SHUTTER ISLAND:
Overall Summary:
“Shutter Island" starts off by using sound as a way of connecting a sinister atmosphere to the film, with the first low and eerie notes under the Paramount logo's mountain. They're ominous and gloomy, and without even seeing any visuals of the scenes or characters, the director has already set the tone of the film. This is Martin Scorsese's evocation of the shuddering fear we feel as an audience when watching these thrillers.
Shutter Island, we're told, is a 'remote and craggy island off Boston', where a Civil War-era fort has been adapted as a prison for the criminally insane. The audience connects to the mies-en-scene of the opening sequence as the characters approach 'shutter island' by boat through lowering skies, and therefore conveying a gloomy trip across the sea, it fills the visitor with dread. To this island U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) travel there. It's clear that Teddy has no idea what he's getting himself into. Teddy -- such an innocuous name in such a gothic setting. They are assigned to investigate the disappearance of a child murderer (Emily Mortimer). There seems to be no way to leave the island alive. From this the film begins in full swing.
Important Detail to Note:
Flashbacks during the film are used to suggest Teddy's traumas in the decade since World War II. That war, its prologue and aftermath, supplied the dark undercurrent of the film. The term "post-traumatic shock syndrome" was not then in use at the time the film was set, but its symptoms could be seen in the men attempting to look confident in their facades of unstyled suits, subdued ties, heavy smoking and fedoras pulled low against the rain. DiCaprio and Ruffalo both affect this look, but DiCaprio makes it seem more like a hopeful disguise.
The film's primary effect is on the senses. Everything is brought together into a disturbing foreshadow of dreadful secrets. Why do the methods in the prison trigger flashbacks to Teddy's memories of helping to liberate a Nazi death camp?
This kind of question is at the heart of the film. Characters never arrive at a story without baggage, hence teddy's flashbacks which allows the audience to understand his past and therefore understand his present state; he has unsettled issues, buried traumas. So, yes, perhaps Teddy isn't simply a clean-cut-man, this all adds up to the mystery in which a thriller film thrives on.
There are thrilling visuals in "Shutter Island." There's the possibility that the escaped woman might be lurking in a cave on a cliff, or hiding in a lighthouse; all of which involve hazardous terrain to negotiate, above huge falls to waves pounding on the rocks below. A possible hurricane is approaching. Light leaks out of the sky. The wind sounds mournful. It is, as they say, a dark and stormy night. And that's what the movie is about: atmosphere, ominous portents, the erosion of Teddy's confidence and even his identity is synonymous with the physical erosion of the island itself. It's all done with flawless directorial command.
This movie is all of a piece, even the parts that don't appear to fit. There is a human tendency to note carefully what goes before, and draw logical conclusions. But -- what if you can't nail down exactly what went before? What if there were things about Cawley and his peculiar staff that were hidden? What if the movie lacks a reliable narrator? What if its point of view isn't omniscient but fragmented? Where can it all lead? What does it mean? We ask, and Teddy asks, too.
MISE-EN-SCENE:
Throughout the film the mise-en-scene connotes a dark, mysterious and ominous environment. The weather also helps to forebode bad events as the characters sail the seas on a dark stormy night. The characters. There dark uniforms among the eerie cells of the prison all add to an uncomfortable feeling for the viewer and throughout the suspense builds until it reaches a climax.
Throughout the film the mise-en-scene connotes a dark, mysterious and ominous environment. The weather also helps to forebode bad events as the characters sail the seas on a dark stormy night. The characters. There dark uniforms among the eerie cells of the prison all add to an uncomfortable feeling for the viewer and throughout the suspense builds until it reaches a climax.
CAMERA ANGLES:
Yet again, to convey the dark and mysterious vibe of the film, there are many distinguishable camera angles throughout. There are many close ups of different characters to show their facial expressions up close. It adds to the intense nature of the film and draws the audience in on a personal level as they feel more interacted with the characters on screen. The abundance of wide shots of the prison, sea, cell corridors also help to back up that the characters are visiting a very isolated scary area and the scenery shown through these wide shots is again backing up the mysterious feel to the island. There are also many canted angle throughout which helps to convey the characters confusion, pain and frustration throughout many of the interrogation scenes with the cell inmates. The canted angle are an excellent representation of how the characters are feeling and therefore directly impacts the audience as well.
Yet again, to convey the dark and mysterious vibe of the film, there are many distinguishable camera angles throughout. There are many close ups of different characters to show their facial expressions up close. It adds to the intense nature of the film and draws the audience in on a personal level as they feel more interacted with the characters on screen. The abundance of wide shots of the prison, sea, cell corridors also help to back up that the characters are visiting a very isolated scary area and the scenery shown through these wide shots is again backing up the mysterious feel to the island. There are also many canted angle throughout which helps to convey the characters confusion, pain and frustration throughout many of the interrogation scenes with the cell inmates. The canted angle are an excellent representation of how the characters are feeling and therefore directly impacts the audience as well.
EDITING:
The editing consists of very faced paced editing and is often reflective of the mood. The editing is very faced paced at times of suspense, terror or frustration. It is shown by the used of fades to black, cross dissolves and pure straight fast paced cuts.
The editing consists of very faced paced editing and is often reflective of the mood. The editing is very faced paced at times of suspense, terror or frustration. It is shown by the used of fades to black, cross dissolves and pure straight fast paced cuts.
SOUND:
Sound plays a huge role in thriller films especially. There is multiple uses of non diabetic sound throughout the film, usually to build suspense and to convey fear. sound effects and foley sound are also used throughout such as loud bangs and crashes and thuds of cell doors closing and opening. Footsteps is also a common sound heard throughout the film as it builds a lot of suspense within the film. Along side the foley there is also a lot of ambient sound, try monotone but eerie sounds compliment the dialogue on screen
Sound plays a huge role in thriller films especially. There is multiple uses of non diabetic sound throughout the film, usually to build suspense and to convey fear. sound effects and foley sound are also used throughout such as loud bangs and crashes and thuds of cell doors closing and opening. Footsteps is also a common sound heard throughout the film as it builds a lot of suspense within the film. Along side the foley there is also a lot of ambient sound, try monotone but eerie sounds compliment the dialogue on screen
