Micro-Analysis - Shutter Island

In this micro analysis, I will be analysing a 3 minute movie scene from the film Shutter Island. The scene which I have chosen to analyse is the one where Edward (Leonardo Decarpio) is close to finding out where the man who murdered his wife is- Andrew Leadnes; but he ends up meeting his friend George who is also a prisoner of the island and the two have a conversation. I have chosen to talk about mise-en-scene and sound as these features are what make the scene interesting and, they also help the viewer know more about the character of Edward. Lighting At the start of the scene Edward is walking into a dark corridor using a match to guide his way. The lighting is low key, this builds suspense as the audience dont know what they are about to witness. The lit match could connate the feeling of passion that he feels for is wife as we as the remorse that he is feeling due to her death, it could also suggest danger ahead for himself as he doesnt know what is lying ahead of him, even though he has a positive mind and has been warned. Further into the scene more suspense is built because as the scene progresses it gets darker; making it harder for the audience to see what is around the character which builds tension and in a way the audience are able to feel what the character is feeling as he walks to the end of the corridor. The match is constantly burning out as Edward walks, the fact the it keeps burning out could suggest that there is no hope and the Edward is not going to leave the island. The shadow on Edwards friend George could resemble darkness. Sound The sound at the start of the scene builds suspense because the audience dont know what to expect as the lighting is low and all the audience can hear is the echo of Edwards footsteps which suggest that the place where he is at is empty and quite large. The audience can also hear water drops which could mean that the building where the patients are being kept is old and not in good conditions as its letting water fro the rain through. As Edward gets closer to the cells the audience can hear groans from the patients this could show that the patients are in pain and not being well looked after, also because the lighting remains low key the audience dont know if something is going to pop up on the screen this build anxiety. Edward also hears voices in his head calling the murderers name which could suggest that he is close to finding Leadnes or information about where is he is; in a way it could also indicate the everyone at the island knows what Edwards is really there for. This builds suspense because the audience dont know if Edward is going to actually meet the man who murdered his wife or not. Characters

Edward seems to have a terrified and desperate expression on his face as he walks through the corridor, this adds suspense because the audience dont know who is going to be in the cells. As the scene progresses the audience find out that Edwards friend George is a prisoner of the island because of Edward, this could make the audience question if Edward is good character or not, this build suspense because the audience will no longer be sure if Edward is a good person or bad. George, Edwards friend, is made out to be insane and dangerous at first but as soon as he realises that Edward he starts talking more clearly and in way tried to get Edward to stop looking for his wife, which shows that he is a good character who is trying to help his friend. At the start of the scene George has his back to the audience/Edward; this builds suspense as the audience dont know if when he turns if he is going to try t attack Edward with a weapon as he seem angry when he is talking. The way that he crouching shows vulnerability as well as loss of hope. As him and Edward speak the audience are able to tell that George is an intelligent and desperate man who fell into a trap. Location The cells in this scene represent that the patients are in fact prisoners, meaning that Edward has been lied to by the man who runs the Island. This builds suspense as this point the audience know that Edward is in a way trapped and has been made a prisoner without realising as he is too focused on finding Leadnes. When Edward is speaking to his friend George the camera angle changes to film Edwards face this could indicate that Edward is a prisoner of the island as well as all the other prisoners. The place where the patients are being kept is dirty and dark, this shows that the doctors or cleaners dont go down there often and that they dont care about how the patients are coping. Costume In this scene the audience can see that the prisoners are wearing rags, this could suggest the they are not being well looked after, which again contradicts what the doctor first said to Edward about every patient being looked after well. The fact that Edward his colleague got their clothes taken off them suggests that they are not leaving the island, they got given white clothes like the patients and everyone else in the island this indicates that they are being made part of the staff team and manipulating them into becoming part of the team. This builds suspense because the audience sort of know that they are going to stay in the island but at the same times they could think that they are going to escape which leaves them on the edge.