Analyse the use of Performance/Mise-en-scène in American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999); how is meaning created in my chosen clip?
Analyse the use of Performance/Mise-en-scène in American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999); how is meaning created in my chosen clip?
American Beauty has been described as a “blood-chilling dark comedy” and a “beautifully executed drama”, both of which are appropriate. Through Kevin Spacey’s intelligent and realistic portrayal of Lester Burnham and Sam Mendes’ meticulously arranged image of Lester’s life, we can find humour and draw a bitter parallel between our lives and those of the characters. I have chosen American Beauty’s dramatic conclusion as it successfully integrates all of the main themes of the film through a carefully chosen sequence of powerful imagery.
The extract begins with Angela (Mena Suvari) asking Lester (Kevin Spacey) how he is. The medium close up of Angela effectively displays her curiosity and almost pity when posing the question to Lester. This seemingly small act of compassion from Angela illustrates her transition from earlier in the film: Angela was entirely consumed by outwards appearances of herself and others. However now, she has matured to realise others and their emotions. This is reinforced by his response: “God, it's been a long time since anybody asked me that”, the viewer realises how little people have cared about Lester throughout his life. Lester continues to say “I’m great” in such a way as if he is shocked by the truth behind his answer. This resonates from earlier in the film where Lester says “It's a great thing when you realise you still have the ability to surprise yourself”. Lester is finally happy again and this is shown through the honesty in his voice and the slight smile on his face. Following this, Angela exits the room and Lester repeats his response to himself, he is delighted and proud of his newfound happiness. Through Spacey’s projection of Lester’s total happiness, we can clearly see this pivotal moment of Lester’s life.
The film cuts to Lester slowly walking through his kitchen and subsequently picking
American Beauty has been described as a “blood-chilling dark comedy” and a “beautifully executed drama”, both of which are appropriate. Through Kevin Spacey’s intelligent and realistic portrayal of Lester Burnham and Sam Mendes’ meticulously arranged image of Lester’s life, we can find humour and draw a bitter parallel between our lives and those of the characters. I have chosen American Beauty’s dramatic conclusion as it successfully integrates all of the main themes of the film through a carefully chosen sequence of powerful imagery.
The extract begins with Angela (Mena Suvari) asking Lester (Kevin Spacey) how he is. The medium close up of Angela effectively displays her curiosity and almost pity when posing the question to Lester. This seemingly small act of compassion from Angela illustrates her transition from earlier in the film: Angela was entirely consumed by outwards appearances of herself and others. However now, she has matured to realise others and their emotions. This is reinforced by his response: “God, it's been a long time since anybody asked me that”, the viewer realises how little people have cared about Lester throughout his life. Lester continues to say “I’m great” in such a way as if he is shocked by the truth behind his answer. This resonates from earlier in the film where Lester says “It's a great thing when you realise you still have the ability to surprise yourself”. Lester is finally happy again and this is shown through the honesty in his voice and the slight smile on his face. Following this, Angela exits the room and Lester repeats his response to himself, he is delighted and proud of his newfound happiness. Through Spacey’s projection of Lester’s total happiness, we can clearly see this pivotal moment of Lester’s life.
The film cuts to Lester slowly walking through his kitchen and subsequently picking