Shutter Island - Analysis

Shutter Island Opening Sequence - Analysis

Camera

When we first meet Leonardo Dicaprio's character who we can assume is the protagonist he is leaning over a sink and looking into a mirror with desperation. here an over the shoulder shot is used to allow us to see the reflection rather than his real face, therefore giving off a sense off schizophrenia within the character and overemphasising the drama of having seasickness, which does not need to be done, however it is and most likely this is because as a dramatic and tense tone is being attempted. seeing his reflection through use of this shot also allows us to see the emotion and expression in his face, which is that off distress and possible desperation, also emphasised by the sweat on his face. this creates a narrative enigma as well as the audience does not yet know why he is so stressed and it would intrigue them to want to find out.
As they arrive at the island there is a long shot used showcasing the island within the whole frame, showing the full scale and sheer size of the setting. This instantly presents the island as an intimidating place, furthermore it is shown to be dark and dreary emphasising it as more of a sinister place as well. The size and creepiness of the island in this shot greatly signify the threat this island could impose on the cast of characters. This creates danger and suspense about what kind of things will be found by the protagonists inside there allowing the audience to become excited and invested in the rest of the film discovering it with the characters as the shot also signifies a kind of unknown about the setting.

Sound

Throughout the extract up until the end an eerie non diegetic score plays with several low tones possibly made by brass or string instruments. It creates a heavily uncertain and unsettling atmosphere for the characters on the ship. It signifies effectively to the audience that danger is close by and possibly imminent therefore successfully creating suspension and tension for the thriller as now the audience is very on edge and interested in the reasons behind these noises. It also emphasises the drama of the movie more than just a quiet scene would due to its subtle low tones which makes it blend in well as it does not intrude on the scene but adds to it a massive amount in terms of the verisimilitude.
The first line of dialogue spoken by the protagonist is also extremely effective as he just says the phrase "pull yourself together" to himself. Now this immediately intrigues the audience as they are now wanting answers as to why he is saying this to himself and why he is not "together" in the first place. This also represents the character as possibly not completely mentally stable and possibly slightly unhinged psychologically, therefore making the viewer question the themselves into thinking wether they should root for the protagonist and wether he is the good guy or not in the plot.

Mise-en-scene

The two main characters who are on the boat at the beginning and then arrive at the island have a very authoritative and law man like costume on, with a long trench coat, waistcoat shirt and tie complete with firearm at their side. this shows that they are obviously part of some kind of law enforcement wether it be officers or detectives or even something more important than that. This is very clear to the audience and allows them to be presented with the question of why law enforcement is needed at the asylum they appear to be investigating. it would let the viewers think that something dangerous and in need of very professional aid is going on at the asylum. this then creates suspense and tension because the viewer is now very anxious and possibly anticipating a dramatic sequence of events to occur in the film.

Right in the beginning there is a large amount of fog which the boat appears to be struggling to sail through. It creates a very eerie atmosphere to set the beginning of the thriller well. it is effective as the ominous tone presented by the fog makes the rest of the film seem like it will be just as unsettling and creepy further making the audience on edge and overcome with intensity.


Editing

When the island is introduced to the characters and visible form the boat we see the protagonist look at it before a cutaway changes the shot to the long of the island. This use of eye line match lets us clearly see the reaction of the protagonist and his expression as he sees the island, therefore for a split second we can be left in suspense at what the character has seen and what has made it change his facial expression so drastically, and just as quickly as being dropped into suspense we are immediately presented with the massive looming image of an imposing island ahead, which only signifies danger and depression for the character and consequently the viewer.