ANALYSIS OF OPENING SEQUENCE - MEMENTO (2000)

Christopher NolanDirector:

MEMENTO OPENING

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cifPv4QWTH0&feature=fvst

This opening exhibits mass amounts of distortion as it is played in backwards. This is very unconventional for any film to be played backwards. However this a support to the narrative of the whole film with how confusing it may seem at first glance because like all thriller/mystery movies, it all make sense in the end.

SO WHAT IT HAPPENING

What seems to be happening (considering that it is played in a normal motion) is that a man, Leonard, nebulously portrayed as he shows a sterile facial expression, shot a man, Teddy, in the back of his head as he screamed the words “NO!”. After taking a brief pause, Leonard takes out his Polaroid camera he takes a picture of the body and shakes the photo until it fully shows the picture.

The movements, the dialogue, the clarity of the picture fading in, the direction of the blood spilling, everything is played backwards.

SIGNIFICANCE OF IT BEING BACKWARDS.

Memento revolves its story around the protagonist’s disability, anterograde amnesia. This relinquishes Leonard’s ability to make explicit memories. The film is disassembled in parts playing from the end to the start. This concept is then translated in the opening sequence of the film and literally played backwards. This prefixes the movie to introduce the entire concept of the backward momentum of the film.

The Polaroid photo fading out as Leonard shakes it acts as a microcosm of the narrative. It symbolises Leonard losing sight of his objective to get revenge as he refuses to believe he himself was the one who killed his wife.

SIGNIFICANCE OF IT BEING BACKWARDS

The Polaroid photo fading out as Leonard shakes it acts as a microcosm of the narrative. It symbolises Leonard losing sight of his objective to get revenge as he refuses to believe he himself was the one who killed his wife. It also represents his condition as the picture fading away coincides with Leonard’s memory constantly fading away.

The photo slipping back into the camera is also a form of symbolism as it represents the fact that the whole ordeal is hidden by his short-term memory condition rendering the scene that had just transpired to be fully concealed.

IMPORTANT CAMERA TEHNIQUES

A close up at the very beginning of the sequence is applied to a Polaroid photo with the picture gradually fading out as Leonard shakes it. The close up of the photo places significance onto the object as it is a component of Leonard’s condition.

As the camera briefly follows Leonard’s hand, it transitions into a tilt upwards until the camera stops on to his face revealing the character. It shows Leonard’s sterile facial expression and a scratch on his cheek. The cut illustrates that he had to endure some sort of hardship throughout his journey. The still facial expression projects distortion as it is rather confusing as to why he is emotionless amidst the horrible situation. The distortion and confusion supports the narrative greatly as those are vital elements to the movie.The narrative is supported further when the

camera is placed sideways applying a close to the blood, from the floor, seeping backwards, showing the blood going in an upward motion. This suggests a greater sense of distortion and confusion that is induced to the sequence.

SOUND

All of the diagetic sound in the opening sequence of Memento played backwards which imbues a sense of confusion which consists throughout film.

There is non-diagetic sound applied to the sequence however there is much distortion and confusion implemented to the narrative as the non-diagetic sound (the slow and ominous seeming orchestra) is played forwards.

The diagetic sound nearing the end is heard during the end; the gun flies into Leonard’s hand, the bullet jumps from the floor to the gun, the glasses swift back into Teddy’s head, the gun shooting, Teddy screaming. All these sounds are slowly getting congested making an erratic and loud scene. This is a representation of the narrative as everything comes into fruition in the end (a convention for thriller movies in general).

CAMERA EDITING

There are a series of cuts throughout the opening sequence of Memento however, it does not seem to deviate from that transition.

There is an abundance of cuts when a shot reverse shot was being used between Leonard and Teddy nearing the end of the sequence to present the erratic nature of narrative.

MISE EN SCENE

The setting shows a low key lit, empty, isolated room. This is immensely ominous as all these features of the setting carry connotations of death.

Leonard is wearing a suit, which suggests that the film is set in modern society. As it is set in the modern society it accentuates the sense of danger and the ominous feel as it is seen as illegal and beyond convention to murder. The sense of danger is elevated by the fact that he had committed an act with serious repercussions.

It shows Leonard’s sterile facial expression and a scratch on his cheek. The cut illustrates that he had to endure some sort of hardship throughout his journey. The still facial expression projects distortion as it is rather confusing as to why he is emotionless amidst the horrible situation. The distortion and confusion supports the narrative greatly as those are vital elements to the movie.