Thriller 5: Walk on the Wild Side

(video on VLE)
Walk on the Wild Side (1962)
Director: Edward Dmytryk
Thriller-Drama

Camera -

The camera beings with a still shot of the cat, with only it's face visible, the camera then zooms in onto the cats face into a close-up, where the cat then looks directly towards the camera and the title appears; this creates tension, and informs the audience of the mystery the film explores. There is then a POV shot of the cat, the shadow next to the cat is large, connoting the cats power and authority. Following this, a mid-shot of the cat walking is shown, the cats appears very long and the steady camera work connotes the cats importance. There is then a close-up of the cats feet, followed by panning which follows the footsteps. A variety of mid-shots and long shots of the cat are then used, POV shots and panning are continually used to follow the cat. In the cat fight, many close-ups and mid-shots are used, the shots change quickly, limiting what the audience can see, connoting danger and a large amount of violence. ECU's of the cats teeth connote their strength and power, followed by a CU of the cats face, clearly connoting it won the fight. There are not low-angles and high-angles used within the sequence, allowing the audience to focus wholly upon the character, and it's mannerisms.

Editing -

The pace of editing is fairly slow, connoting the authoritative status the cat holds, a dissolve is then used to change the shot; as the cats eyes are only visible as the shot changes, it connotes fear, creating a tense atmosphere for the audience. The director has used a large amount of dissolves throughout the sequence, reinforcing the cats relevance to the film, as each shot is connected. The pace of editing quickens during the cat fight scene, emphasising the violence and extent of the force.

Sound -

The non-diegetic soundtrack helps to portray the drama-thriller genre that's intended; it's upbeat tempo and range of instruments further denote the drama associated with the film. As the cat fight takes place, the soundtrack speed increases, and more instruments are introduced, this heightens the ferocity each cat was trying to portray.

Mise-en-scene -

The black cat connotes danger and evil, and when with the white cat, differences between good and evil are relevant as white connotes purity and innocence. The cats presence doesn't just suggest the film involves a cat, but it implies the danger and drama that will be involved within the narrative. The setting appears to be in a street, suggesting that the majority of the film may be set in an urban area. Shadows which are created through the low-key lighting are used throughout the sequence, which is a common convention in the genre film noir; this creates a slight sense of eeriness, reinforcing the genre of the film.