Analysing an Opening Sequence - L.A. Confidential

Analysing an Opening Sequence

L.A. Confidential (Hanson, 1997)

Genre - Curtis Hanson’s L.A. Confidential is a film of the neo-noir sub-genre: shot in colour, unlike classic noir, but making use of the gritty themes and characters that made film noir so distinctive. Immediately the viewer is faced with some jazzy music that almost seems as if it belongs in an American gangster film, which shows how thin the line between neo-noir and that genre can be. This cheerful opening may not fulfil the expectations of those who are, not unrealistically, expecting to be greeted by dark alleys and hardboiled cops on the edge right from the start. In fact, it makes a slightly mocking reference to such techniques with the television show playing on the old black and white sets in the shop windows – everyone’s watching Badge of Honour, a crime drama where the cops ‘walk on water to keep the city clean of crooks’. A serious looking cop smoking a serious looking cigarette gazes menacingly off-screen.

The noir staple of narration is made use of, although instead of a gravelly-voiced wise guy detective, it’s the instantly recognisable gravelly voice of Danny DeVito. DeVito’s presence once again nods to a crossover from the American Gangster genre, which he has many times acted in. His narration carries the sarcastic and knowing tone that narrations so often do in such a genre. He talks over footage of 1950s Los Angeles, the stereotypical images used to show the American Dream in action. The audience knows that below this squeaky-clean façade there is more than meets the eye, otherwise this wouldn’t be a neo-noir film at all. There are some expectations that are guaranteed to be met. “It’s paradise on Earth. Hehehe, that’s what they tell ya, anyway…”

Film Language – The mise-en-scène of the opening is unusual, as it is almost entirely made up of fuzzy and idealistic stock footage from 20th century L.A. It alternates between black and white footage and early colour footage, showing the clothes and technology appropriate to the time, along with the apparent optimism. Dotted in between the stock footage are shots that are newly filmed, but the costumes and props fit exactly into the era. The difference is that the new film doesn’t have scratch marks in its display. The office of Danny DeVito, as Sid Hudgens, is dark and messy. He himself is wearing the classic press attire along with thick spectacles. Many shots of newspapers and magazine envelope the screen, an oft-used technique for getting the news across in noir films. The camera never focuses on one subject for too long, and changes angles drastically depending on what the stock footage is. The jazzy soundtrack carries with it the recognisability which anchors the era that the film is set in. It is played loosely over the footage with no attempt to fit the rhythm.

Sid’s narration shows that he’s a sarcastic character who is able to cheerily talk about the opportunities for everyone in Los Angeles, and then go on to talk about how the don of crime Meyer Harris Cohen runs drugs rings, prostitution and murder without even changing the tone of his voice. He even laughs it off, saying “and the dapper little gent does it in style”. The man doesn’t seem to be too concerned about these things, but his ironic optimism is catchy and it’s hard to hate what little we know of him so far. The most prominent visual technique is certainly the use of newspaper covers and archive footage which puts the film into a setting of reality, even though all these different types of film look completely different since they were all filmed at different times by different cameras. However, since the technique is clearly intentional it isn’t at all jarring to the viewer.

Narrative – The narrative of the opening follows Sid’s narration over the footage of Los Angeles. It is revealed at the end of the opening that he is speaking aloud as he types out his story on the typewriter. Once he finishes talking, the screen fades to black and the real story begins. As usual with narration, the audience is given a special bird’s eye view into the brain of one of the characters, and the character is a smart and likeable guy who seems to know plenty about L.A. The viewer knows what L.A. is and is probably familiar with the concept of the American Dream which Sid describes, although he never mentions it by name. The thing that alienates the audience the most is the almost chilling way with which he changes the subject to crime and casually dismisses atrocious acts like murder. The world of the 1950s Los Angeles underground is going to be a new experience to most viewers, even if they can guess what went on there.

The themes of organised crime are present, along with the American Dream, murder and a view of society that is both overwhelmingly optimistic and depressingly bleak. The themes seem to contradict each other, but what better way to represent such a world of paradoxes? Tension is channelled immediately as Sid’s narration travels to the underworld. A wine cork explodes, and the don’s bodyguard instinctively reaches for his gun. Shocking murder scene photos fill the screen. “But all is not well”, Sid warns, as after Cohen is arrested that leaves a vacuum of crime and it’s only a matter of time before someone tries to fill it. These words set up the events of the film.

Representation and Ideology – The social groups shown on screen include the idea of the average American, enjoying life and the chance to make it big. Included in this are some prominent shots of the nuclear family. They pray at the dinner table and in general are shown to be having wholesome, uncontroversial fun. They live alongside luxurious movie stars, and even have the chance to be “discovered”. But in this city there also exists the mob, corrupt gangsters who run a dirty business. These groups are actually shown to be rich, successful and living the high life. However, they can be caught by the “best police force in the world”, sarcasm notably present. It seems as if the movie is glamourising organised crime. After all, it shows mob boss Cohen dancing with beautiful women and drinking expensive wine. Sid’s narration is not at all disapproving. He treats the American Dream with more than a little irony, although the footage does seem to suggest that it exists and is thriving.

It’s common for films to show organised crime as glamorous, but with short hints of the true darkness to bring the viewer back into reality. The bloodstained corpses of Cohen’s victims make sure that it’s understood that the life of crime is one that gets your hands dirty once in a while. All the same, these serious matters are playfully dismissed by the narration. Any jolly black and white footage of 20th century American life brings with it the connotations of naivety and innocence, filled with the optimism following the end of the war. Los Angeles itself carries the connotations of a thriving hub of entertainment, filled to the brim with movie star, opportunities and big ideas. Many noir films, such as The Big Sleep, have been set within its streets, which gives an added dimension of crime and seediness.

Media Audiences – The film is rated 18, so to see it in the cinema the viewers would have to be over that age for a start. Its sleazy themes may appeal to young adults, but it is adults who are likely to specifically enjoy the essence of the neo-noir. Really, anyone who is over 18 and is not easy to offend will probably find something of value in the film, giving it a wide grasp. Nowadays, its universally critically-acclaimed status many bring in viewers eager to see what makes a film win so many Academy Awards. The preferred reading is that crime hides in the most innocent-looking of places, and there is nowhere that isn’t sitting atop a criminal underworld. It seems to suggest that crime can co-exist even with the ‘Garden of Eden’. It doesn’t make much effort to deter people from crime, but it does show some gruesome crime photos that show being part of the mob isn’t all cocktail parties and jazz music. People who feel the need might take an oppositional reading that the film is either endorsing organised crime or saying that there’s nothing anyone can do about it. This view usually may seem like a foolish route to take, but it’s easy to understand in this particular film why somebody may think this. After all, Danny DeVito’s powerful cheeriness coupled with the energetic soundtrack really do make living knee-deep in crime seem like a rather pleasant experience. Somewhere in between these two views is the negotiated reading, which says that it understands that the movie isn’t actually telling viewers to go out and join the neighbourhood mafia, but still doesn’t like the way that things are being portrayed so light-heartedly. Some may say the upsides of crime shouldn’t be portrayed at all. As a British teenager, crime that may or may not have happened in another country fifty years ago doesn’t concern me too much, so I can just enjoy the film for its twisted sense of humour and neo-noir techniques.

Institutional Context – Two of the stars used in the film, Guy Pearce and Russell Crow, were not well known in America at the time, so their use was not hugely relevant. However, this is made up for by Danny DeVito, Kevin Spacey and Kim Basinger, who certainly were all huge stars at the time. This instantly gave the movie colossal star power with someone for almost everyone. Although it’s true that only Danny DeVito appears in the opening, and for barely a minute, his narration runs through the entire introduction. And it doesn’t matter that his face isn’t immediately shown, because his voice is immediately recognisable for pretty much everyone over 18, and even people far younger than that. A distinctive voice is a powerful weapon.

L.A. Confidential was produced industrially by Wolper Productions and New Regency Productions, along with being distributed by Warner Bros. It was based off a book of the same name written earlier in the decade, which of course gave it an extra appeal for fans of the book. Two of the film’s biggest stars are prominent on the poster: Basinger and Spacey. The font of the title is classic noir, the only difference being that it is in deep red instead of colourless. All five main characters are present (even Danny DeVito, hastily crammed into the space below Spacey’s tuxedo). Basinger’s presence at the front suggests that the studio believed that she was the major force behind advertising, and a low-cut dress could only sweeten the deal. The other, slightly more obscure poster is two thirds blackness, with a wall of policemen and police cars in the distance. This version takes little advantage of the star power available. Director Curtis Hanson made sure to immerse Crowe and Pearce in Los Angeles culture before filming, in order to help them understand what L.A. was all about.

Although at the time Warner Brothers disagreed, Hanson wanted the film to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival. Warner thought that the festival was biased against studio-backed films, but the Cannes critics proved them wrong and declared it a masterpiece. The film went on to be praised by nearly all critics, and it seemed that the attention paid to recreating the L.A. experience paid off, as it was voted the best film set in Los Angeles in the last 25 years by the Los Angeles Times. Watching the opening, it is almost surprising that a film with stars as big as these would have an opening that refused to show all but one of them, and with no close-ups at all.