Comment on the relationship between mise-en-scene and narrative in Martin Scorsese’s work, paying particular attention to the opening sequence of The Age of Innocence 1993
Comment on the relationship between mise-en-scene and narrative in Martin Scorsese's work, paying particular attention to the opening sequence of The Age of Innocence 1993
Scorsese is widely regarded as an auteur of the cinema. This is because of the way he links certain aspects of the film making process. He combines the different layers of filmmaking to create meaning within his films. The relationship between mise-en-scene and narrative is one that he is strongest at using, so the audience subconsciously creates meaning without even knowing it. In essence what we are questioning here is how does what we see effect the story. Also we need to wonder if it is actually shaped by Scorsese, or whether these two things are just connected randomly. To determine this we must see if there are links between certain aspects of this sequence and any of his other work.
'The age of innocence' is a costume drama, set mostly in 1870's New York. It is an ironic drama centred around a socially forbidden love between two of New York's gentry. A love that unfortunately never comes to fruition. The story comments on the social rigours of a society that was supposed to be free of such discriminatory codes of living. The narrative is centred around the lead male character Newland Archer. His forbidden love is for a lady of disrepute, one Countess Olenska. It is a very European society that they live in, albeit in setting very familiar to many previous works of Scorsese's.
The sequence begins with a set of titles. It opens by saying "New York, 1870's". The mise-en scene has immediately given us information about the narrative. We now know the setting and date of the setting. We are not left to work this out through other things like costume and the set, the audience is immediately placed. This is a useful technique and not just peculiar to this film. It is a common feature throughout Scorsese's work. Titles can be seen in other films such as 'Goodfellas' 'Raging Bull' and 'Kundun'. They help speed the narrative along as they give a date and place to the setting of the scene.
We then fade into a bright colour - yellow - and zoom out to reveal that what we have is a bunch of flowers. Fading into and out of colour is another of Scorsese's favoured techniques and a far more common sight. Most often it is used to reflect or emphasise the main character's emotion.
For instance in 'Raging Bull', it is one of the few times we see colour and it is red to reflect Jake La Motta's anger. Red is also used in 'Last Temptation Of Christ' to emphasis Jesus' pain. Other examples can be seen in 'Kundun', 'Taxi Driver' and 'King of Comedy'. In this case, however, it is probably not related to the main character - though it may reflect his buoyant mood, it is unlikely - but instead gives this sense of richness, opulence. It is a very rich yellow and sets the tone for the scene to come.
We pan away (a technique that I will pick up on later) from the flowers to have the source of the music that has been playing over the titles revealed to us. It is opera, another sign of the richness of our setting. Opera has always been linked with opulence and high society and here it is no different.
The opera is being performed by a man and woman, and is seemingly some kind of love story. Perhaps if we had a grater knowledge of opera we know what kind of love story, and a clue about ...
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We pan away (a technique that I will pick up on later) from the flowers to have the source of the music that has been playing over the titles revealed to us. It is opera, another sign of the richness of our setting. Opera has always been linked with opulence and high society and here it is no different.
The opera is being performed by a man and woman, and is seemingly some kind of love story. Perhaps if we had a grater knowledge of opera we know what kind of love story, and a clue about the narrative would be revealed. Martin Scorsese is a renowned lover of music, and I refuse to believe that the choice of opera would have been merely coincidental.
However, this feeling of superfluity is reinforced by the continuing panning shot which then turns to face the house. The enormity of it dwarves the two singers, and its size is overwhelming. He continues to reinforce this feeling with a series of shots of appendages belonging to the audience. We see a gold watch on a chain, bracelets, emeralds, and a number of other rather expansive and luxurious items.
The camera then settles on its first major character. _______, played by Richard E. Grant, and we watch him scan the house with his opera glasses. We have already established that he is a bit of a social busy body as his attention is on the people watching the opera, and nbot the opera itself.
We then cut to a POV shot of his character and see the audience through a series of very fast and short cuts. He catches someone else doing the same thing as him and through the reaction shot we see him hastily put down his glasses and then, through a POV shot, we see his attention return to the stage. Throughout this sequence Scorsese returns the characters attention to the stage, it shows how each one is connected even if they aren't sitting together.
We get more exposition of his character through the dialogue. After finding a box with three ladies in and settling on it, he nudges his companion and says;
"I didn't think they'd have tried it on". His tone is smug and gossipy, and not only reveals a lot about his own character, but also about the enclosed society we are to be looking on. He is shocked by someone's appearance in the box. This shows that not only does everybody know everybody else, and that they talk about each other, but that they find the smallest things audacious.
We then watch the main character go out round the front, to go to the other box. He obviously knows one of them, but what is more revealing is the actually journey. Once out the front we see the even more plush surroundings, and lavish uniforms of the footmen. Also, as Newland walks up the stairs the sequence cuts and fades into his progression up them. This is not a technique that is often seen throughout his work - though it is employed in 'The Last Temptation of Christ' - yet he uses in this film a number of times.
Again he fades from colour, white this time, and again we focus on flowers. The camera pulls out to reveal May Welland, who is also dressed in white. This is a virginal colour, innocent and honest. In this case the colour does represent the character, or at least how the character is meant to appear. The camera then lingers on the other young female character, Countess Olenska. Perhaps it is because the camera lingers, or perhaps it is because of the actresses flirtatious demeanour, or perhaps it is because of the fact that she is wearing a blue dress (that is just a little more figure hugging) that we feel that she is the more likely of the two to be his lover. It is probably a combination of those facts that Scorsese uses to invite us to make that assumption.
He then destroys that assumption with the next brilliant moment. Countess Olenska holds her hand out to be kissed, and Newland just shakes it. The camera then pauses just long enough on her to watch a flash of disappointment and anger cross her face before she composes herself to smile charmingly. Although the shake of the hand was a sign of rejection, it still gives us clues as to the narrative. We can gather there is some history between them, or at least they know each other, and that also there is some sexual tension between them. If there wasn't Newland wouldn't have had to shake her hand instead of kissing it, because he wouldn't have had to prove that his intentions were anything more than amiable. The camera also pans away as she leaves her hand stretched out, a reminder of that rejection.
May Welland is extremely coquettish, as is expected because of the clues from the mise-en-scene. Her voice is very high pitched, her demeanour simpering and she giggles a lot. The illusion that Newland and Countess Olenska are actually together is completely smashed when Newland discusses with May the announcement of their engagement.
Countess Olenska comes across as more womanly. Her poise is more mature (she doesn't seem to be crouching like a little girl), and she doesn't giggle. She also discusses things that seem to be a little risqué
"I remember everyone here in knickerbockers and pantaloons". May in return giggles. At the end of her discussion with Newland she says "I'm sure I'm dead and buried in this place" and at the same time the music builds to a climax just enough to emphasise that statement.
After that point the narration kicks in. It tones the music down, but doesn't take it out completely, and suddenly we have a guide to the story. This is a technique that Scorsese favours greatly. Who can forget Henry Hill's (Ray Liotta's) narration in 'Goodfellas', a technique he repeated in Casino for the same effect, but in a different style. At points there is narration in 'Last Temptation of Christ'. The narrator adds a different tone to each one of his films, but always explains, in their own way, the situation the main character is in. They always illuminate their lifestyle and also speed along the narrative, as they help the viewer understand what's going on.
In this case the narration adds an ironic tone as well as providing us with a helpful guide to the world of the characters. Here she discusses tradition, which shows the close world this society lives in, based upon an old set of rules. She also pokes fun at them;
"It is well known that Americans want to get away from amusement as quickly as they want to get to it".
She does as one of the character leaves the opera early to prepare for a ball, as her carriage pulls off in the snow.
The narrator tells us the ball room only opens once a year "for whatever was regrettable in the Beaufort's past". As she tells us this the ballroom comes slowly to life. The beautiful chandelier lights up, light by light, as we watch the rest of the room have layer upon layer added to it, and yet again we are reminded of the wealth of this society by this resplendent room.
The dancing is very formal, and everyone knows where to go. It is very much a reflection of their society. Everything is in a set pattern, and everyone knows where to go.
Scorsese also reminds us, and shows us more about, how this society works, and what it's based on. He does this by paying attention to detail, and making us pay attention to detail. He shows us how all the gentlemen's gloves are taken and labelled. It is this attention to detail that helps us understand more about the story itself, because of where it is set.
The last shot of this sequence is a tracking shot. These are what he's renown for. His most famous is legendary, in 'Goodfellas' when Henry hill goes through the back entrance of a café to impress his girlfriend. It is one of the most memorable scenes of the film. He also used tracking shots in 'Raging Bull' and 'King of Comedy'.
This tracking shot is slower than 'Goodfellas', but has it's own style.. It makes you feel you are there, just behind Newland Archer. As it enters the ballroom, the shot swings from right left, looking around, just like the spectator would do in that position. It moves at a gentle pace and pauses to look at a couple of paintings as the narration continues over the top. It then ends as the narrator tells us how Newlands world is "so precariously balanced that it could be shattered by a whisper" and ends on a picture of a woman. A woman not to unlike Countess Olenska. It is a plain clue that is provided by the mise-en-scene as to the narrative's development.
This film has many traits in the narrative that are common throughout his other films. The collective, tight community is one that can be seen in almost all of his films, 'Goodfellas' 'Mean Streets' 'Raging Bull' 'Casino' and to a certain extent 'Kundun'. Along with this tight community come rites and rituals. Almost always, as well, the backdrop is New York. The most common theme, though, is the way the plot revolves around the lead male character, and their struggle with the world. To add to that list above, you can include films like 'The last Temptation of Christ' and 'Taxi Driver'. To counter these male characters there are always strong female characters. They are either a help (Karen, Goodfellas) or a hindrance (Mary Magdalene, LTOC), but often ride a line between these two, as in this film. They often seem exaggerated, but often more realistic portrayals of women than some would dare admit.
Scorsese combines the mise-en-scene and narrative together well. He uses the mise-en-scene to aid and swiften the narrative. For the audience, understanding is derived easier from the techniques he uses, and also gaps in the narrative are filled for them. His techniques are not only useful, but tried and tested. None of them are chance inclusions, but methods which he believe work. We have the fades, the camera movement, the limited use of captions, the voice over, and the attention to detail in the general mise-en-scene. By this point in his career he had made them signature trademarks, and most definitely has by now. They are not completely conventional, and, put together, unique to his style of direction. This is enough, for many, to call him an auteur. However how much Thelma Schoonmaker's editing contributes, and how much he relies on his scriptwriters is up for debate. Certainly the fast paced, yet extremely smooth editing, contributes greatly to our enjoyment of the film, and our understanding of it.
