Analysis of Stagecoach Scene
from
Hombre (1967)
Directed
by Martin Ritt
a. You should
recall that the film opens with a MONTAGE of scenes of Native American life
(in the Southwest).
b. The first
scene shows a white man, known as "Tres Hombres," once known as John
Russell, dressed as an Apache, and living with other Apaches. They trap a black stallion, the leader of a
herd of mares, in a water hole they have surrounded with a brush fence. The PARALLEL EDITING in the scene,
especially those EXTREME CLOSEUPS of the horse and the man, as the tension
builds and the Native Americans capture the stallion and his herd.
c. Billy, a
white man from town, shows up to tell John Russell that his adoptive white
father has died and left him property in town.
When Russell approaches Billy, he stands alone, a good example of MISE
EN SCENE in that he is characterized as a strong man who can stand alone
against great odds. Unfortunately, the
film will illustrate how when an individual is compelled to interact in a
Western Culture he is forced to compromise his values and eventually be
destroyed. In effect, the climactic
scene of the film reveals that John Russell, like the black stallion he trapped
in the first scene, will be "captured" by forces that are beyond his
control.
d. Mendez, an
old acquaintance of John Russell, meets him at a saloon at a weigh station on
the stage line in order to give him the details of John Russell's
inheritance. During that conversation,
two white men come into the saloon and harass the two Apaches who are with
Russell. Before long, Russell puts a
stop to this nonsense by smashing one of the men in the face with his rifle
butt.
e. Russell goes
to town, tells the housekeeper, a woman named Jesse, that he will sell the
property to buy a herd of horses, and then prepares to take the stagecoach back
to his people and resume his life as before.
AT THE STATION: (Refer to STORYBOARD of the "Stagecoach
Scene")
1. In the first
shot we are introduced to the primary CAST OF CHARACTERS. The soldier, dressed in a dark uniform and
wearing a black hat, is characterized as a naive, well intentioned young
man who is taking the stage to meet his fiance. Billy, the clerk working for Mendez, the manager of the station,
stands behind the desk throughout the scene.
His wife, dressed in fine clothes, sits across from the desk throughout
the scene. We saw Billy and his wife
earlier in the film. They were boarders
in the house John Russell's father owned.
Now they are taking the stage to start a new life. They are probably in their late teens or
early twenties. NOTE the LIGHTING in
this entire scene. All of the colors
are washed out into browns and grays.
This is a hazy, sterile world the characters are interacting in. You don't see any flowers in the room or
lovely colorful quilts. So the choice
of lighting and use of colors is meant to convey an EMOTIONAL response to the
characters' environment.
This first shot changes with a MOVING
CAMERA which connects Jesse and Russell for the first time. The movement employed by the director serves
the purpose of establishing an example of MISE EN SCENE. Jesse sits across from Russell, a good
illustration that they are "opposites" at this point in the
film. Jesse is a caring, sensitive
person; Russell seems remote, unaffected by the tension in the room, and in a
world of his own.
2. Shot number 4 breaks into this quiet
little scene with the sudden arrival of Cicero Grimes, a nasty gunslinger with
a greasy moustasche. SOUND is used
effectively to introduce this character as we hear the door pushed open and
then the character fills the frame (MISE EN SCENE) as his very size
within the frame is intimidating. He
further grabs our attention because of MOVEMENT. He moves right past the camera and surveys the field laid out in
front of him. We see everyone from his
POINT OF VIEW; thus, he is in control.
3. Note the REACTION SHOT (nr. 5) when he
talks to Billy. You may notice that the
soldier squirms in his seat whereas Russell seems to ignore the challenge posed
by Grimes.
4. Again the director utilizes POINT OF VIEW
when he asks Billy, "Are they goin'?" We see his point of view in shot nr. 7: Russell and the
soldier. Again, notice that the soldier
appears more frightened than Russell. Here one ACTOR must communicate the sense
of uneasiness while the other actor must convey a sense of unflappability.
5. Grimes shows his power through MOVEMENT
again when he walks over to his intended victim, Russell. Notice that he towers over Russell, again
making us identify with his power through the HIGH ANGLE SHOT. Now the director has found the perfect MISE EN SCENE
for this situation. He utilizes REVERSE
ANGLE SHOTS (nrs. 8 12) in order to maintain the feeling of one to one
confrontation. Notice that shot nrs. 9
and 11 are LOW ANGLE SHOTS of the powerful Grimes character. We feel a sense of "looking up" at
this intimidating figure.
6. The tension in these shots (nrs. 8 12)
is maintained through PARALLEL EDITING.
Notice that shots 8, 10, and 12 are identical. So are shots 9 and 11. In
effect each set constitute a separate track that can be played off against the
other track in order to establish an A vs. B conflict. This is also known as CROSSCUTTING, for
obvious reasons.
7. The SCREENPLAY is interesting in this
section because the witty dialogue spoken by Russell indicates that he really
is not bothered by Grimes at all. (Of
course, we saw him earlier in the film despatch the two bad guys in the
saloon. We believe he could take care
of himself in this case, too.)
8. But Russell doesn't have to worry about a
confrontation. With the PARALLEL
EDITING set up as noted above, the editing has to "resolve" in some
way. Either Russell and Grimes will
fight OR . . . in this case the soldier, trying to be a peacemaker and an all around
nice guy, interrupts the conflict and says, "Leave him alone."
9. Notice how shot nr. 13 stops the parallel
editing track. Now we go to shot nr.
14, and we only see Grimes in the shot.
This decision, based on MISE EN SCENE, means that now we are
switching from the Grimes vs. Russell conflict to a new one, Grimes vs. the
soldier. Grimes appears even more
threatening because of this shadow, reflected on the wall, a good use of
LIGHTING.
10. In shot nr. 16 Grimes leaves Russell and
heads for an easier mark the soldier. Notice that through MISE EN SCENE the soldier's plight is
reinforced: Grimes invades his personal space (PROXEMICS) and threatens him
with his closeness. Russell, meanwhile,
is shown (through PROXEMICS) to be out of the way, uninvolved.
11. When the soldier realizes he is in trouble,
the director cuts to a LONG SHOT of the room (nr. 17) and has the soldier try
to leave the scene (MOVEMENT). But there
is nowhere for him to run. Now PARALLEL
EDITING takes over again. Notice that
REVERSE ANGLE SHOTS are used (nrs. 17 25) to set up two sets of parallel
tracks. The first is between nrs. 17
and 20. Here the soldier is pushed
farther and farther into the corner by Grimes.
So each example of parallel editing increases the tension.
12. Then the TYPE OF SHOT (in this case cutting
from a long shot to a medium shot) in nr. 21 increases the tension
further. Grimes is literally getting
bigger, and more intimidating. So shots
20 25 build the tension through PARALLEL EDITING. Again, this dynamic has to resolve
somehow. Will the two men fight? Will the soldier give up?
13. Note that in the shots of the soldier (nrs.
18, 20, 22, 24) the other two people in the frame are Billy and his wife. No help from that side. Compare the shots of Russell (nrs. 21, 23,
25). Russell is always in the
frame. Will he help the soldier? We know he could, and now we have to work to
understand his unwillingness to help the soldier.
14. Grimes picks up the clothes bag in nr.
25. The cut between 25 and 26 is known
as "cutting on the action."
When he starts to fling the bag down in nr. 25, he finishes the action
in nr. 26. Now Grimes and the soldier
are in the same frame (MISE EN SCENE) and we can see that Grimes holds the
power of the center, while the soldier is off to the side. This aspect of MISE EN SCENE is enhanced in
nr. 27, when we go to a POINT OF VIEW SHOT (from Grimes' point of view) and
feel the full weight of Grimes' intimidation.
15. Now we are at the critical point of the
conflict. Other than Grimes, who are
the other "tough" people in this room? Jesse and Russell. So the
director cuts to them, one at a time, with REACTION SHOTS, nrs. 28 and 29. As viewers we have to read the
"content" of the shot, but always remember to consider the
"placement" or "context" of the shot. Jesse is a woman; she doesn't carry a gun,
but she knows that what Grimes is doing is wrong and would stop him if she
could. Russell has no allegiance to
the white man's world; he could easily stop Grimes, but he chooses not to. Whatever the case, we must "interpret"
those looks within the context they are presented to us.
16. What I said above about Jesse and Russell's
values are underscored through the MISE EN SCENE of shot nr. 30; it shows the
powerful Grimes (large in the center of the frame) with his two
"equals" in the background.
We go to nr. 31 and are reminded of the soldier's inherent weakness and
his lack of allies. He has to give in.
17. The director cuts to a LONG SHOT in order
to RELEASE TENSION that has built up over the past 31 shots. Now we watch the victor take his ticket and
exit toward the stagecoach while the loser, his head down, goes back out the
front door. You may notice that Billy's
wife looks at Grimes as if she is "impressed" with his power and
gall. Her attitude will surface later
in the film in a scene where Grimes will humiliate her. After the two men leave, we have fewer
people left in the waiting room than any time in the scene: only four people
are left. We have a good idea that
Billy and his wife aren't going to say anything.
18. We are not surprised that Jesse speaks
up. Earlier scenes have shown her to be
a fearless, honest, and feisty woman.
Note how after the REACTION SHOT in nr. 33 of Russell, who says,
"You talkin' to me, lady?" we go to a long shot of the two sitting
across from one another. This shot, nr.
34, is clear evidence of MISE EN SCENE (characters at opposite ends of the
frame, proxemics suggest they will never be friends).
19. Finally, the director cuts to a medium
CLOSEUP of Jesse as she says, "It takes a lot to light a fire under you,
doesn't it?" The SHOT SELECTION
reveals she will be a major character in the film. Billy and his wife never received a CLOSEUP. Russell's response is presented in a similar
SHOT SELECTION. His CLOSEUP, nr. 36,
matches her CLOSEUP. They are equal
characters, equally tough minded and fearless. They will confront each other in the climactic scene of the film.
Notes written by
Robert E. Yahnke
Professor, General College, Univ. of
Minnesota
Copyright by Robert E. Yahnke, ©
2001
Permission granted for reprinting for
educational use only