Silence of the Lambs: Mise en Scene

Silence of the lambs analysis.

Mise en scene is a very effective media technique that has been used effectively throughout this section of the film ‘Silence of the lambs’.

When Clarice first enters the cell block in which Hannibal Lector is contained the camera shows the audience that there is a set of bars that separate the guards’ outpost from the corridor which holds Lector. This creates the impression that Clarice is all alone, and if something was to happen, she has no escape. This sense that she’s alone creates tension; this is because the audience knows that she could possibly die if something was to go wrong. This tension is built up further by the dimly lit corridor that faces Clarice.

The material that the walls are made from help’s to give an impression of how society views the inmates of the cell block. The walls are made from plain brick with no decorations; this gives the impression that society has no respect for these people and has rejected them.

Clarice’s character is shown as a professional character that is serious about her job; this is because of her attire when visiting Lector. Her clothing is interesting because she’s wearing a suit, this gives the audience the impression that she isn’t very feminine, but she likes to wear practical clothing. However a mid shot of Clarice allows to the audience to evaluate her facial expression, her facial expression gives the audience the impression that she’s nervous about entering the cell block.

Clarice then turns to face the corridor, in which the camera changes to a point of view shot, allowing the audience to see the corridor containing Lector. The lighting of the corridor is very dark and dingy, this creates the feeling of suspense within the audience, and this is because the dark naturally creates tension. However, there’s a lit staircase at the end of corridor, this staircase symbolises the escape route, but to reach it she must first venture past the various inmates.

The chair that has been provided for Clarice to use to interview Lector is a very basic chair. This chair is used to back up the feeling that Clarice is alone in the corridor; this is because it’s in the open and is the only one in the corridor. Because the chair is very basic it gives the audience the feeling that Clarice isn’t very important and isn’t a well qualified FBI inspector, if she was an important inspector the chair would be more complex.

The first cell that contains an inmate is a very dark and horrible place, these is because the cell isn’t very well, the walls are plain and have no decorations, this gives the impression that this character doesn’t mean anything to society and has lost his basic human rights.

The facial expressions and clothing of this character are very important as to giving the audience an impression of this character. The facial expression of the inmate help to give the audience the feeling that this man is completely insane this is because he has a crazed expression. Also as Clarice walks past his cell, he tries to reach out and grab her, this shows that he has been locked up for a long time, this is because his actions show a lack of human contact. The prison uniform that he wears helps to back up the impression of this insane man because it isn’t well kept and is very dirty. This shows that this person doesn’t care for himself anymore.

The second cell contains a much more reserved inmate, we know this because of the inmates body language and living conditions.  This inmate is slouched over and doesn’t react to the arrival of Clarice, this shows that this character is reserved and likes to keep himself to himself. In this slouched position the audience is unable to see the face of this inmate; this creates the feeling that this inmate has been separated from society and is undeserving.

The cell that this inmate is locked in is very basic, and has little appliances within, this shows that this character isn’t valued within society as he has been deprived of the basic human rights.

The inmate that is contained within cell number three seems to be completely insane and has absolutely no regard for how he looks and his living conditions. This inmates face seems skeletal, this gives the audience the impression that this man has completely lost it and doesn’t know how to look after himself properly. This idea is backed up further by the condition that this inmate keeps hair, scraggly and doesn’t care at all for it.

The final cell is the cell which Hannibal Lector is contained within, this cell is very different to the rest. The first major difference with Lectors cell is the appliances and contents of the cell, an example of this is Lector’s bed, the bed has a pillow and is well kept, this gives the impression that Lector looks after himself, this creates the impression that lector is a clever man and takes pride in himself. The feeling that lector looks after himself is proved further by Lector’s hairstyle, slicked back and well groomed.

Lector is also proven to take care of himself because of the possessions that he neatly keeps on his table within the cell; this creates the impression that Lector is different from the rest because he’s allowed his personal possessions within his cell. Lector’s cell is also different because of the material that is used to contain him; the other three inmates have iron poles whereas Lector has solid Perspex glass to contain him. This gives the impression that lector is a lot more dangerous than the previous inmates, this is because the Perspex blocks him from being able to reach out of the cell, this gives the impression that Lector is prone to harming guards as they walk past, this then creates further suspense as it shows that Clarice is facing an extremely dangerous villain.