Review: Mise En Scene

Paper moon 1973

Director: Peter Bogdanovich

This week I watched the film Paper Moon starring Ryan O’Neal and his daughter Tatum O’Neal, remembered as the only girl on the team in Bad News Bears. The story of this film surrounds a recently orphaned 9 year old, Addie, who is ‘accidentally’ taken in by a Bible salesman, Mose, who is also a con artist, and may or may not be her father. The two travel around running a scam selling Bibles to the relatives of people who have recently died. The film was directed by peter Bogdanovich, director of The Last Picture Show. Both films present something different for their time, they were shot in black and white. This was viewed as a bold move on Bogdanovich’s part. But he had a vision and it really brought gave the film honestly while bringing it to life. It takes place during the great depression, and we really get a feel for the time period, characters, and events through the use of mis en scene. The fact that black and white is used, versus color, is a choice that makes the viewer see crisp and clear, the emotional and physical expressions of the characters, giving away a lot more about their motivations, wants and needs in the film. We get a great understanding of the fact that Addie is wise beyond her years when she schemes a plan to get rid of Miss Trixie from traveling with them. She also smokes cigarettes consistently throughout the film, and Mose is always scolding her and treating her like a child, what she really is. The film was filled with colorful and true to life characters, including a young black girl named Imogene who is the maid for Miss Trxie Deligight, and a woodsman, Leroy, played by Randy Quaid, who wrestles Mose for a truck swap so that they can hide from the police. There is a carnival scene where Addie is supposed to get her picture taken with Mose in front of a large cut out of a paper moon. He refuses to join in because he is busy with Trixie. When Addie stands in front of the moon you can see how lonely she is, with a loving couple in the background, and everyone around her having a great time. This visual choice is part of the mise en scene that makes up this film. Bogdanovich is known for having complete control over the whole idea of mise en scene in his films and all its aspects. He uses stunning and striking scenery in the film, the lavish hotel, a barren prairie, a dinky car traveling down the endless dirt road and even the cluttered woods. His production designer Polly Platt, helped immensely in the film. Everything you see in each scene is perfectly placed to create a certain mood, tone, or feeling in the story. Where Addie and Mose visit a house with a mother holding countless children, we see it from a perspective looking down, feeling sorry for her. When we see them at a rich woman’s house we are looking up at her showing her wealth and power and the expensive items in her home. In many of the scenes Addie is in control although she is such a small statue. But she takes the lead in the restaurant scene and causes her own scene when she Mose to get frustrated at her multiple times and insisting she eat her Coney Island. Addie also takes control in the jail scene when they break loose because she steals the key from under the policeman’s nose. She has hidden the money and we see just the face on the dollar bills poking out from a hoe in her hat. We always see just as much as we need to in the film, and in every scene we are thrown into a beautiful depiction of a specific time and place that is imperative to the story. the beginning scene with the funeral of Addie's mother shows Addie looking so small put stern and staringdwn at the coffin. The others onlook and some weep but no one really cares as much as they say they do and you can see it in their posture, and gestures. From the wardrobe, to the angles we see characters engaging in situations, the mise en scene is organized, in place, and overall memorable. It’s a great story with loveable and funny characters that steal the show with effortless ability.