not such a great issue, drama is indicated a lot more. One situation that arises suspicion for both means of media is the concealing of the photographs of Eva, both Priestley and the director of the film, “An
Inspector Calls”, made sure the reader and viewer respectively knew none of the character saw the same photo. This predicament meant both the script and the film entailed a large amount of mystery. The script described the situation in detail, describing how the Inspector blocked off the others from even getting a glimpse at the picture and the film was the exact same, just a visual image instead. The props were well used by the director, in order to obstruct any sight of the photos. The props were used amazingly well, when the Inspector showed Sheila the photo, because the camera was situated in such a locality that when Sheila saw the picture, although she was faced with her back to the camera, her reaction to it was still caught in the film, with the help of an ingeniously placed mirror.
I noticed whilst examining the film that when the Inspector questions Mr.Birling, the Inspector does not always make eye contact with Birling, emphasising his domination, yet Birling’s eyes at all times follow every movement of the Inspector stressing his
anxiousness. The clothing that the Inspector wears makes a distinct statement about him. Priestley did not describe the Inspector for a good reason, that reason being the description would ruin the eerieness and mystery connected with the script, the clothes are smart sophisticated and modern resembling a clever man, which proves to be correct.
All those who are inquired by the Inspector have a distinct dramatic pause, when asked a particularly gruelling question. The script does not direct the characters to wait before answering or attempting to answer the question, nor does it notify the reader of this. The introduction of the dramatic pause, is a welcome one by me, personally. The pause shows a hesitation within the characters and signifies how vulnerable they actually are. The pause symbolises time to allow the individual to think before he/she speaks, which was something that not one of the script’s characters did, other than Sheila who showed some real maturity. The maturity was also highlighted in the film, with the way she spoke and acted;
her expressions were particularly impressive. The script makes out Sheila to be a naive person at the beginning, through the way she does what ever she is told, she starts off as a very gullible character but progresses to be the most intelligent out of the group. Sheila is the first and only person to realise how much the Inspector knows, and all he is doing is forcing the family to admit their errors. Priestly makes this known to the reader in the best possible way that is as sudden as he could possibly construct it. When Sheila did realise all that the Inspector was about, an outburst of music was played where the pitch was high, to signify a kind of brain wave. Another short section of high-pitched tones is played to begin the flashback for Sheila that I think is an ingenious idea. The music for the flashback is a brilliant addition to the film as it alerts the viewer that there is a change in time i.e./ backwards, a flashback.
The zoom in technique is put to use yet again, which emphasises the slight grin on Eva’s little face, when young Sheila has a tantrum. The zoom in puts all focus on Eva’s smirk, which is a little, rude but made the situation even more offensive. The sharp music is attached to the scene making the situation seem worse than it already is, and with this music being played the camera which is still in the same position, (zoomed in on Eva) stays there whilst you see an unhappy Sheila storm out of the shop a distressed customer. This is a clever placement of props and filming instruments to capture this dramatic scene in the successful manner that it was shown in the film. The book description was adequate but no way near the quality of the film.
The Inspector is shown purposely peeking at the time, both on his watch and the main clock on top of the mantelpiece. This constant keeping of time is important to the film because it highlights the significance of time. The Inspector has to make sure he has interrogated all of the members in the household and escaped before the real Inspector arrives, thus catching him out as a ‘hoax’. The script has not a possibility of outlining this importance of time within the text, as the only possible way is by printing in writing the Inspector’s every movement, which would be very burdensome. Or the other way would be to write the script with the Inspector asking questions concerning the time, this proposition would not fit in with the current text and would seem very much out of place. Therefore the film has an obvious advantage with the ‘Mise en scene’ and uses it to its full potential. The shot is mostly medium with an old fashioned sharp cut, this shows the film’s age but the editing is basic continuity editing. The basic continuity editing keeps the film flowing, but indicates how the film could be improved even more. The fading to and from flashbacks is a good introduction and clearly signifies when a flashback has occurred. The only
other time the fading technique is used is when the film begins and ends. These two fades are extremely slow, to let the viewer take in what is happening. The first instance the fade in, the importance is on the table full of food, stressing the family’s wealth and riches. The ending of the film allows the observer to reflect on the earlier goings on. The director includes great amounts of
deep focus views and depse of field. This allows the viewer to observe a good selection of the ‘Mise en scene’ on show.
The Director of the film “An Inspector Calls” placed Sheila and Gerald together in the majority of the screen shots, most probably to symbolise how inseparable they were, but as the film moved on the two moved further from each other progressively. Priestley is successful in his method of showing the two peoples togetherness this was done in the style that he used, where Sheila and Gerald normally talk one after the other, owed to the fact they were regularly defending each other. This method gradually moved away as the script progressed too.
The props are used to great effect in the film as I have already mentioned, they direct the viewer to many thoughts and dictate the play to a certain extent. The props give the film such an edge it is quite unbelievable. There are numerous props used the main ones being a decanter or drink (belonging to Eric) which indicates his horrific drinking problems, a clock on the mantelpiece which indicates time and a fireplace and dimmed lights to give the impression of a romantic scene. It is not only the props that give the film the more successful outlook though, the way that they are used is just as important. The most evident good use of a prop is where Mr.Birling fetches the Inspector’s hat, then passes it to him in an attempt to push the annoying interrogator away.
A prominent aspect that improves the script of “An Inspector Calls” is the head movement and more precisely the eye movement of the actors’/actress’. The Director made sure that whoever was in control always acted in control, the Inspector used two different styles, which indicated he was in control. One was staring into the eyes of his victim, pressurising them and the other was to look away whilst still talking giving the impression he was calm and collected, but still in complete command. All this clever directing enhances the script in a immense way. A good example of the head movement is when Mrs.Birling hears her own son’s confession to drink abuse and she leans her head back rolls her eyes and looks towards the heaven for some escape or help. This expression of disappointment is so very effective, as is the script’s description to an extent but it can not rival the real life display.
The camera is used in a variety of ways too, to demonstrate different emotions and atmospheres. The most potent of the batch is the look up/down technique, that can either make the person in conjunction with the camera appear gigantic, powerful looking, or tiny, weak and useless. A good example for each technique is; after Mrs.Birling had seen the photo of Eva/Daisy and felt rather foolish the camera then peered up at the Inspector therefore making him seem overpowering. The other example was at the other end of the spectrum when the camera peered gazingly downwards on Eva, when she was stood in front of Mrs.Birling and her help committee, making Eva seem helpless and weak which is true as her plea was unfairly overlooked and overruled.
There are many aspects of the film version than enhance the script of “An Inspector Calls”. The bulk of the enhancements are made either throughout the film or at the latter stages in the film and only a minority towards the beginning. This leaves a good impression in the viewer’s mind. The fact that the Inspector is psychic adds mystery to the script, which is a good thing as mystery is the main genre of the script. The music and sound effects enhance the script
without question throughout the film. The dramatic feel as sudden sharp extracts of tunes are blended in to the play is effective to say the least. The panning and movement of the camera, is extravagant and possibly a little overdone, other than the zooming in for facial expression. The expressions told the observer a lot where otherwise, it would be difficult to explain. The work by the Director that deserves to be applauded the most though is his use of props, the quantity was perfect
as was the way in which they were used. The end result of the film is ver contrary to the beginning. A new mature partnership has formed in the name of Sheila and Eric, the new generation. The responsibility and maturity shines through the brother and sister and the new togetherness is made prominent by wide pan shots of the pair in every frame, nearing the end of the film. The penultimate shot of the two together focuses at the two characters’ heads, which I believe, is to show how the two have improved displaying how much they have grown up. The guard for the family was without doubt Sheila, hence why she was in the majority of the frames
nearing the finish. The younger generation learnt a lot more from the concerning experience than the elder generation, with Gerald trapped in the middle of the two.
There were a few differences between the script and the film, but the few that there were, were appropriate and only added to the brilliance of the play. The smallest and most insignificant difference was the name of the Inspector, in the script it was, Inspector Goole and in the film it was, Inspector Poole. All that the difference in the names could suggest is
that the name Goole could be questioned and raise suspicion of the Inspector being a supernatural human therefor the Director ditched the ‘G’ for a ‘P’. The most dramatic difference between the two sets of media is the ending. The script does not entail Birling verbally assaulting the Inspector whereas the film does. This verbal abuse given by Birling is more accurate to how someone, who had gone through that ordeal, would act. The scene also adds some suspense to the play which is lacked a little throughout, this being a big difference from the script, which is teeming with suspense. The film contains suspense at the very end, as the viewer awaits the inevitable entrance of the real Inspect where the nightmare will repeat itself, but the phone rings before hand and the suspense kicks in again as the viewer eagerly wants to know who is on the phone. The person who on the phone to Birling is from the infirmary, notifying the household of a suicide just being committed proving the Inspector to be psychic. The one complaint that I would have about the film of “An Inspector Calls” is the acting of Eric, in one scene he is his expected squiffy self, then in the next scene he has suddenly recovered and is sober. I am not sure whether this is a fault of the Director or the actor but either way I believe it was an error and not very effective. Probably the most important aspect to the film over the script was the introduction Sheila looking at herself in the mirror, early on. This is important to the play/film as the whole story is in regard to looking within yourself, and admiring and being disappointed with what you see, in this case it was being very disappointed. This incident occurred moments before her explanation on her error. Other than then few slight criticisms, I have no qualms of the script nor the film, and they were both a joy to read and watch respectively.