Analysis of an Opening - 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' and 'American Beauty'

The opening to Jesse James introduces the main character to the audience; establishing the character as the main focus of the film. The first few shots are time lapses of clouds, indicating a passing of time, and the music has a 'clock ticking' feel to it to further this effect.  This also develops an uneasiness that eventually builds up to the inevitable climax that is given in the title of the film. After these brief few shots we are shown a man rocking in a chair, deep in thought. During this shot there is a blur around the edge of the frame, created by placing several wide angle lenses in front of the cameras. These combinations of lenses are called 'Deakinizers' after the cinematographer Roger Deakins who worked on the film and invented the technique especially for 'Jesse James'. He did this to create the feel of an 'old time camera', not to be nostalgic but to be evocative and bring across the feeling of a time that's passed.

A narrator guides the audience through the first few shots to introduce them to the lead character in the film. It starts off by describing him as a normal man, and then slowly starts making him seem more mysterious and elusive, finally culminating in the narrator revealing that he has committed 17 murders and numerous bank robberies. This brings the audience into the film through the mystery of it. They'll want to know who the man is, why he has killed so many people, why he leads a double life, and most importantly, what will happen to him next that requires a film to be made about him. This final point is what will ultimately cause the audience to carry on watching, and determine the success of the film.

Another character based opening with narration is the 1999 Best Picture American Beauty, except this time the narration is not by an external narrator, but by the character himself after his death. We know this as he says 'by the end of this year I will be dead'. This leaves the audience solely in the hands of the narrator, realising that he knows what is going to happen at the end, showing him as an omniscient force, and as if he's looking down on us. With this in mind, the narrator is able to lead the audience through his day and the audience believes him. The impact this has is again one of intrigue and mystery. The narrator claims he will die within a year, yet his life seems so absurdly ordinary that his imminent death seems out of place. The audience are presented with where the character is at the beginning, and where he is at the end, but not the middle, and this is the main ploy to drag the audience in: they want to know what the middle is, and they want to know how so much changed so quickly.

This differs from the opening to 'Jesse James' as in 'American Beauty' the narrator tells the audience their opinion, whereas in 'Jesse James' the audience is presented with facts. 'Jesse James' is a biopic, and therefore this is more appropriate, as one of the aims of the film is to inform about the last few months of Jesse James's life. However 'American Beauty' is a fictional drama, and this different approach is taken to invite the audience into the films setting. It establishes the characters and the community very quickly. Another distinct difference between the two is the fact that in 'American Beauty' it is the main character speaking, whereas in 'Jesse James' it is an external voice. This once again grounds Jesse James in reality, while drags the audience into the world in which 'American Beauty' is set. The voice in Jesse James is academic, and as if it has studied the subject and knows what it's talking about, whereas the voice in American Beauty talks from personal experience.

Both films have very strong openings, which establish character and setting through a narrator, and both of them make good use of mystery and intrigue. The audience hooks onto this mystery and it is what pulls them in, causing both films to have very strong openings.