Clockwork Orange Essay

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Nathan Reeve Mise-en-scène Essay – A Clockwork Orange Analysis of the use of Mise-en-scène in a sequence from A Clockwork Orange In this essay I am going to analyse the elements of Mise-en-scène in a sequence from Stanley Kubrick’s ‘A Clockwork Orange’ (Kubrick, 1971, GB/US). Mise-en-scène is an expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film production, which essentially means "visual theme" or "telling a story"—both in visually artful ways through storyboarding, cinematography and stage design, and in poetically artful ways through direction. Mise-en-scène has been called film criticism's "grand undefined term". I will be analysing the scene in which Alex and his minions torment a writer and his wife whilst humming ‘Singing In The Rain’, producing elements of slapstick comedy alongside the ultra-violence that is key to the sequence and provides an element that is evident throughout the film. The initial shot that establishes the surroundings the darkness of the forest in the backdrop suggests the lack of mental security in Alex’s life; the darkness is a symbol of not knowing where to control yourself and overall provides the lack of clarity and structure in Alex’s mentality. The darkness also forms a reality of the situation, making it more sinister and frightening. The surroundings of the forest area make for an unsettling atmosphere and an eerie tone. The surroundings initially led me to feel uncomfortable with the silhouettes of the trees, with the illuminating ‘Home’ sign giving me a false sense of security amongst the darkness. The introduction of the car driving through the road adds to the intensity of the sequence, the car also represents phallic connotations and suggests the male dominance that the antagonists possess and thrive upon. The car driving towards the camera really unsettled me whilst watching, and intensified my own
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