Found Scene Week 6

American Beauty

For this week’s scene I have decided to comment on the “I’m very, very dirty” scene from American Beauty.I think the soundtrack for this entire film was done excellently. The music they chose suits the mood and mentality that the director chose when directing this film.

The use of music for this scene is what stood out to me the most. The camera and the audience I guess, follows Lester through his house, from his bedroom into his bathroom at night. This shot is shot medium close up as we follow behind Lester. The music playing over this shot is eery and includes a lot of oriental sounding drum beats. We follow him as he opens the bathroom door, showing only a small section of the steamy bathroom. He enters and shuts the door behind him, leaving the audience to wonder what he has entered into. After he enters the music shifts to an upbeat and slightly Mexican sounding “Something is about to happen” sound.

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We then enter the room with him, but looking up at him, we are not behind him anymore. This I assume, is so that we can see his reaction as it takes place.

We then shift to his perspective, seeing what he is seeing. We then see Angela in a big white bath, as she turns and looks at him. She seducingly says “I’ve been waiting for you, the music stops. The camera then shifts back to her perspective looking up at him as he reacts to what she has said. The music begins again, giving the impression of a game now as he cautiously walks towards her still trying to figure out what is going on.

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He walks out of the steamy fog and we see his face clearly. The camera then shifts to a birds eye view angle showing the two of them interacting together, and then to a medium close up of both them in the frame. Every time she speaks the music stops, why this is done i’m not too sure, possibly to enhance the suspense of the scene. When she finishes speaking the quick paced music increases again and he moves forward.

We see a close up of the rose petals and her leg, both symbols of his obsession for the temptation.

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