Film Title; Ecstasy

 

Director; Gustav Machaty & Frantisek Horky

Year; 1933

1. Characters; the main characters are Emil – the betrayed husband, and Adam – his wife’s lover. There are a few extras in the scene, some kids at the start. They seem to be children of the road workers and are so poor that they gather around Emil’s car to beg him for money. There are also some locals on the road as the car speeds along but they might not actually be supposed to be there.

Emil obviously has the higher status for most of the scene. He is Adams boss and his status is confirmed at the start when Adam fetches him a glass of water. He also appears aloof, ignoring the kids as if they weren’t there. He also has the advantage of knowing (about the affair) while Adam doesn’t know that Emil is Eva’s husband. The status switches though at the end when Emil loses his nerve at the last minute by stopping the car before it collides with the train. In this scene Emil doesn’t get what he wants, which is revenge, even though it would mean killing them both.

With regards to the casting I think both characters suited their roles. Adam – Aribert Mog – a handsome, strong, young man who is a complete opposite to Emil – Zvonimir Rogoz – who is much older than his wife, set in his ways, a touch of ocd and apart from being wealthy, he offers nothing else to his wife.

2. Setting; this scene takes place sequentially on the timeline and serves to introduce us to the fact that Emil and Adam are acquainted – even more surprising is the fact that Emil is Adams boss. It also reveals – through Adam openly holding Eva’s necklace – that Emil is now aware that she is having an affair, and who with. It gives him an opportunity to get revenge by crashing the car into the train at the level crossing, but he cannot go through with it.

3. Mise-en-scene; at the start we see two workmen, carrying a log on their shoulders, walking across the shot very close to the camera. They are out of focus and indicate that the construction activities are of secondary importance. that Emil is the centre of attention. There is a close-up shot of Emil drinking the water – shot from his right side – which then switches to a view from his left side that includes Adam. This angle allows us to see Adam taking the necklace from his pocket while Emil is still facing forwards, drinking, as yet unaware. It’s only when the camera cuts back to the previous angle and Adam takes the glass from Emil, that we see the realisation on Emil’s face. While they’re in the car the background is out of focus. Adam is again shown holding the necklace. There are a few close-ups of Emil’s hands on the steering wheel, which can be seen vibrating – indicating the high speed. We also get a close-up, tilted, blurred view of the trees as the car drives past them, another indication of the cars speed.

4. Camera work; The opening shot is a wide-angle establishing shot that captures the work hut, the car, the setting/landscape and the passing workers in the foreground. This is followed by a close-up shot of the car from the opposite side as Adam gives Emil the glass of water. This cuts to a close-up of Emil drinking – from the same perspective. The view then switches to the opposite side to include Adam though still remaining a close-up. This shot is necessary to reveal that Adam has the necklace, and his openness with it indicates that he is unaware that Eva is Emil’s wife. The camera then returns to the close-up of the car seen previously as Adam gets in for their journey. This is followed by a slow pan right to left which tracks the car as they depart. The next view point is from the cars bonnet – close-ups of the pair with cuts to each man in turn i.e. when Adam speaks and when Emil doesn’t respond but used to emphasise his emotion. There is also a shot from their perspective when the car swerves around a horse and cart and barely avoids an oncoming car. This highlights Emils erratic driving. This is also indicated by some close-ups of Emils hands on the steering wheel. Some tilted close-ups of the trees and side bollards might have been speeded up to portray the excessive speed. As they approach the level crossing the close-ups to each man become closer still, to indicate the heightened tension and danger. The camera then cuts to a view of the train tracks – a high-angle shot from the moving train. This mirrors the speeding car and indicates that they’re on course for a collision. This is followed by a similar high-angle shot of the cars front wheel and the road. The camera then zooms in on the level crossing barrier, another indication of a possible collision. This is followed by a close-up of each mans face – Emil looking determined and Adam looking worried. Then at the last second we get a high-angle shot of the cars front wheel stopping when Emil brakes. Then it cuts to a dutch-tilt close-up of the train thundering past. Then it cuts to a low-angle close-up shot, from underneath the steering wheel, of Emils face – highlighting his emotional state. This is followed by a close-up of the trains wheels as it stops. Then it cuts to a ¾ view close-up of Emils face followed by a cut to part of the train – brakes? - with the steam pressure being released. Finally we get a very close-up shot of Emils face looking possibly relieved? The previous shot mirroring his own emotional tension being released.

5. Sound and music; There is background orchestral music which seems to change according to the characters emotions. At the start when we see Adam, who is in a happy mood, the music is lively and pleasant. When we see the realisation in Emil’s face the tone becomes deeper and slower, highlighting his sadness/disappointment. It returns to being lively and pleasant as they set off on their journey. As we realise that Emil is driving faster and faster the music also gets faster and louder – more dramatic. It helps to build up the tension as the impending collision approaches. After the car stops and the train passes the camera focuses on Emil and the music again becomes slow and melancholic to enhance his sadness/disappointment. The music was definitely written for the film and like most silent movies is used to enhance the viewer’s emotional response.

What did I appreciate? I think the tone of this scene is interesting. There is a sense of danger created by the fact that Emil has discovered that Adam has his wife’s necklace, and rather than confront him about it, he puts them both in danger by speeding in his car towards a level crossing.

What didn’t I like about it? I think the background sound let it down, in particular the cars engine. I noticed that the engine speed (sound) didn’t increase even though the car speed appeared to.

What would I keep? I liked the way he had to swerve out of the way of an oncoming car when passing the horse and cart. You could see that this surprised Adam. This leads on to what I would change. I think I would add one or two more near misses so that it’s more obvious to Adam that something’s wrong.

Other comments; Even though there was some talking in the film it was still relatively easy to follow the plot without dialogue. A fairly simple story with both a happy and a sad ending – I guess there’s a moral in there somewhere.