How Does Nicholas Ray Use Of Mise En Scene

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Understanding Nicholas Ray’s use of mise-en-scène, assists in interpreting the themes and social comments within his films. This can be discussed with reference to two of his works, the first being his melodrama Bigger than Life (1956) and the second being his highly stylized western spoof Johnny Guitar (1958). Mise-en-scène is defined as the activity through which an event is staged and presented for the camera, but literally means ‘to put in place.’ Although he was working at a time where there were an abundance of restrictions on the film industry, Ray makes subtle social comments through his use of mise-en-scène. Therefore, it is important to understand this cinematic concept when analysing his films. The architecture in Nicholas Ray’s …show more content…

In Bigger than Life, the mirror in the bathroom is used as a representation of the protagonist’s decline. Ed becomes psychotic as a cause of his addiction to cortisone – a drug given to cure his illness. Whilst his wife is running his bath, he observes himself in the mirror. He wears a red dressing gown and creates a cravat with a hand towel before lighting a cigarette. This sequence of gestures and the use of costuming represents wealth and arrogance, enforcing his previous statement where he expresses that he feels “ten feet tall.” Incensed by his heightened ego, his wife smashes the mirror. Ed sees himself in the same point of view shot, now as a broken reflection. His processes of thought are communicated through the continuous point of view shot directed towards the mirrored cabinet. In the initial frame he is witnessing the power of the drug through the unbroken mirror. When it is broken, he opens the cabinet and to overdose, as if to restore the mirror and restore his masculine American Dream fantasy. Ed becomes obsessed with fulfilling the American Dream; a component of this being the success of his son Ritchie. This obsession is highlighted through staging and shadows. In a scene near the end of the film, he is teaching Ritchie arithmetic in the living room. Ed looms over his son who is sitting on the ground. This height is enhanced by the use of a low angle and his large shadow which is cast on the wall behind him. The shadow is lit to overcome the entire frame and it takes on the shape of a monster or an ape. Through lighting and staging, Ray highlights that the institutionalisation of the private sphere and the desire to fulfil the American Dream, has an extreme impact on the relationship between father and

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