Theater Art - Essay Example

Analysis The dissolve occurs near the middle of the film, when the hitman Anton Chigurh has tracked the protagonist down to a motel room. The framecan be found at 0.04 seconds of the link that is referenced at the end of this analysis. This scene occurs as the hitman Anton Chigurh enters the motel room, in search of Llewlyn, who’s in hiding there, as he tries to run away from the killer. The surroundings in this scene emanate an aura of evil. The underlying feeling of suspense, of threat and evil is enhanced by the sets and properties that have been used in this particular scene.

For instance, the colour schemes used are all dark, the character himself is dressed in black like the angel of death. He has let himself in using a killing machine, i.e, a gun. The picture on the wall shows a painting of a forest where the trees cast long, dark shadows, in tune with the general atmosphere of threat radiated by the character in the frame. The frame of the painting is dark, the back of the door behind the hitman is dark and the overall lighting is focused upon the character, showing his progress into the dark room.

The darkness could hide many secrets, the darkness associated with the character in every aspect from the clothes to his dark hair, are all suggestive of evil. . The painting of the forest and the darkness of the shadows appears to be only the external reflection of the evil raging inside the character. In this particular shot, as the killer enters the room, his stance and posture suggest his state of mental readiness for action. His glance veers towards the left, towards the wall and TV, as of seeking out in advance, anything or anyone that could be hiding there.

The facial expression and stance suggest a cold ruthlessness, an impression that is conveyed without the use of any overtly threatening signs or gestures, other than the large gun in his hand. The evil emanates from the character in a quietly menacing way. The hairstyle itself appears to contribute to the impression and the heavy lidded eyes suggest a strong familiarity with evil. The implacable, expressionless face conveys the threat in the intruder more convincingly than any other means. The head is cocked, suggesting an alertness that could be lightning swift.

The character’s look appears to suggest that he knows there is prey to be found in the room, prey that he can relish the prospect of killing. There is an expression of almost anticipation of killing in the hitman’s eyes and the easy manner in which he holds the gun suggests a long familiarity with it. The lips suggest that the killer is almost relishing the task that lies ahead of him, i.e, killing and the set of his lips advertises his intent very clearly, it is evident that this is a relentless and cold killer, who could kill others without compunction.

The door is already riddled with bullet holes, suggesting that he has no hesitation in using his gun and the door behind him is closed, suggesting that his intentions are malafide because he is also holding a gun. The angle of the shot is also such that the steel barrel of the gun appears larger and is pointed sideways but conveys an impression to the audience that it could be turned towards them at any moment and shot. Threat is oozing out of every aspect of this frame and provides a good indication that what will follow is a spate of killing where the threatening gun will be well used.

The character is central to the frame and the shot itself is a medium one, so that the audience can take in the entire posture and look of the character. The choice of medium shot but with the gun positioned towards the audience is a skilful placement to silently suggest the large threat looming from the gun. This scene is vital in contributing to the plot of the film. For instance, the character enters the room very quietly with no music playing in the background. Therefore it is apparent he is looking for someone and the fact he’s holding a gun shows his intentions are to kill the person he seeks to find.

The door closes behind him with an ominous click, appearing to suggest that the prey’s route of escape is shut off. The quick, alert way in which the character is moving and taking in the surroundings also suggests that he has been looking for some time for his prey and it was not as easy as expected, so he is relishing the prospect of finally finding him and killing him. Since the character’s appearance suggests that he is a hitman who is familiar with killing, the story could be drug related and involve gang activity.

Reference: * Scene from No Country for old men. Retrieved February 26, 2011 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA66lVM5ofA&feature=related