Pretty Woman opening sequence analysis

Pretty woman write up.                

The first section of the opening to pretty woman is a fade in of Edward’s party, during this fade in we are able to diegetic dialogue of Edward’s friend talking to a woman in which he says “It’s all about the money” this is used to introduce the theme of money into the storyline. The first shot is a reverse zoom in which we are able to see a magic trick being performed, this trick involves money, reinforcing the money theme, this is also used as motif throughout the movie. To complete the trick, the magician reveals a coin from behind a woman’s ear. At this point a friend of Edward says “Penny for the ear, how much for the rest” this introduces the theme of prostitution into the film. The mise en scene of the party is very posh and upmarket; an example of this is the suits that are worn by the party attendees, and the setting of the party; a grand mansion situated within Hollywood hills.

The diegetic dialogue of the party is important in giving us impressions of Edward, everyone at the party is talking about Edward, this shows us that he is very important and that he’s well known. This also gives us the impression that he is hosting the party. The camera then cuts to a mid shot in which we see Edward on the phone to his girlfriend, in which Non-diegetic sound tells us that his girlfriend “spends more time talking to his secretary than him”, during this, the camera pans behind Edward because of this the audience begins to distance themselves from him. The positioning of Edward is particularly important, he is currently standing above the party thus giving the impression that he is looking down on the party.

After this the camera cuts to a scene in which we see Edward walking down what appears to be a marble staircase, this gives us the impression that he is very wealthy, because marble is an expensive material. Edward then has diegetic dialogue with a work colleague, during this time Edward says: “Japan opened up ninety minutes ago”, this shows us that Edward is focused on his business. This is because he is thinking about his work even though he’s at a party and enjoying himself. The dialogue then changes to between Edward and his previous girlfriend, this show the audience that he is a ladies’ man and likes to flirt with women; this prepares us for future events.

The camera cuts to a long shot of the mansion in which we can see several high priced cars, this shows further the wealth that is in the area of Hollywood that they live in. Edward then commandeers a car because his limousine is boxed in, this shows us that Edward is impatient and when he wants something he gets it. The camera cuts to a mid shot of Edward in the car; this shows us that Edward isn’t fully confident in driving, therefore giving us the impression that he is usually chauffeur driven, this implies wealth.

The camera then cross-cuts to a scene in which we see a drug deal taking place, this scene is a mirror of the magic trick that takes place at the party; this is used to give the audience the impression that these two life paths are going to cross. The drug deal gives the impression that the scene is set in the underworld of Beverley hills. After this the camera cuts away to show prostitutes and a shop with steel shutters that have been vandalised, this gives the impression that the current location is poor, and has a high crime rate therefore isn’t a safe place to be. During this scene non-diegetic ambulance sirens can be heard, this gives us the impression of crime and violence.

After this scene, the camera cuts to a long shot of a hotel, on the edge of this hotel is a sign that reads ‘Hotel’ however, only the ‘h’ and the ‘o’ are lit, this gives the impression of prostitution because ho is a derogatory term for a prostitute. The camera then cuts to a pan of a hotel room in which we can see several photos, these photos have had faces removed from them, this is used to give the impression that this person has had a bad past so the audience sympathises with them.

After the camera has completed the pan, a diegetic alarm clock is heard this gives the impression of prostitution because the alarm is ringing in the middle of the night. The camera then cuts to a mid shot in which we see Vivian colouring her boots, this gives the impression that she is poor and can’t afford replace broken clothes. The camera then cuts to the outside of the room and we see Vivian walk out and notice the landlord collecting rent. Vivian then returns and opens the toilet to check her money, this gives us the impression that the area in which Vivian lives is rough and crime is very prominent.

The next scene is within a night club, in which we see Vivian addressing her flat mate about spending the rent money on drugs, this makes the audience feel that Vivian is a good person and doesn’t want to break the law. This is shown further by the dialogue that Vivian and her flatmate exchange, during this Vivian says that she doesn’t like drugs, this makes the audience realise that Vivian is different to other prostitutes. Vivian also says “don’t you want to get out of this?” this shows that she doesn’t like being a prostitute and wants to find a different job. The feeling that Vivian is different to other prostitutes because she says ‘I don’t want a pimp’ this shows us that she wants to manage her own life instead of be controlled.