9 frame analysis
- 1. 9 FRAME ANALYSIS SHUTTER ISLAND
- 2. This is a shot from earlier in the film as the two U.S Marshals first enter the island via the ferry from mainland Boston. This shot shows a traumatized woman who looks to have been at the island for quite some time, we can see she is a threat to the people around her because of the shackles that are around her thin wrists. She gestures to one of the Marshals, Teddy Daniels to be quiet or to insinuate that something is going on at the island. This scene helps to build suspense and makes you feel nervous for the character's on the claustrophobic island. In this scene Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) speaks to a psychotic inmate on the island, suspense is increased in this seen as Daniels is in a restricted part of the hospital; The cell block features low key lighting, and the shot is barley lit by the glow of the slowly burning match. The focus is pulled to George who is left center of the shot with darkness to left and Teddy Daniels to the right of the image, this is a claustrophobic scene that emphasizes the prison/asylum setting; it also fills the shot with suspense as all emotion from George is drawn on screen in the sequence. The long shot to the right is from the Point Of View of Teddy Daniels; the man in the image is Chuck Aule , a U.S Marshal and Teddy’s new partner. Although they're not at the prison island yet, it is still suggested in this image that there could be a rift between the pair later in the film due to the metal fencing that seems to separate Teddy and Chuck. With this image taken from the start of the film you can already see indications of claustrophobia and confinement, A number of shots throughout the film also give of these same feelings that can bring on nausea and a general worry for both Chuck and Teddy.
- 3. This close up shows a flashback from Teddy Daniels from when he was with the U.S Army at the time of WWII, the shot is accompanied by tension building orchestral music that fits well with the sequence. What we see is Daniels’ boot as he is about to draw the gun away from the dying Nazi German solider. (it is implied that the gun would be used for suicide, rather than to shoot Teddy.) Teddy chooses to let the solider die in pain rather than give him the option of suicide, he does this after witnessing piles of dead soulless bodies around the concentration camp. This medium-close up shows the Warden of the Mental Hospital for the Criminally Insane, here he is seen from an eye-line match of Teddy after he asks about who the Warden is to one of the nurses who help him into a bed after he suffered from migraine; symptoms of migraine include photosensitivity, which is apparent in the image. This scene helps to build mystery to the Warden and identifies him almost hostile in the eyes of Teddy. The extreme longshot to the left shows Teddy Daniels in another dream sequence, he is in the elegant looking mansion that is on the grounds of the hospital. I think this shot does not mean to completely involve Teddy, rather it seems to emphasize the desolation of the place; the smoke around Teddy reflects light to his face to promote his expression and emotion. The shadow of Teddy could be seen as a reminder to the character and audience that Daniels is alone and could be under threat.
- 4. This shot shows a gate that leads to ‘Ward C’, one of the more dangerous parts of the hospital which is used to house the more psychotic and menacing in-mates. The entrance is presented in an intimidating fashion with low key lighting that is used to highlight the gate and could be represented as a gesture, inviting Teddy and Chuck to the possible chaos and to the psychotic patients. Mentally unstable people are a key trend in psychological thrillers and usually become hostile during their time in the film. This shot from a birds eye view shows teddy on the edge of a coast cliff on the island, as he reaches for the piece of paper which has evidence of the 67th patient at the hospital this engages the audience in the danger that Teddy faces, with the sharp coastal rocks looming below him. This shot can also make the audience feel anxious as the piece of paper Teddy is reaching for could blow away at anytime, the crashing waves also add to the danger of the scene. In this scene Teddy, or as we now come to believe ‘Andrew Laeddis’ points what he thinks is his gun at Dr.Cawley , who has just told the truth about the island and informed Teddy that he is patient 67, the same person he has been looking for all his time at the island. Of course DiCaprios character is highly sceptical and dismisses the Doctors words, he has now become exactly what he was looking for on the strange island that contains him; this was a great twist that comes as a surprise to the viewer. Plot twists are not un-common in the thriller genre.