East-West Analysis free essay sample

The film East-West is set in Soviet Russia and follows the story of Alexei, Marie and their son Sergei who are invited back to â€Å"the motherland† by Joseph Stalin after WWII. Upon their arrival in Kiev, Marie’s French passport is destroyed and all of the emigres are either killed or sent to Concentration camps as punishment for desertion during the war. Alexei, Marie and their son Sergei were spared, given Alexei’s value to the government as a doctor. Alexei, with the help of a French actress, Gabrielle, finds a way to free Marie by sending her to the French Embassy in Bulgaria with her reinstated passport, where she barely escapes after being pursued by guards at the checkpoint. Tension is the force that drives drama, but is the most difficult element to comprehend as it at times cannot be seen or touched. Dramatic tension can be created with tension tools such as: silence, music, gestures and slow motion. The extract from ‘East-West’, ‘Alexei’s Sacrifice’ uses a variety of tension tools as Alexei’s ten year plan for the escape of his wife and son from the communist Russian stronghold finally comes to fruition. Tension builds when the Golovin family gather in preparation for their impending escape. The silent goodbyes used in this scene create an energy of significance in relation to the risky events about to unfold. The scene is executed perfectly and subtle glances and facial expressions create an air of uncertainty as to the outcome. With the situation becoming more tense, the use of silence and cinematography effects (Graph point 12-21) such as short sharp screen shots from Marie to Alexei and Alexei to Gabrielle further heightens and increases tension. Other subtle aspects of dramatic tension are explored in the scene when Sergei initiates their departure by taking Marie’s hand. The camera zooms in on their hands. This symbolises their unity in the escape and highlights how Alexei will not be a part of the planned escape. As they proceed up the stairs, the violins begin to softly play a confused and unpleasant tune which soon increases in volume as they begin to run (Graph point 23) symbolising the intensity of their escape. The fluctuating level of volume acts as an audio-representation of the level of tension in the scene and stops as they enter the car with Gabrielle. When Gabrielle presents the passport to Marie, this symbolises freedom and a reminder of a life far better than that experienced in the last ten years. This symbolism and the use of a variety of dramatic tension tools, has a striking impact on the ension of the scene. The tools and their ability to dramatically increase the level of tension are perhaps most effectively demonstrated in the climax of the scene where Marie, Gabrielle and Sergei cross the checkpoint to the French Embassy. This section begins with a camera shot of them leaving the car against the backdrop of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Graph point 32). This Western Eur opean cathedral acts as a symbol of their ultimate goal; to escape from the communist east, to the west. This shows a powerful use of symbolism and camera angles to subtly increase the levels of tension. This beginning tension is then built upon as they cross the checkpoint where the guard almost discovers Marie’s true identity in the form of her passport. Slow motion and total silence is used to further increase the sense of tension. The guard’s facial expression of suspicion and confusion increases the tension as he follows their movement. As Marie looks back, she shows that she is unsure of her new identity and this action then prompts the guard to call out to her which results in a peak in the level of tension (Graph point 39). The silence is then broken and the staccato playing of the violins follows (Graph point 40) as they are chased until the music changes into a melody as they enter the French embassy – a symbol of freedom. This use of sound, silence, slow motion, strong symbols and camera angles make the tension of the climax truly sensational and captures the essence of the tension in their escape. Overall, the scene used a wide range of tension tools to create a convincing and consistent sense of dramatic tension throughout the extract. However, in certain sections of the scene, devices did little or nothing to add to the overall tension such as the use of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral as a symbol. The majority of viewers may not recognise the significance of this symbol, thereby doing very little to raise the tension. Conversely, there are a selection of tension tools that are placed very well so they integrate with the progression of the scene. This is shown by the violins that begin playing when Sergei and Marie begin running. The violins start very softly so the viewer does not consciously register their playing and then is slowly amplified as the tension escalates. The melody indicates the intense nature of escape until it fades away without the viewer’s realisation when they enter the car. Like this, many other tension tools are used surreptitiously so that they increase the tension without the viewer even realising. It is this quality that defines the difference between poor dramatic tension and dramatic tension applied skilfully. This shows how the clever and powerful application of various forms of dramatic tension such as symbolism can transform an ordinary scene to one that will captivate an audience.