Cape fear analysis

By Charlie Haddon

The opening to this scene starts with a musical sting This an atmosphere and slight tension, showing the plot will be a typical thriller that will scare and be low lighted through. A close up of rippling water is shown, representing a connotations of death by drowning or the fear of the unknown, setting up a tense atmosphere and foreshadowing the potential dangers to come.

The shot then dissolves into an image of an eagle flying over water. Eagles are birds that are known for their deathly ways which connotates the atmosphere. They also keep a watch on everything hence the saying ‘Eagle Eye’. This could be connotating that we should keep a close eye because we may miss something important, which is crucial in the film. The raven then dissolves we see the next set of water.

The title is brought into the water just as the Non-Diegetic music reaches the climax. The water then starts to turn red and this connotates with blood, danger and ultimately death. This could be telling us what is to be expected in the film and what we should be expecting and what we should be looking out for in the film.

The title fades away and we get to see different

images in the water. We see an eye in a close up and then we see a set of

teeth. There is then a scream. The scream is

starting to set the scene. We only see part of a

face therefore we have to use our imagination of

why there is a scream. It leaves us on a little knife-

edge and we are intrigued as to what is going to come up next.

We see a close up of a mans face. This could be the main character and the reason the film is a horror. The non-diegetic soundtrack has a musical sting causing a climax and makes us realise the mans importance. We are wondering who the actor is. We still do not know as we have only seen a series of images in the water, but it could be showing us a character of great importance in the film.

The water ripples become faster flowing causing tension. Then a low angled shot of a man looking down on us puts the viewers in a vulnerable position as it is a horror movie. It makes us feel like we are in a problem and there is no help for us. We are part of the film. In a way it breaks the barrier to get in engaged in the film.

As the montage ends, the water then turns to red and we see a droplet. This could connotate the man being danger and killing. This again is telling us what to expect. Danger and blood. Someone will be hurt and damage will be done.

A black silhouette of a mans body and hand reiterates the threat, the shadow creating tension as he could be the one who is going to cause the trouble in the film. We ca.n gather that he may not use weapons he may be a man of brute force

The scene then fades and we see a young girl and the camera zooms out from a close up to a mid shot. She wears a white shirt and has a childish look. She wears very little make up, this gives the idea she is an innocent school girl and could possibly play the victim. She says “says “I always thought that for such a lovely river, the name was mystifying ‘Cape Fear’, and that the only thing to fear on those enchanted summer nights was that the magic would end and real-life would come crashing in.” She says this in one tone throughout. This means she is a calm and collected character, but she has obviously experienced the dangers of the river as she is talking about what they are and she is aware. This supports the idea that she is the victim.

In the next scene a non-diegetic soundtrack that is intriguing and in the back ground we see close ups of photos stuck onto a cell wall, these photos consisting of Stalin. Cady idolises this man obviously so he could be a dark character as he is in prison with a cruel man as an idol.

The next shot is a mid-shot of Cady’s back as he lifts weights and cuts to him doing press ups. A narrative voice reveals he is leaving the prison today. The closed-framing shows us Cady from the other side of the bars. This shows how he is confined in this space and isn’t allowed to leave. The fact that he is a physically strong man could be important in the latter.

The mid-shot shows his Scales of Justice tattoo, along with the books of Law, he may have had a decision against him, so he is out to get revenge or justice.

As the police officer lets Cady out of his cell, he uses his name, showing he is well known within the prison and he has been there for a long time. Also that he had a cell just for him whilst the other prisoners shared their cells shows the respect other prisoners or even police officers had for Cady, in addition as he walked down the steps out of the prison in front of the guard showing his power. There is NVC used to show respect.

At the end of the clip there is a dramatic non-diegetic soundtrack. An establishing shot portrays Cady walking out of prison, with a smirk on his face. Stormy weather is shown in the sky with thunder being heard over the soundtrack, which could show that something bad is going to happen. He walks up to the camera creating a close up of his face. He has the look that he is going to cause trouble.