How atmosphere and mood are created in the title sequence of GoldenEye.

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HDrYI0foe4 )



I was asked to chose a title sequence from a thriller and analyze how atmosphere and mood are created in it, I individually focusing on mise-en-scene.

I chose to analyze GoldenEye, Martin Campbell, 1995
( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113189/ )

Traditionally in the James Bond Film series the title sequence of the films share 3 main themes:

1. Guns,
2. Girls,
3. Bad guys.

GoldenEye does not attempt to break this tradition. Not that this is a bad thing, within seconds the title sequence you know -unmistakably that it is a Bond film. Which is without a doubt deliberate.

The opening shot is fire/an explosion travailing down what is revealed to be the barrel of a gun. This shot symbolizes leaving the 'reality' or the last scene and entering a bizarre dreamlike world. As the film title 'GoldenEye' appears in the background we see female figures performing abstract dance, lighting techniques are used to make them look like silhouettes in front of lots of fire. These juxtaposing features the mise-en scene creates a surrealist atmosphere bering little resemblance to any realistic situation. We also see women breathing fire and one with one woman a gun emerges from her mouth this creates a mood of distrust and suspicion suggesting that things/people are not always as they appear, this is a common theme in thrillers. We see in the background "golden eye" obviously linked to the film title but also continuing the surrealist theme. There is a part of the sequence where smoke is shown and the vocals of the sound track sing: 'see him move through smoke and mirrors', smoke and mirrors being a metaphor for deceptive, fraudulent explanation or description. Again, a theme common in thrillers/ spy-thrillers.

The 'bad guys' are revealed in the title sequence as well, although not directly. There are statues of sickles depicted in the title sequence which even in isolation to its accompanying hammer we can associate it with the Soviet Union. With the Cold War only 4 years prior to the films release we can fairly safely make the assumption that the Soviet Union are going to be the 'bad guys'. The sickles are shown lain horizontally and falling, which represents 'the fall of the Soviet Union' in 1991. Later we see women using hammers like the 'Hammer and Sickle' image to attempt to destroy statues sickles and Soviet leaders, another visual metaphor for the fall for Soviet Union. As if the like to the Soviet Union needed strengthening feather, we see the several Soviet Union Flags are shown, just to clarify that message.



Patrick Hallett.