The Bourne Identity – Screenshot analysis

 

 

As the film begins the screen goes from darkness to a flash of light as lightning strikes and audience are able to see this disturbing film of a body floating in the water. This shot is only visible for less than a second just enough for the view to get a glimpse on what’s to come and set the atmosphere for the film from the very start. Also one key thing to notice is that although you can tell it is a body the picture isn’t very clear and it almost looks like a shadow, which is a main convention of a thriller film.

 

Prior to this screenshot now we see a fisherman come out onto deck on the boat stumbling as he comes out because of the rough seas. We know he’s a fisherman because of the classic yellow overalls he’s wearing.  He chucks something off the boat from a tray and as he does so a flash of lightning strikes and he sees the body in the sea. This is where this close-up shot is taken from. The man’s face shows that he thinks his mind is playing tricks on him as he tries to decipher his vision and the following clip shows a look of astonishment and he realises that it is in fact a body.

This panning shot here is very effective at creating a tense situation because the camera has been cleverly positioned by some metal bars which gives the impression of a secure and helpless surrounding like a prison cell. The shot is used as a filler to show Bourne’s deposit box being brought by a man in a black suit. Once again the lighting is set very low and the camera shot is like an opposite mid-shot not showing the man’s face. This makes the audience on edge because we don’t know anything about the character.

The shot used here is a close-up of the main character’s face. This angle is usually included to show a character’s expression and this is exactly what it does here; it shows Bourne speechless as he reads his name from his passport (after having amnesia). Other shots used around this are extreme close-ups of the passport so that the viewer is able to see what the character sees helping them have the same insight. This is because at this point in the film neither the character nor the audience know Bourne’s name.            

 

Here we see a close-up of Bourne reacting to a policeman’s baton by grabbing hold of it like it is an instinct. This shot is just large enough to include the baton and Bourne’s hand but also his face that shows the audience his reaction, or no reaction in this case. This clip is also the start of a quick-cut/obtrusive editing fight scene in which the character takes out two policemen and so action, suspense and an awareness of speed are brought in by this clever technique.