Analysing an Opening Sequence - The Stranger

Analysing an Opening Sequence

The Stranger (Welles, 1946)

The Stranger is situated in the genre, film noir due to all the conventions it has included during the film. I feel it is a fantastic example of film noir as it is shot in black and white and consists of many brilliant uses of shadows, high angle shots and low key lighting schemes. The opening sequence contains large amounts of crabbing as it slowly follows the main character around. The first main character you witness is a very powerful figure played by Orson Welles. He is shown as a dominant male and acts aggressive during the first minute. The second character we come across is named Wilson played expertly by Edward G. Robinson who works for the United Nations War Crimes Commission. He is an investigator and is shown as quite a feeble and anxious man as he repeats his lines to himself. The opening scene includes a man talking amongst a group of group of people from different countries, it then goes on to Wilson getting off a boat in Spain, and being pursued by a woman sent from an anonymous man. The scene ends with Wilson receiving a photo telling him directions of where to go. The opening sequence helps build up tension for the rest of the film as it is very mysterious during the first 4 minutes.

The lighting makes the movie seem very dark and mystifying which creates the perfect setting for a film noir. The music generates quite a spooky atmosphere as it is your typical thriller type soundtrack. Credits are the first thing used in the introduction and appear right at the beginning of the film. It shows the actors names, producers and of course the title. Orson Welles uses brilliant camera movement and technique to emphasise each line being said, such as when the man slams his pipe down. As shown in other film noir movies, tension is built by some characters’ faces not actually being fully revealed until the opening sequence has finished. There are many people you don’t completely see in the first sequence and this really creates a feel of mystery but also gives you the idea of good and evil as many of the evil characters faces are not shown. The audience is privileged, as they get an insight into what a detective has to go through during his job and how he has to take risks when he asks the photographer about a man he is looking for. The opening sequence then finishes when the tension is at peek and sets up the movie perfectly.

The film begins with a view from almost birds-eye and then zooms out and down to see one of the main character’s faces. Orson Welles has used fantastic camera movement as it combines with the lighting to make the room look larger than it is and has made the main character seem in control. These effects and movements set the movie up very well as they are so precise and incredibly done, so the audience is expecting the film to be magnificent.

The Stranger is not actually rated but is suitable for all ages as there is nothing rude or distasteful for the audience’s viewing. As the film is generally a thriller, younger children may feel quite frightened or confused by the whole detective idea so the film is really aimed for teenagers or above, as we can fully understand the plot and gaze upon this amazing example of a film noir. This style of film attracts a certain type of audience; it is not for everyone as it conveys a specified meaning in the way that it has been filmed and written. The preferred reading of The Stranger is that a detective’s job can be very dangerous, but it is very difficult to attach a reading as there is little dialogue but it would seem that the woman is being used to investigate Wilson. As a young British teenager, born about 50 years after it was produced, I would see this film as another investigation movie that captivates the audience as you can almost get involved with the film. I find the camera techniques combined with the lighting are the most impressive part of the opening sequence as they are so brilliantly united.

The lead character, Edward G. Robinson, starred in many great movies before The Stranger. Two very famous film appearances he made where in, “Double Indemnity” and “The Woman in the Window” which only helped attract more audiences for The Stranger as he was such an idol to others. Him and Orson Welles both were huge hits and had huge talent in the movie industry. Orson Welles also co-starred in the film, as well as writing and directing it, before Touch of Evil he wrote such timeless stories as War of the Worlds and in 1941, he co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in Citizen Kane, often chosen in polls of film critics as the greatest film ever made.

The film, The Stranger, was produced by Sam Spiegel and was distributed by International Pictures/RKO Pictures. The film was another success created by Orson Welles and at the time was voted as one of the best Film Noir thrillers of the era. There were many posters and advertisements put up to attract audiences, the poster includes a large picture of Edward G. Robinson’s face at the side of large clock where in front of stands a man and woman holding each other. The characters names are also listed at the top with the title shooting out across the middle. The colour scheme used is fairly mysterious as there are a mixture of browns and dark reds attacked by a yellow lightning bolt style outline of the characters. The use of the large picture of Edward G. Robinson would help attract audiences as he is a very famous and familiar face in movies so people would be interested in seeing him in another film. This is probably the most famous poster of The Stranger as it shows all three of the lead characters in one poster. The film was rated as one the greatest film noir thrillers of it time and has remained a classic since then.