Analysis of the Opening of American Beauty

Below is a analysis of the opening of the film American Beauty, picking apart the filmmaking techniques that tell the story in the film alongside the actual script. This essay was submitted under the How to Read A Film: Sound and Image course in Year 1 of Film Studies and Film Production. I was awarded a 62/100 for this essay.

The film American Beauty is where the footage is found, a film that follows the life of Lester Burnham and how his life is changed when he falls for one of his daughter’s friends. The film uses various techniques included in the visuals and the direction to tell this narrative, using the mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing to tell the narrative through Lester’s eyes.

Firstly, the opening of the film conveys crucial narrative information mainly through the visuals. The establishing shot shows the camera zooming into the street where Lester lives, giving off the idea that this film is a realistic slice of life film. Afterwards, the voiceover from Lester begins, conveying information so that only the audience will know it, telling the audience that he will die in a year. The opening also includes a composed score, with music that feels upbeat but also mundane, giving off the impression of the everyday life. The shot then transitions into a bird’s eye shot, looking down at Lester in his messy bedroom, showing his bed being half open, with items being on both cabinets, either side of the bed. This gives off the sense that the movie may be a drama, with an estranged couple who are distanced from each other. This is made more obvious by using shadows, with shadows being very present over Lester’s side of the bed, conveying some sort of darkness to his character.

Secondly, the film uses red roses as a crucial motif in the mise-en-scene, with it giving off the sense that this film might also be in the romance genre, with the bright red colours symbolising lust and love. Lester’s wife is shown in a long shot trimming the roses from the garden, suggesting the sense of the failing relationship between her and Lester. The mise-en-scene of the street also makes every house look all the same, enforcing Lester’s opinion of how his life is boring and mundane. Alongside all of this, the film uses the sounds of the dog barking to break up the boring life, with the sound being high pitched so that it can contrast with the low-pitched score. Lester is next shown in a medium close up shot, showing him behind a window, looking blocked away from the outside world and from the life that he wants.

Next, the movie uses the cinematography to show the distance between the family, with the stationary medium shot in the car showing the empty space between them. The daughter is shown looking away from her parents, while Lester is shown sleeping in the back. Once Lester is at work, a long shot shows the whole office space, showing that he is just one story compared to the many other stories shown in the room. This scene also shows the mundane and boring aspects of Lester’s life, with the score stopping so that it can enforce how uneventful Lester’s daily life is. The film next uses medium shots to pan back and forth between Lester and his boss, with the shots featuring Lester showing the empty black space behind him, giving the idea that he is lost and alone in his own life. The shadows are placed in the background of the scene, with a shallow depth of field so that the shadows can show the darkness that Lester feels in his life.

Alongside this, the mise-en-scene shown while Lester and his wife walk into their home creates a strong contrast between them with them being dressed the same but in a disagreement, they are unhappy as a couple but still match clothing. The scene transitions into a long shot, which shows the distance between the family created by the long table. The parents are on either side of the table, while the daughter is placed in the middle, giving off the sense that the daughter is what is keeping the family together, strongly suggesting the parents are only together for her. There is also a compiled score in the background of the scene, with an operatic and warm song which contrasts with the hostile environment in the scene. Lester is shown to also be a contrasting character to the rest of the family, showed when he begins to shout, while the rest of the family are very composed and quiet. The music is used to show the contrast between Lester and his family, with the score raising in tempo when he begins to shout.

In addition, the journey to his daughter’s basketball game shows the contrast in power between Lester and his wife, mainly through the medium two shot, showing the wife being positioned higher in her seat. This gives off the sense that she has the most power in the relationship because of Lester’s passivity in his life. During the cheerleader performance, there is a point of view shot from Lester’s perspective, which shows a group shot being condensed to a one shot, as the shadows in the scene engulfs every one of the cheerleaders except one. This shows that Lester is becoming obsessed with his daughter’s friend, with her becoming the centre of his attention. Lightning in the shot is used to show this as well, with a shallow depth of field, making shadows in the background of the girl, putting all the lightning on her. Straight after that, the music also changes to a more sensual composed score, showing the infatuation that Lester is having for her. The scene is shown like a dream, with the score and the lightning enforcing this, alongside the repetition of the girl unzipping 3 times, with Lester’s lust for her shown by the roses flying out. The opening sequence of the film is also recreated, with Lester in his bed, but now being covered in roses. A point of view shot shows the girl on his ceiling, covered in red roses, showing the dream like state Lester is in, now falling in love with this girl. The roses are a contrast to the rest of the dull colours of the shot, the girl is a new light in his boring life.

In conclusion, the film American Beauty uses a wide range of techniques to convey meaning throughout. Mise-en-scene is used commonly to show the contrast in the parents, showing that even though they wear the same clothes, they are still distanced, while the cinematography is used commonly to show the lost nature of Lester in his own life. Alongside this, sound is used to emphasise the dream like state of Lester’s love, with the editing in the dream scenes emphasising this.

Filmography:

American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999)