Mise-en-Scene Analysis - Term Paper Example

? Mise-en-Scene Analysis It takes a combined creative effort to create a film that manages to both convincingly sell the action and do so in a way that continues belief in improbable characters such as mutants. In the film X-Men: The Last Stand, the most powerful mutant yet born turns out to be Jean Grey, a telepath who has more power than anyone other than Charles Xavier or Magneto suspect. The plot of the film begins when a 'cure' is found for the mutant gene and the debate about whether mutants should be forced to take it begins again. Predictably, Magneto is in favor of banding the mutants together and forcibly claiming supremacy over the non-mutant humans while Xavier is in favor of educating the public to a greater degree so that mutant and human can co-exist peacefully. It is a difficult argument to win, though, as the scientists continue to try to find new ways to neutralize their powers. Jean's appearance in the film is surprising because her character died at the end of the last film in the series as she saved the rest of the party from certain death. She reappears in front of Scott when he goes out to the lake to grieve for her and then kills Professor Xavier before she emerges fully as the Phoenix. Xavier and Magneto had been battling wills to see which one would gain the Phoenix's assistance in their conflict with the humans. With Xavier out of the way, Magneto quickly enlists the Phoenix to his cause and the X-Men have a new problem. The challenges they overcome and the way they overcome them are sold to the audience through careful directing, detailed production design and a skilled art director. The director is responsible for the positioning of the actors, the camera angles, lighting choices and editing cuts, but it is up to the production designer to come up a fitting setting and visual effects to convey the story to the audience and it is the art director who ensures everything, including costumes and makeup, blend with the overall vision (Mackendrick, 2004). In the hands of director Brett Ratner with production designer Ed Verreaux and art director Chad Frey, a climactic scene such as the one in which the Phoenix finally falls takes on highly intense dimensions. The setting for the climax scene of the film is at the shattered remains of the pharmaceutical laboratories on what seems to be Governor's Island where the mutant cure is produced and where the mutant who produces it is held against his will. The building and surrounding structures have been crumbled by battling humans and mutants. Twisted, burnt-out cars, huge chunks of concrete and tortured metal constructions lay around in total destruction. Small fires burn in pockets throughout the scene and Jean herself stands on a rise of debris. Wind whips around the characters, blowing lighter weight debris around them and, in flashes, whips so hard at Wolverine as he attempts to approach her that his clothing and even his skin and bones become stripped away in places. It is only because of his fast-healing abilities that he is able to overcome her attacks to reach her side. This wrecked scene demonstrates the extreme wastefulness of war as there doesn't appear to be anything truly useful left standing in the vicinity. When the camera looks up at where Jean is standing, the area looks like ancient Greek ruins, emphasizing the film's suggestion that mutants such as Jean are approaching the status of gods and have unearthly power. The tremendously destructive energy that is coming from Jean in the form of the wild and powerful wind couples with the destruction seen around them as an indication of Jean's lack of control over her own power while her position at the top of the hill demonstrates her superiority over everything she sees. Wolverine's battle uphill reveals his increasing mastery over himself and his own acceptance of responsibility for his powers. At the same time, the fitful nature of the winds illustrate the Phoenix's internal battle with the consciousness of Jean and provides the clue the audience needs to understand how Wolverine knew to talk with her and call her out. All of this destruction and chaos feeds into the unstable mood of the scene and helps to support the film's argument that negotiation and respect are the preferable routes for resolving any differences. Lighting plays a large role in the effectiveness of this scene. The atmosphere is nearly black but lights glow in the background in the form of fires burning in a wide arc behind Jean and off to Wolverine's far side. Jean is backlit with a yellow-orange light similar to the color of firelight but too steady to be caused by that and too bright to not have the flames also visible and perhaps burning her hair. As the camera pulls back far enough to show both characters in shot, a bluish-white light illuminates the scene from above, with streams of water moving upward behind the ruined buildings. Although Phoenix is still in a yellow light at this point, Wolverine receives more of the white light. Flashes of what may be lightning add extra light for moments at a time and Phoenix becomes bathed in increasingly white light as Wolverine approaches while more of the firelight becomes reflected off of his now bare back. The white light becomes brightest at the moment when Jean's personality breaks through and begs Wolverine to save her. This ray of white light stays on the couple as Wolverine stabs her and she dies, folding back over his arm, the fires start dying and the water starts to fall back down behind them. As the water rejoins the harbor, the scene shifts to a blue light over all as Wolverine mourns her loss again. It is through this lighting that the emotions of the scene are conveyed as they begin in a hellish environment full of fire and darkness, begin to show the purity of hope and love on Wolverine and then become transferred to the face of Phoenix. Although she is still pursued by the flames, she is saved by the white light of Wolverine and the orange terror of the scene becomes bathed with the soothing blue at the end. The lighting also helps to develop the passion of the scene. As Wolverine makes his way to Jean's side, he is stripped of his jacket small pieces at a time until he stands before her with bare chest in the lurid light of romance. After he pierces her with his hand, they become locked together in a steady stream of light while everything that was up around them falls back down to the ground and the lighting becomes that of peaceful sleep. As Jack Tresidder points out (341), fire can also be used as a symbol of transformation - illustrating the imperfect transformation of Jean into Phoenix as the fires flicker and dance and the transformation of Wolverine as he accepts his duty and the fire on his back remains constant. Costuming can say a lot about a character including demonstrating their preferred movements, their association with a particular group or as an expression of their inner personality. Only two characters appear in this scene - Wolverine and Phoenix - both of whom are dressed in ways that are highly expressive of who they are. At the beginning of the scene, Wolverine wears the black leather male outfit of the X-Men. This outfit includes a form-fitting padded leather collarless jacket that builds up the shoulders and chest area and includes a stylized grey X across the front. This is worn over very tight black leather pants. Both top and bottom have a matte gloss to them, allowing the outfit to throw back light, but not to appear too clean just now, near the end of the battle. His hairstyle is the characteristic hairstyle of his character, but as it appears at points in this scene, he takes on the look of a giant cuddly bear - mimicking to some extent the animal he's named for. Although wolverines appear very cute, they are actually very fierce animals when they are permitted to get too close. The costuming, makeup and hair for this character in this scene strongly builds on these elements of his nature and help prepare the audience for the action that takes place as he plunges his dagger-nails into Jean's torso. The peeling away of his costume adds an erotic element to the scene while also serving to strip him down to his animal nature, yet it is his human head and heart that prevail. Costuming and makeup works in much the same way for Phoenix/Jean. As the scene begins, she is seen standing at the top of the debris hill with her long bronze hair whipping around her in her self-generated wind but it never blocks her face from view of the camera. This always-in-motion hair helps to convey her inner chaos as she both resists and hopes for Wolverine's approach. Like Wolverine, Phoenix is also dressed in skin-tight clothing that marks her as completely unique from any of the other characters. Her outfit is shiny red leather that appears to be stiff but that doesn't seem to restrict her movements in any way. This is partly because of its division into red pants topped by a red, corset-like top which reinforces her sexuality and her untouchable nature (Steele, 2003). This outfit is topped by a small, lighter colored jacket that offers a collar and sleeves to build up her shoulders and drapes the tattered edges of a cloak behind her for apparently no other reason than because of its dramatic effect. Unlike Jean Grey, the Phoenix wants to be noticed and recognized as something highly desirable and completely off-limits. In this character, it is the makeup that tells the story as the Phoenix's face is mottled with rage and her eyes are dark with malice but when Jean takes over, her skin tone softens back down into her natural beauty and her eyes lighten to a more natural softness. This is the face that graces the dead figure draped over Wolverine's arm at the end of the scene, conveying to the audience that Wolverine was successful in saving Jean from being devoured by Phoenix. The conflicting elements of costumes, lighting and setting in this scene are completely in harmony with the conflicting emotions and events taking place within it. They clearly convey the sense of hopelessness and hopefulness found within the characters as they each face their worst fears - Jean of being consumed by Phoenix, Phoenix of the uncontrollable rage that courses through her and Wolverine of what has become of the woman he loves. It is a scene of chaos and terror being overcome by love and resolution in spite of the losses incurred. I love the way the light tells the story, but this is assisted by the way the fires in the background seem to die down, the fitful way in which Wolverine's clothing disappears showing that Phoenix isn't serious about getting rid of him and in the way the setting around them begins to return to normal as soon as Phoenix has been killed. There are some logical issues to take with the storyline, such as why Phoenix is vanquished by Wolverine's knives when she was able to easily resurrect from the creation of the lake in the earlier film, but these questions are lost in the passion of the moment. References Mackendrick, Alexander. (2004). On Film-Making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director. New York: Faber and Faber. Ratner, Brett (Director). (2006). "Phoenix Falls." X-Men: The Last Stand. [Film clip]. Los Angeles: 20th Century Fox. Steele, Valerie. (2003). The Corset: A Cultural History. New Haven: Yale UP. Tresidder, Jack. (2003). 1,001 Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Images. Vancouver: Baird Publishers. Read More