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Once Upon a Time In America

How does Leone establish genre?

The chiaroscuro lighting used in this shot is typical to the thriller genre and provokes feelings of anticipation of fear; the faint light casts shadows across the room behind making it impossible for the audience to see what may lurk in the dark.

The lighting reflects brightly from the string of pearls around the characters neck to aid character development; the glamorous, wealthy femme fatale. This idea is developed by the make up , especially the red lipstick, worn by the character.

The light illuminates part of the character, Eves face to allow the audience to establish character whilst still holding the mysterious atmosphere by avoiding to expose the full face.

This shot shows the character Eve as a classic femme fatale; femme fatale characters are seen to be attractive, seductive and wealthy women. The styled hair, extravagant hat and pearl jewellery suggest a sense of wealth and aesthetism, whilst also creating an attractive appearance.

The dim lamp in this shot is co-ordinated in colour with the costume of Eve suggesting that she cares a lot for appearances and image. The lamp shade looks to be one of glass and looks as though it may have been costly, reinforcing the wealthy image created by Eve. This lamp also signifies a certain aspect of the character, Eve; elegant and attractive, but fragile.

The metal bars on the bed frame could be seen as metaphorical to prison bars. Whilst also connoting crime and violence, these cold strong bars could symbolise the fate and feelings of the character, Eve; she is trapped in a life of danger and has no escape from her near-approaching fate.

The single pillow on the bed suggests that she is alone in this menacing situation and has been living alone in recent times; separated from her partner in hiding.

In the unveiling of the bullet holes, a sense of mystery, confusion and fear is connoted; the audience is unaware of why this has been done, who is responsible for it and whether the perpetrator is still within the house. The audience would also question whether the person has been killed and why Eve has been given the warning in this way.

The lamp behind creates a shadow over Eve which could symbolise her character and position within the story; Eve is brought to her death by criminals searching for a man we assume to be her lover. Both Eve and the mysterious missing man are living in hiding, or in the shadows. The darkness cast over her could also support the stereotypical figure of the femme fatale; being a dangerous, deviant woman who lives surrounded by crime and in constant hiding from the law.

The three corrupt police men are framed by the archway, showing them as a united group whilst also creating a feel of entrapment by blocking the exit and thus, power. This positioning also draws the audience to the intended place where the attention should be at this point in the film. Leone stays true to the classic crime thriller/ noir film genre by showing all three criminals in the traditional trilby hat and long overcoat; these costumes are commonly related and pay tribute to classic crime thriller films. The suit and tie also suggests status and wealth, achieved possibly through crime and indicating their profession; cops. Eve is shown wearing a feminine coloured blouse that we assume to be from a luxurious material; this enforces the femme fatale character as they are seen to be glamorous, wealthy , seductive but dangerous women. This dangerous aspect of the character is why she is murdered in the beginning; it sets the tone and helps to establish genre from the very start of the film.

The non-ambient light from the lamp in the shot dimly lights the room to enable the audience to have a clear vision, whilst not being bright enough to distort the dark atmosphere. The colour of the lamp creates a gloomy atmosphere and is coordinated well with the colouring of Eves blouse so as not to look out of place.

The use of focus has been used effectively here in directing the attention to the cops behind who carry on their conversation with no remorse, ignoring the body that lay in the foreground. The camera has been positioned here to present the brutal attitude and feelings the men have towards killing and murder; it is overlooked and casual.

The hanging bag gives evidence and suggests location of the scene; in a boxing club. In classic crime thriller style, gangsters, illegal betting, wealth and danger are commonly related to places such as this and were a place for wealthy gangsters to be in confidence and luxury.

An over-the-shoulder shot has been used in this instance as a point of view perspective; this evokes sympathy and creates a feeling of guilt from the audience. A close up has been used in order to allow the audience to fully understand the intense emotions and fears Fat Moe is feeling, therefore engaging the audience and increasing tension. The character Fat Moe has obviously taken quite a lengthy beating, implied by the excessive amounts of blood and hopeless state of the man hanging. Fat Moe has been tied up by a rope around his neck; this creates a feeling of hopelessness, fear and entrapment. A gun has been used as a prop, as is commonly done so in crime thrillers and has been placed into the mouth of the suffering victim to make the audience anticipate violence and therefore creating fear.

The threatening character who wields the gun is dressed in the classic trilby and dark overcoat to suggest that he is the bent cop. Fat Moe is also dressed in dark clothing to suggest that, although the victim in this scene, he is not at all perfect and may be a shady character himself. The relaxed, unglamorous jumper worn by the victim of these tortures is basic compared to the cops attire, suggesting a lack of wealth or aesthetism, as the other character has.

The red tie, although small, is also an indication of genre; the colour red is often a connotation of anger, passion, love and blood. In this scene, the audience can assume the red to signify anger and blood or violence due to the dark lighting, costume and props shown (the gun).

The character is seen wearing a trilby hat and long dark overcoat, both of which are classic examples of costume used frequently within the crime thriller genre. These costumes are commonly related to gangsters and criminals, allowing the audience to instantly gain knowledge of the nature of the character.

Noodles is shown branding a gun; guns are frequently used as props throughout the crime thriller genre, instantly establishing a threatening and violent atmosphere. The gun evokes feelings of fear and anticipation of violence for the audience.

This titled worms eye view shot of the character, Noodles, has been taken from the perspective of Joe who is lying injured below. In using this shot, the character is given a sense of power and menace whilst also implying confusion or disorientation due to the slightly tilted angle and keeps the audience engaged and interested.

The fan on the ceiling helps to entrench time period; this method of air conditioning is quite old fashioned for today and the dcor of the ceiling is somewhat dated, suggesting to the audience that the film is set in a past decade.

Chiaroscuro lighting has been used to create a sense of mystery and fear, building on the already tense and fearful atmosphere of the audience; they are unaware of who/what descends within the lift.

The low, long shot of the slowly descending lift gives a sense of menace, builds tension and leads the audience to anticipate approaching danger. The tunnelled shot can also be metaphorical in the way of association; looking down the barrel of a gun.

Lift shafts are generic locations used frequently within thriller films to connote menace and create a sense of entrapment and claustrophobia; the character has no way of escape. Another example of this would be locations such as underground tunnels (such as in the opening scene of Essex Boys (2000)), alleyways, toilet/shower cubicles or phone booths.

This is an excellent example of Leones utilisation of noir lighting; all props and characters in the scene are dressed in dark clothing, blending in with the dark streets and sky that is illuminated by a single light. Bad weather and wet, shiny streets are commonly used throughout the thriller genre to indicate something of a nightmare and reflect the tone of the scene. The non-ambient light helps to create this appearance.

Although soaked, the bodies laying on the floor are dressed in dark suits and would have been smartly dressed which leads the audience to believe that they were involved in some sort of gangrelated crime, which, considering the time period the film is set in, would probably have something to do with the smuggling of illegal alcohol.

The bodies that lay on the street have been positioned flat on their backs and have not been covered or concealed at all; this suggests a lack of care, remorse or respect for them as they have been left out in the open, exposed to the miserable weather.

The dark surroundings suggest the scene has taken place during the night time or evening; times such as these as used frequently throughout the genre due to the mystery and anticipation of fear that is composed by the dark. Most gangsters acted at night in the cover of darkness when they were less likely to be caught or spotted which is also why this scene is shown to be during the night time, especially during the prohibition when imports of illegal alcohol had to be unloaded and stored.

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