Scene Alaysis

Scene Analysis: Standoff at The Cemetary

Context

This scene takes place shortly after the start of the 128 minute film, and features a number of characters. The important characters that are introduced that will play center stage during the rest of the movie are Chris Adams (Yul Brynner), Vin Tanner (Steve McQueen), and Chico (Horst Buchholz). Various other extras and unnamed characters are featured in this scene. The setting is main street of the dusty western town seen in the film, and follows the main street outside of the town and up to Boot Hill.

Summarize
 

The scene opens with Chris Adams and Vin Tanner driving a horse drawn hearse through the town to carry the body of an Indian past racist members of the town to bury him. They make it to the graveyard’s gate unscathed, aside from Adams’ cigar which got shot by a man in a window earlier. The men at the gate tell them to turn back and go down the hill, but are quickly shut up by Adams drawing his gun and wounding two of them. They then leave and the men of the village take the coffin of the Indian inside to bury him. Throughout the scene the young gunslinger Chico is seen following behind with the rest of the townsfolk and watching the actions of Adams and Tanner with amazement.

Context

Soundtrack: The music used in the scene is an orchestra piece that starts out quiet and becomes progressively louder and more booming the more they climb the hill. This assists the build up of the scene as the tension builds, beginning with the shot from the man in the window and only ending when the music goes silent as they approach the men at the top of the hill. The only sounds heard then are the voices of the characters followed by the 2 gunshots from Adams. The music only resumes once the confrontation has ended, continuing the slow music that was being played at the start of the scene.

Mise-en-scène: “Put into Scene” is the direct translation of this phrase, and it is referencing anything directly seen in front of the camera during the scene, including props, setting, lightning techniques. The setting of the scene is a dusty and currently empty town, all the townspeople located behind the hearse being driven by Adams. The empty town serves to show how easily frightened people of the Old West are in the film of anyone with weapons, a trait that carries over from this town and into the one the main plot of the film shall take place. The camera follows Adams and Tanner, only cutting back to the frightened following townsfolk rarely, always focusing on the gunslingers or soon-to-be gunslingers in Chico’s case.

Cinematography: We see various filming techniques used in this film, the largest of which being the constant Following Shot used for much of the scene. The camera follows Adams and Tanner with few cuts, two of them being Point of View shots that show the group of men assembled at the entrance to the graveyard. We see the use of Shot/Reverse Shot once they reach the top of the hill, moving back and forth between the group of men and Adams and Tanner.

Pivotal:

I found this scene important to the film as it introduces Adams as a courageous man who will do what he believes is right, and Tanner as well. It also introduces Chico as an inexperienced boy who is following Adams and Tanner like a child watching his heroes. The introduction of these characters and the fear of the normal townsfolk sets the tone for the rest of the film.