DETAIL HOW THE CHARACTERS PAUL SHELDON AND ANNIE WILKES ARE ESTABLISHED BY MISE-EN-SCENE IN THE FILM MISERY.

The 1990 film Misery (based on the Stephen King novel of the same name), has 2 main characters. Our main protagonist- Paul Sheldon (James Caan) - is a successful writer who is kidnapped by his number one fan: Our antagonist, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). Throughout the film, various micro film aspects help to establish these characters. One of these aspects is mise-en-scene.

The majority of the film is set in a small picturesque town of Silver Creek, Colorado. It is tranquil and beautiful, and has a sense of detachment from the rest of the world. This contrasts the dark, ugly themes of the film, but also highlights how detached and vulnerable Paul becomes from his usual life. The other side of this is the other main setting, Annie’s house, which has a feeling of unease in it. The walls are dull, and look old and the room that Paul is locked in has a sense of emptiness; this highlights Paul’s isolation.

Most of the scenes in the house have low-key lighting putting emphasis on the dark nature of Annie’s character and the situation she has put Paul in. It is constantly lurky, with shadows always intruding onto the scene. Early on in the film, sunlight always streams into the bedroom (whilst Annie still seems kind and normal). Later in the film, Annie’s anger is shown through the dark light being broken by pathetic fallacy, and the lightning shown through the window.

On the other hand, in the scenes set back in L.A (Paul’s hometown), there tends to be lighting which is warmer and more high-key. This represents the safety of his normal life, and the comfort he felt then, compared to his current predicament.

The next element that tells us a lot about the characters is their costume and make-up. The first thing we see Paul wearing is a fancy suit and dressing robe- showing him to be rich and successful. Once he is taken into Annie’s ‘care’ he only ever wears pyjamas, or clothes that one would associate with hospital patients. Make-up is used to show scars on his body; highlighting his broken state and making the viewer feel empathy towards him.

Annie’s clothes are quite modest, and portray innocence (the flowery patterns) and an almost maternal nature. She even wears a crucifix to emphasise the idea of her feeling safe and loving- it also suggests that she has basic religious morals. Her hair is done in a simple half-up do most of the time, one that is stereotypically seen being worn by young girls. This represents her character’s nature well at first, but after her first outbreak- it is clear to see that she is the binary opposition of her outward appearance. One scene in which her appearance matches her inner mood is when she comes to Paul feeling depressed, and her hair is messy and face void of any make-up. At the end, during the climatic fight scene- we also see make-up used to show her bloody, bruised and battered face.

The props that the characters associate themselves with can help us to unveil who they are. An example of this with Paul is his briefcase containing his new manuscript. The briefcase itself already indicates wealth and a business-like demeanour, but the manuscript inside it, and the fact he is so protective over it, tells us more. We can deduce that his work is very important to him, and that he gets some sort of joy from writing them- otherwise he wouldn’t have such an emotional attachment to it. The other writing tool in the film however, tells us a different story. The typewriter reflects his prisoner like situation, the clicking representing the slow clicking by of his days stuck at Annie’s.

Annie’s character also has a lot of props. She has an abundance of medical equipment, which gives us the impression that she is a good nurse, but also is slightly disturbing. What is more disturbing though is the shrine she has in her living room dedicated to her favourite author: Paul Sheldon. The shrine consists of all the ‘Misery’ novels (her obsessive attachment to these books is what led her to kidnapping Paul) and a signed picture of him. Her living room also holds a memory lane book; the key to her past. The fact that she keeps all the clipping about her arrest shows her to be psychologically unstable, and hints that she is somewhat proud of her ‘accomplishments’

The final element of mise-en-scene which shapes our two lead characters is their figure expression. Annie is constantly smiling, apart from when she freaks out- at these moments she scowls and her eyes get wide. Then in the next scene, she’ll go back to playing the doting fan. She always puts herself in close proximity of Paul, showing her want for some form of intimacy with him.

Paul is a closed character, which is clearly shown through his often solemn or blank expression. There are moments when he shows emotion, and he breaks down crying when left on his own. His eyes show sadness and desperation. The other times he clearly shows emotion is when he tries to manipulate Annie. He does this with kind smiles so as to give the impression that he cares for her. During the climatic fight scene, he shows anger in his whole body.

Misery- FIlm Response

Misery is a thriller written by Stephen King and adapted for the screen by Rob Reiner (director) and William Goldman (Screenwriter). It is the story of a writer, who after being caught in a blizzard, is kidnapped by a psychotic fan who forces him to write new works.

I enjoyed the film, as it had an engaging storyline which was made more memorable by the performances of the cast, especially Kathy Bates’ portrayal of Annie Wilks. The main character Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is an author who has just drawn his famous series the ‘Misery’ novels to a close. He becomes very vulnerable when he is kidnapped, and Caan’s portrayal of his character’s struggle is believable. He is broken and frail, but he embodies this resilience as the film goes on; and it Is clear to see that he is using his initiative to try and escape. One part of the film that highlighted this for me, was how he used the powder from the pills to attempt to poison the woman keeping him hostage.

Annie Wilks was the other main character, and for me, she held much interest. She has an unknown past for the majority of the film, which when discovered is both surprising and exciting. She had the most interesting development throughout the film too. At the start, she seemed to be a loving, nurturing person, with an aura of innocence. However, we soon learn of her unyielding temper, and begin to sense that all is not right. Her repetition of the phrase “I’m your biggest fan” goes very quickly from being endearing to disturbing. She is psychotic, obsessive and extremely dark. She has  a warped morality compass, so although what is happening seems shocking to us, she believes herself to be right.

As well as these main characters, there are also some memorable supporting characters too. An example of these would be the sheriff Buster, and his wife, who take on the task of investigating Paul’s disappearance. Their plotline adds suspense to the main body of the film, as there are many moments where it seems they are close to finding Paul- building up the audience’s anticipation.

One thing that made the film so great for me was the sense that it was constantly building up to something bigger. You could see signs of unease, which gradually became clearer and clearer. This was reflected well in the micro aspects of the film such as the mise-en-scene and cinematography. For example, the dark themes were reflected throughout the film by the dark lighting which swallowed most scenes.

Another important film aspect that made the film so good, was the score and how it was used. The music was brilliant, especially since it perfectly accentuated each scene- highlighting and arousing emotions in the audience that push them to the edge of their seats.

Overall, a very engaging film which as a first time watcher; I thoroughly enjoyed.  

Brighton Rock- How does Mise-en-scene introduce 'Pinky Brown'?

Mise-en-scene gives us many clues about the character Pinky Brown in the film Brighton Rock. Mise-en-scene is made up of 5 different elements- setting, costume/make-up, lighting, figure expression and props. Each of these help to establish the character, and the overall atmosphere in a scene. The film is set in 1964 Brighton, and the sunny tourist setting is juxtaposed with the dark themes of the film.

Pinky often wears long coats with the collar turned up, which adds a sense of mystery as it seems he is trying to hide himself from others. He wears formal dress underneath, and this as well as the slick-back hair, emphasise the smart and business-like nature of their gang warfare. However, his clothes often get scruffy, bringing to light the harsh reality of being in a gang.

Most of the film is barely lit, either with scenes being dark, or when they’re light they still lack colour. It’s almost as if the camera has a dull tint on it. This highlights the themes of crime, which is commonly thought of as a dark industry.

The props very clearly portray the character as a gang member, as he is scene with both a gun and a knife at different parts of the film.

The element of mise-en-scene that helps to establish Pinky the most is his figure expression, which is down to how the actor plays it. Sam Riley, who plays Pinky Brown, portrays his character as a very stiff, serious guy by walking with an upright posture, but also the swagger of gang members. However, at the beginning, he seems slightly fidgety and nervous, especially when he starts biting his nails and looks startled. His facial expressions are often straight and solemn, emphasising his serious nature. He also grimaces a lot, showing that he is cynical to happiness. He is quite awkward, and it seems as if he doesn’t really understand how to interact with those around him; this is shown through his body language.

(Rehana Nurmahi)

What is my favourite film?

How am I meant to narrow it down to 1! I definitely can't do that, so instead here's a few of my favourites:

- The Dark Knight

- Dead Poets Society

- Les Misérables

- The Princess Bride

- The Blind Side

Who are my favourite actors?

Some of my favourite actors include Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon- Levitt, Sandra Bullock and James McAvoy because they are/were all very talented and also versatile actors who have acted in many different genres throughout their careers.

Who is my favourite director?

Either Christopher Nolan or Baz Luhrmann. They are both geniuses!

What is my favourite British film?

Probably Bend It like Beckham, The King's Speech or the Harry Potters.

Why have i chosen to do Film Studies?

I love films, and I want to broaden my knowledge of them. I would love to one day be able to work in the film industry as either a writer or director, and for this I need to have seen a wider spectrum of films. I also believe that by knowing more about the making/production of films, my enjoyment of them will be enhanced.