Gilda

One of the most difficult challenges of the film director is composing visual and sound elements that bring three dimensional life to a one dimensional medium as well as using them to enhance and broaden the character dimensions of the players. In Charles Vidor’s classic black and white film Gilda visual and sound elements are utilized to achieve this with spectacular effect. Analyzing one scene from the film will demonstrate just how well crafted and effective it is in this manner. The scene under dissection occurs near the middle of the film and it is a scene that is a direct counter-movement to the one preceding it, both in terms of content and character. The preceding scene shows Gilda coming home from a presumed wild evening with a man other than her husband. Her husband’s right-hand man, Johnny Farrell, and Gilda have known each other previously, unbeknownst to her husband. Johnny prevents the man from escorting her companion into the house. The scene ends with Gilda mocking him with laughter as she closes the mansion door, having just exposed him for “protesting a little too much” if it is only her husband’s welfare causing his high level of concern.

The following scene completely reverses this in an action and psychological counter-movement, ending with Johnny exposing Gilda’s visit to the nightclub he runs for her husband (Ballin Mundson) as a sign she still cares f

. . .
s right above where her legs begin and also casts the folded fabric of the dress into shadows. This guides our eye and creates texture. To camera right there is a glimpse into another room in the casino separated with a partial wall division exposing a table and chairs. This adds texture and depth to the scene and also helps create the three dimensionality of a basically one dimensional medium. After flashing to Uncle Pio’s smitten, exuberant face, we flash back to Gilda, who appears more like an angelic goddess from the way the scene is lit than a temptress of the devil. It is important visually that Vidor show us Pio’s expression for Uncle Pio sees the good side of Gilda. He sees the soft, scared confused girl betrayed by love hidden underneath the flashy, carnal temptress. He sees the real Johnny also, the jealous ex-love whose passion still burns for Gilda. This is significant because this visual allows us to know that Pio knows the real feelings and emotions of Johnny and Gilda better than they do themselves because they are blinded by their deep passion and love for one another. Once we cut back to Gilda we are still viewing her from Pio’s perspective. She is top lit from the back which creates a halo affect on h
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Whereas Johnny, Katharine Hepburn, Uncle Pio, Pio Johnny, Star Born, Gilda Gilda, Knowing Gilda, Uncle Pios, Johnny Ballins, Mame Gilda, uncle pio, visual sound, visual sound elements, sound elements, scene gilda, sound affect, uncle pios, glass wall, glass panel, gilda uncle, pio gilda, uncle pio gilda, gilda johnnys perspective, preceding scene gilda, bordwell et al,
Approximate Word count = 3233
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Gilda