Shutter Island opening analysis

Shutter island

I am analysing the opening to the thriller film, Shutter Island. The opening narrative shows a boat with two characters approaching a mysterious island. Many of the shots make is a clear thriller as there are many dark gloomy establishing shots and mysterious elements of mise-en-scene about the characters. There is also a key flashback which creates confusion and mystery to the narrative. There is also a constant build of tension as the boat draws closer to the island.

The first shot is an establishing shot which shows a front facing ship coming towards the camera. It is also very centralised which focuses the attention onto the ship. The ship its self is very sturdy and industrial looking, giving the impression it is suited for extreme weather and danger. We can tell this as the weather in the shot is raining and misty this is also an example of pathetic fallacy, reflecting the mood using the weather and is very common in other thrillers. In this case the mist surrounding the boat also makes it seem mysterious and unwelcoming. Another reason the boat appears mysterious is due to the vast amount of ocean around it, this gives the impression that the ship is isolated and has come from a far away place meaning it may have been separated from civilisation for sometime .If you look closely at the boat there is a single figure standing at the front adding to the sense of isolation and mystery as we cannot see the face of the person and they are unaccompanied. There is also little colour in the shot making the atmosphere appear gloomy and dull. The sound in the shot is of crashing waves, this gives a sense of danger to the water below. The other sound to be heard is of the horn, it is played several times and creates suspense and tension.

The second shot is a long shot of a character in a room. The character is centralised and is dressed in a suit, showing he is of importance and his style of hat also gives a rough idea as to what decades it is set in. Although the character is centralised, he is out of focus as the focus is on the chains and handcuffs hanging from the ceiling and lying on the floor. This gives the impression that the boat is possibly a prison boat and gives an eerie feel to the room and what it used for or if it is even still in use. The atmosphere of the room feels unsafe and depressive as the chains represent ideas of violence and torture. The lighting in the room is faint and produces little light which gives an ambiance of little hope. The sounds in the shot are of the chains clanking against each other, adding to the prison like feeling again.

The next shot introduces a second character. It is a medium shot and the new character is centralised and stood at the front of the ship. The weather is still miserable and sets the mood to be dull and dreary.There is little light in the shot, adding to the atmosphere, it could also mean it is either early morning or evening. The conversation between the characters identifies that the character we met earlier is in-charge of the new character making him seem more important knowledgeable. We can also tell by their clothes that their occupation could be a possible detective or a reporter.

The fourth shot I have chosen to analyse is from a flashback scene. It is straight away much more colourful and which would represent a happier/lively time and place. The content of the shot is the man in charge with a girl next to him who appears to be his girlfriend. We can tell this as she is hugging his shoulder and giving him a tie, this shows the connection between them. The clothes in the shot also identify the time the film is set in as the girl is wearing a 50's style dress. The music in the shot is quite eerie and consists of theatrical singing and dramatic effects, indicating a strong powerful moment. There is then a very sudden jump cut back to a shot of loud, violent crashing waves, which may have represented her death.

The final shot is an extreme long shot approaching the island. The main focus is on the pier where the boat is headed. On the pier there is what looks like a hanging frame which immediately indicates danger and dangerous people on the island. There is also figures of four police awaiting the arrival of the ship. The police confirm that the island is dangerous as they cannot be assisted with out police. There is also little evidence of buildings, meaning it is potentially uninhabited and therefore not a nice place to be. The music also gets noticeable louder as the ship approaches the island making it seem very daunting and there is a lot of suspense and tension.

Throughout the scene there is a constant suspense build due to the music gradually getting much louder and the continual ships horn. There is also a great sense of mystery about everything, due the weather, silhouettes,unexplained flashbacks and feelings of isolation and separation. The editing also helped to make the opening build suspense as there were lots of abrupt and quick edits,making things seem more sudden and shocking. 

Overall the key element to making shutter island conventional a thriller was the use of weather and pathetic fallacy to create negative and chilling atmospheres.