(towards the bottom of the page on the website,, the 'Falling Down' video can be viewed)
I viewed the opening 'Falling Down' in class, which interested me to study it further. Going on to research it alone, I became intrigued and went on to analysis the opening sequence. I am interested in viewing the film, due to the plot sounding like a thrilling watch.
Plot: Directed by Joel Schumacher in 1993, this American film follows William Foster (Michael Douglas) play a depressed divorcee, unemployed former defensive engineer who has had enough of his life and goes on a violent rampage through Los Angeles. Throughout this, he reacts to violence through mocking observations on life, poverty, the economy and commercialism - even attacking a grocery store with a baseball bat, to firing a gun in a fast food building due to pure frustration; all in order to make it home in time for his daughter's birthday party. From this, he is tracked down by Martin Prendergast (Robert Duvall), an aging Sergeant who on the day of his retirement is made to track down Foster. However, due to the determination of the case, he eventually pulls back on his retirement, through the realisation there is more to his occupation. Distributed by Warner Brothers, this film grossed over $40 million, as well as being number one at the Box Office in its first two weeks of release. The title of the film refers to Foster's mental collapse, as well as nursery rhyme 'London Bridge is Falling Down', which is a repeating motif throughout the film.
FUN FACT: Ironically, whilst the film was being made, the Los Angeles riots of 1992 broke out.
Opening sequence:
- Opens up on a black background, with bold white letters as titles, as this emphasizes them. There is a combination of broad and slim letters, which highlight the important distributor. No sound is heard, which makes this opening foreboding. This lasts for approximately 19 seconds, intriguing the audience.
- The scene begins on an extreme close-up of a mans teeth, as the camera zooms out at a fast-pace, revealing his mouth. From here, we hear a wave of his breath, with hints at a sighful, frustrated tone. It is the only sound audible. We then witness heavy sweat on his upper lip, as well as his face quickly being revealed, as the camera tracks out fast. Once his eyes are revealed - emphasizing worry, as his eyes are magnified behind large, geeky-looking glasses - we pan to the right quickly, showing him from a side perspective. As this happens, the titles continue, with the leading role - 'MICHAEL DOUGLAS' - (the man being shown) stretched across in white, contrasting from the surroundings of the shot.
- It slowly tracks away, revealing more of his face, hair and shoulders, revealing him as a business, geeky-looking man. He has been shot in shallow focus, with ambient lighting, emphasizing him and his reaction; he is the core of this scene. However, we can recognize that he is inside a car, which is full of bleak colours, adding more to his bored mood, as well as an American flag in the background, which could hint at hope as well as terrorism. The title of the film is now here revealed, lingering for 4-5 seconds, stretched and also in block white, due to the focus being on the surroundings of the shot.
- We slowly pan away from him, outside of the window and towards the front of the car, giving us a front-on shot. From here, we can now see more cars around him, highlighting that he is stuck in a traffic jam, due to no movement, which explains his stern expression. They are slightly out of focus, also adding to him being the main core of this shot. He appears distressed - almost panting - which shows he is uncomfortable.
- He goes on to close he eyes, almost as in frustration, whilst the camera tracks his sight downwards, revealing his tense hands on the steering wheel. The shades of the car - brown, cream - parallel his bleak life. As the camera tracks, a slight menacing, non-diegetic sound is heard, which is almost mystical and questioning
- The camera then tracks slowly to his eye level perspective, showing his view of the car in front. Smoke is coming from behind it, connoting his hazy life, as well as him smelling rusty air. The camera zooms into the cars window, revealing a girl staring at him intensely, which represents him feeling constantly watched and pressured throughout his life. The camera continues to pan, revealing more cars, as well as them being roofed within a bridge, highlighting him feeling enclosed. A light is shown within the distance from the end of the tunnel, which is underlining for a possible positive ending or selective happiness for this individual
- The camera continues to pan along to the right at a slow-pace, showing a bus filled crammed with children, who are screaming and throwing objects out of the window. Bag have been rammed on top of the bus, crammed together also, both connoting his pressured and crowded mind. As the camera carries on, the American flag reappears, although taking up at least two thirds of the shot. Therefore, his America Dream may still be lingering, but he may possibly feel others are ruining it or getting in his way. This relates back to his previous bored persona, due to him maybe unable to retrieve his dreams as he is stuck in a rut. The camera continues, as the flag reflects onto a cars bonnet, emphasizing the American icon and its meaning. More trouble is found within this car, as two men argue, which shows that trouble is all around him. However, as diegetic noise is the main focus - as typical car noises can be heard, such as a car's radio - he only focuses on these, unable to acknowledge his own thoughts.
- As the camera continues to be held by a crane - due to the mass amount of space and no amount of cuts used, therefore focusing upon the mise-en-scene rather than edits - a longshot of stacked cars are revealed, stressing the traffic and the long journey (both physically and mentally) he may have before him in this film
- The camera then pans back towards the rear of his car, so we retrieve his perspective and recall that he is the focus of this scene. He contrasts all the other noisy, boisterous people, appearing to sit calm although we know from the previous opening he is in fact possibly the more distressed. Credits are shown throughout this slow but effective opening, lingering for about 2 seconds each with a 1 second gap.
- The first cut of this opening is of him from the front, of a medium shot, slapping a fly (we know this from the diegetic, buzzing sound), which represents his broken irritation. As well as this, his knuckles have clearly tightened around the steering wheel, hinting he may be able to break at any moment - relating to the plot of the movie
- This opening sequence lasts for 2 minutes, 18 seconds.
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