Monday, September 29, 2008

Jose Saca – A Short Film about Killing (Third Post)

“A Short Film about Killing” is a dramatic film directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski and released in 1988. The film is an extended version of the fifth episode (Thou Shalt Not Kill) of Kieslowski’s “The Decalogue,” a ten-part miniseries made for Polish television based on the Ten Commandments. The film deals with an unmotivated murder committed by the lead character, Jacek, who brutally murders a cab driver in cold blood. The film then shifts to Jacek’s sentencing to death by hanging. The film is a renowned proposal against the death penalty, arguing that murder is murder no matter how you put it.

The following post will analyze mise-en-scène in “A Short Film about Killing” by looking at setting, human figure, lighting, composition, and how all the latter points manage to create a distinctive staging for the action taking place.

A.) The setting is Warsaw, Poland. We get a glimpse of ghettos in Warsaw when following the protagonist and the cab driver he’ll eventually murder. The film also shows upper-class sections in Warsaw, as seen in a scene where the protagonist wanders around aimlessly and is hounded by tourists looking for a hotel. The film manages to make a good parallel between the successful and the destitute by using the upper- and lower-class areas to its advantage. The film also manages to convey a deep sensation of despair enveloping the protagonist that is assisted in its choice to use the projected cynicism given off by its urban setting.

B.) The placement of characters plays an important part in the film. The director has chosen to do away with typical crowded streets and concentrate more on the isolation of his characters. In that aspect, this is perhaps one of the only films I can think of that manages to place its characters in a sort of intimacy not found in most films set in urban areas. For instance, the protagonist, as he wanders the streets of Warsaw, is placed at the center of many shots with flourishes of human activity coming in and out of the frame. He speaks with a few strangers, but the way he is placed, out of their viewpoint, conveys the distance between him and the public at large. Another key scene in Jacek’s placement is when walking the streets, he is placed dead center against an arriving crowd of protesters who bypass him without giving the slightest notion of importance. The choice to place him straight in the middle against these flourishes of human behavior heightens the loneliness and alienation on Jacek’s part. A character that plays an integral part in the story is that of a young lawyer who eventually is given Jacek’s case. We see the placement of him, especially in a scene where he has an intimate conversation with a judge, as close to the people who are literally in charge of his success. The lawyer, in the judge’s chambers, is placed in an over-the-shoulder where we feel his inferiority against this powerful figure.

C.) Lighting is one of the most talked about factors in Kieslowski films. The cinematographer in this particular film. Slawomir Idziak, uses natural light and filters in his lenses that give the film a dreary, cloudy look with an almost bizarre emphasis on reds and browns. An extensive use of shadows gives particular emphasis on the latter colors, giving the film a look of moody despair that heightens the alienation Jacek feels towards the world. The lighting, particularly in scenes with Jacek, manages to cast a shadow on everything surrounding the protagonist. The cinematographer creates a sort of effect resembling iris shots in silent films, a sort of bleakness that is only present when the viewer is presented with Jacek. Lighting also plays a key role in the film’s climactic hanging of Jacek. The underground gallows are lit from below with red lights, and the use of shadows gives an almost spooky vibe to the viewer. Indeed, if someone saw the film without viewing the past sections, they would probably think it was of the horror genre. Lighting plays a key part in the film’s epilogue as well. Jacek’s lawyer, innocence now lost at having been privy to Jacek’s hanging, is seen crying in his car in a wooded area. The lights cast a heavenly glow on the lawyer as he weeps, as if the worst is now over and the future might seem brighter.

D.) The film utilizes browns, reds, and blacks extensively in its composition. Browns are evident in the crisp, depressing hue given off by the Warsaw exteriors, especially in scenes where the viewer is taken deep into the recesses of Warsaw’s ghettos. Filth and dirt play an integral part in these scenes, and the characters look as if they were in a post-apocalyptic film when present in these exteriors. The compositions in most of the film’s shots are helped by the costume choices on the director’s part. The parallels between upper- and lower-classes are particularly emphasized in the overall costume choices seen on the characters. The film is emotional in its composition, especially in the scenes that lead up to Jacek’s decision to murder the cab driver in cold blood. Shadows are cast above the cab driver, while Jacek is lit with a bright light on his face that emphasizes the redness in his complexion and hair. Through these scenes , the composition establishes a mood of desperation and violence that ultimately climaxes in Jacek’s strangling and then clubbing the cab driver to death. The violence is not sudden, and its overall slowness is further enhanced by the placement of the characters in a “middle-of-nowhere” scenario (a wooden area far from Warsaw).

E.) The film uses all of the above factors to create an emotional experience that is distinctly European, with an emphasis more on the visual and on the characters themselves rather than plot or story. The film utilizes mise-en-scène as a tool to create a visceral yet mournful experience for the viewer. One that he or she may not easily forget anytime soon.

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