Gun Crazy Analysis

In the final scene of the 1950 movie “Gun Crazy”, the use of soundtrack and mise-en-scene are very effective in creating a dramatic ending to the movie.

I think that the setting worked very well because even though the characters were in a pond/swamp sort of area which is generally quite large, they were placed in the middle surrounded by the plants making them appear a lot more closed off and also creating smaller proxemics. The plants around them also helps to give off the trapped feeling – as though they are imprisoned, almost creating a graphic match effect seeing as though prison is where the characters at that moment think they are going. The fact that there was a fog surrounding them also added to this claustrophobic atmosphere around them. Even though the movie was in black and white, we can still tell that the lighting was quite low in comparison to a happier scene which would have quite bright lighting. This low lighting helps to add to the sinister mood that we can feel in this scene.

The sound in this scene also adds to the downbeat feeling of the scene. At first the non-diegetic music is very menacing with very long notes to hint towards the audience that something bad is about to happen. Then, after the characters finish looking around, the music fades into a sorrowful, violin resembling sound which works well because it suggests that this is the moment that the characters have given up hope and realised that they have nowhere left to run. This music is also very effective in foreshadowing to the audience that the final scene will be ending with a tragedy.

As a whole, the mise-en-scene and the soundtrack complement each other because each element wouldn’t work as well if the other was missing.

Ending scene in ‘Guns Crazy’

The mise-en-scene and soundtrack from the ending scene of ‘Guns Crazy’, is very efficient in creating a tense and eerie atmosphere.

Mise-en-scene:

During the end scene, in the mountains, long grass and swamp, the effect of the thick gloomy fog is used to emphasise the sinister mood.

While the two characters of Laurie and Barton are standing in the long grass surrounding by fog, and waiting in suspense for the outcome of their lives, their costumes allow us to establish what they are feeling.

The characters clothes are turn from the endless running and filthy from the constant falling. Their hair is also matted and knotted. All this allows the audience to understand that the characters of Laurie and Barton are exhausted ad warn out. Their facial expressions help the audience to understand the fear and dread in which the characters feel. This is also emphasised by the proxemics of the two characters. They stand shoulder to shoulder and Barton stands slightly in front defensively.

Lighting:

While the couple wait in suspense, the lighting is dull and gloomy to give the effect of frightful atmosphere shared between the two of them. The lighting also allows the audience to see the make up on the characters faces to show the dirt and mud.

Soundtrack:

At the beginning of this scene, there is a diegetic sound of crickets in the background. Next a non-diegetic sound slowly seeps in. There is a high pitched eerie song. This helps to create the uncertainty of the atmosphere and allows the audience to feel the pace of the scene like the increase of the speed of the characters heartbeats.

The sound of the last scene is a parallel sound. This is because the soundtrack fits the mood and atmosphere of the last scene creating the tension and suspension.

'Gun Crazy' Ending Scene

The mise-en-scene is really effective in creating drama in the ending scene of the film ‘Gun Crazy’. The smog and smoke, in which elopes them in their final moments adds to the atmosphere of tension and suggests their downfall, which is ominous, and which the whole film has built up to. The setting is a dark, swampy marsh, in which they huddle whilst they await their fate. The smoke encloses them, in a bunch, they cluster together in the grassy,marsh for the last time; there is no escaping from their actions. The character proxemics are extremely close between Bart and Laurie, depicting their joint unraveling and their unconventional relationship, it is a sort of messed-up romance.

Non-diegetic sound is also important; intense music creates the suspense and reflects their own stress and panic, and in some respects, their ‘craziness’. Acting of the characters adds to the overwrought feelings, their tension and dread, as they feel even more enclosed and trapped; they know they have no option or way out of their situation. Costume is another aspect of the mise-en-scene is also important in generating their state of mind, her hair, in which has been neat and carefully styled throughout the film, is now tangled and messy; they look disheveled with swampy water and mud on their clothes. 

When Dave and Clyde approach, we can barely see them through the mist in which cloaks them, this provides an interesting aspect, as we know their fall and demise is definite and ominous. This has the effect of establishing the dread the characters are feeling; their future is bleak, and horrible yet confused. They are muddled and ‘crazed’, the excitement and the promise they once felt is unraveling, mirroring her hair and costume. 

I like how the character proxemics change as Laurie jaunts forward about to shoot at the men, breaking away from Bart. This may actually reflect their different attitudes to the heists throughout the film; she gets immersed in the thrill and madness of their situation.  Bart, instead shoots her, the first time he actually shoots a person since he kills the chick when he was young, this is symbolic and powerful. When he is then shot in reponse by Clyde and Dave, he falls next to Laurie’s body as they both die; the character proxemics are again intimate and close, they are ‘huddled’ and almost nestled into one another; peaceful, and the mist eases around them. 

The madness and ‘Gun Crazy’ has taken its toll on both of them, they are defeated, and their end is the only time they are truly at ease since they met. Their bodies lie together; united, the theme song plays through a sound-bridge. When Clyde and Dave walk away from the dead bodies the smog reduces, providing powerful imagery, Laurie and Bart are separate and disconnected from everyone else; together, replicating their characters in the film. The camera pulls backward, focusing above them, and ‘The End’ appears form the center of the shot and the non-diegetic theme tune, representative of it’s era, is enhanced.

The use of mise-en-scene and soundtrack are very effective when creating the ending to the 1950's film.The two lovers Bart and Laurie had just finished their last heist to which they try and make their getaway by running through the forest and end up in a murky swamp. The use of the fog and mist gives an unearthly and trapped sensation to not only the characters but the audience also as it feels as if you are right there with them. This combined with the gloomy lighting and tall grass gives the feeling of entrapment and foreshadows that something bad is going to happen. The use of proxemics used are also interesting in two ways... firstly, the swamp itself is quite a large open area however, the smoke almost cloaks everything and engulfs the area to make the characters seem even more lost and imprisoned. Secondly the proxemics between the two characters alternate towards the end as Bart tends to always be slightly in front to communicate bravery and protection, however, Laurie breaks away at the end and pushes to the front. In my opinion this was to show how their personalities differ and what can happen when people are pushed to their limits.

By looking at their clothes you can also tell that the characters have been pushed too their limits and are coming to an abrupt end. There clothes are all tattered and ripped and their facial expressions are filled with exhaustion. There is also the prop of a gun used which is constantly seen and looked at through out the entirety of the film. This makes it symbolic towards the end as when they first met they both had a gun and spoke after which lead to the moment they are in now.

The soundtrack also fit very nicely with the scene as it was very eerie and made the audience nervous and fear for the characters as the tension was rising

The mise en scene is very busy which creates tension and suspension for the audience as Laurie and Bart race to the top of the mountain. We see Laurie and Bart running through the forest frantically, with multiple bushes, fog and other things appearing as obstacles and dogs barking whilst chasing them. This is effective because it makes the audience believe something quite brutal is going to happen to the two but the fog represents our thoughts because they haven’t made it fairly obvious/clear which in this case is the both of the getting shot. Especially Bart shooting his wife.

The use of soundtrack covered Semi-diegetic sound and there was a lot of police sirens going off in the scene. However the sirens only seems to be at the same volume where Bart and Laurie were suggesting the cars were not on the move. This too reflects of their behaviour as we see them running, meaning they think they’ll get away or perhaps the cops have lost their search. The alarm played off well in there facial expressions and movement too as there was a lot of looking back and falling over which makes us as the audience feels lightly alarmed as well creating a  . This showed she lacked concentration in her forward thinking due to the blaring noise.

The use of proxemics showed a great deal and chemistry in Laurie and Bart’s relationship in the final scene as the characters are often extremely close to each other. Even on the run they are seen holding hands which says to us there is this sort of bad romance. They love each other but they’re ultimately too bad influences on one another. Towards the end Laurie stands up to shoot Bart’s boyhood pals really quickly and we can tell that she is the one who wears the trousers in the relationship. Bart is the submissive one and the movement away from him shows their disagreement and we as the audience can see as this point it’s all going to end badly when eventually Bart kills for the first and last time; his wife. He’s then shortly after killed too himself and we see their fallen bodies in the heavenly shroud and the camera pulls back to sow us their soggy, yet romantic grave.

you can also tell the couple have had a hard time getting there and should be scared as there clothes are filthy and torn from the running through the grass and swamp , there facial expression (which seems scared and tense) makes us feel more on edge and scared about what could happen.

The sound track goes very well with the scene as it ha a very eerie , sinter effect which engages the audience more and makes us feel anxiety/anticipation which is how we would feel if we was in the position that Laurie and Bart were in.

In the last scene of Gun Crazy, there is extremely effective scenery and use of sound affects.

As the two characters enter the water and go into hiding there is a constant noise of crickets, toads and other insects and animals. This is effective as it makes it more difficult for them to listen out for people approaching or the police looking for them. This also gives the sense that where ever they both go, there is no peace and quiet and can’t live a normal stress free life.

As they awake in the morning they are surrounded by a thick fog, this obscures not only the characters site but also the audiences, this is affective as it replicates the fear of Bart and Laurie into the mind of the audience. The use of fog also foreshadows that both of the actors will soon be in trouble, and that danger has slowly crept up on them.

As they lie together in the mucky water and weeds there is a close up of both faces together, this signifies that they have stayed together until the end and almost their death, it also allows us as the audience to read their facial expressions and what emotions they are feeling at the time.

The use of make up on their faces and clothes, used to make them appear muddy, dirty and as though they have been travelling for a long time, with no proper rest, place to wash and have been sleeping rough. It shows how difficult their journey has been, and allows us to see that neither of them can take anymore and have come to the end. This their near fait and also how their relationship was destined from the start.

Their proxemics at the end show us a big decision on barts behalf, at the end, we see him lying down, Laurie standing and close by two of his best friends approaching. The proxemics of each the friends and wife in relation to Bart shows he had a choice to either let his friends die or to stop Laurie from killing them by shooting her himself. We see this sense of emergency from his point of view by the use of close up cut close up shots, this allows us to see the way in which Laurie says “i’ll kill you” clearly and allows the audience to understand why Bart made the decision to kill her

Elements of the scene:

-Soundtrack. There is a use of both diegetic sound (voices of characters, the crush of leaves as they walk, characters’ breathing) and non-diegetic sound (sound of frogs, barking dogs and instrumental music). The music plays a crucial role in the building and maintaining the mood that something bad is going to happen to the characters, creates a sense of suspense and waiting for something to happen. Sounds effects are also added to create mood and realism.

-Mise-en-scene. Although the film is in black and white, we can still see the light on their faces and how they react to being in such a situation to escape and not knowing what to do. In my opinion, the clothes of the characters, it also allows the audience to understand how the feelings of exhaustion and fear are. One of the most important elements in a mise-en-scene is the camera shots and camera angles with close-ups of the faces of the characters and extreme close-ups in which facial expressions, dirt and mud are seen. The fog in the scene is also crucial because gives us the feeling of the unknown.

The sound at the beginning of the ending scene to ‘Gun Crazy’ is semi-diegetic as the sound because the sound of crickets and frogs is enhanced. This creates a sense of serenity and calmness as they begin to cross the water. We see them from a high angle shot which makes them seem vulnerable and they are walking away from the camera so we cannot see their faces. It was lit from behind so that the scenery they’re facing is well lit, yet they are not. This could be to highlight the significance of the island they’re walking to and foreshadow what is to happen. The camera slowly zooms in on the man’s face as he turns to face the camera, the woman also does which allows us to see her facial expression.

When they are crossing the water, the splashing sound is enhanced. The calm soundtrack juxtaposes with their acting which shows them struggling to keep going. When they are next standing up, there is a mist effect which makes it harder to see and also suggests that there is a lack of clarity in the situation. There is non-diegetic parallel sound playing as the music creates tension. When the off camera voice speaks, the shot shows some reeds and white behind it, adding to the suspense.

There is a sound effect within the music after the voice says “you’re not a killer Bart” which is synchronised with him widening his eyes which shows the audience that something is going to happen. We don’t see any fake blood or makeup when the male and female are shot and instead are left to imagine that.

Gun crazy is a 1950s film noir which follows husband and wife criminal duo - Bart and Annie Laurie in their dangerous yet exhilarating quest for money and thrill.

 The ending scene of the crime based film was quite unexpected. After eloping into the mountains in an attempt to run from the police the couple seek refuge in the reeds of a swamp. Upon realising they can no longer hear the barks of the tracking dogs in the distance the exhausted duo decide it would be better to rest until morning by which they will have an easier chance of escaping.

The following scene opens with a long non -diegetic ring which continues throughout creating a weary atmosphere. In contrast to Bart’s belief that it will easier to escape in the morning the setting is significantly foggy making it almost impossible to leave, this can be considered a form of pathetic fallacy as the fog and suggest the clouded thoughts or judgment from the characters. The camera slowly zooms towards the two as the sit up in unison - the evidence of a rough night displayed by their disheveled muddly clothes and damp faces.

An eye line match shot is used when they turn towards a distant noise, a non- diegetic piano key is played when this happens for the second time to increase the suspense and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Bart makes a grab for his gun before we hear one of this childhood friends reminding him through the use of a semi diegetic megaphone that he’s not a killer, the director set the final scenes in the mountains as this was also the same place Bart refused to kill an animal foreshadowing that he will fail to kill is friends. An extreme close up is used to show his eyes darting around as he calculates his next move.

The following shots speed up as Laurie announces she’s willing to shoot Dave and Clyde. It can be assumed that she is serious as earlier in the movie she claimed that she kills out of fear and she happened to announce only a few minutes earlier that she was scared, Bart jumps up and shoots her in an attempt to stop her but also ends up being killed by an unknown shooter. This was quite a bittersweet ending as despite being forced to kill each other they die for each other and lay in close proximity even after dying. The music becomes softer as Bart’s friend quietly announces that they were unharmed, the awe in his voice evident as a long shot shows him staring at their bodies.

The film ‘Gun Crazy’ was based on a married criminal couple who took the audience on an exciting journey as they went on a dangerous mission for money.

The final scene showed the pair running to the mountains. The scenery was similar to the one that showed Bart refusing to kill the mountain lion. This foreshadows that later on during the scene; he would make the same decision. Bart and Annie hiding in the mountain was unexpected as running away meant that they would be able to live a new life together.

The weather during this film helps create the tense atmosphere. It looks cold and foggy. This idea of the weather being foggy connotes with how the characters are feeling. The characters thoughts are distorted as they have run out of options and their next move is unclear to them.

You can see that both characters were tired as they woke up. They looked rough and hair was in an unkempt state.

Clyde and Dave come into the scene claiming they are unarmed. However Annie still doesn't want to take any chances. Annie claims that she will shoot Clyde and Dave. Her tone of voice and her facial expression showed that she meant what she said. In a previous part of the film, she admitted to Bart that she once killed a man as she was fearful. Because of the events that had just occurred, it was likely that she was scared as herself and Bart were on the run from the police so would have been afraid of getting caught.

To stop Annie from shooting at Clyde and Dave, Bart shot her. This was the first time he had shot at a human being. This comes as a shock to the audience as not only was this his first shot, but he shot the woman he loved dearly. He was then shot by someone unknown. As they both fell down, the proxemics of both characters were very close. This shows how close the couple were and shows the close relationship they had. The way they died was tragic, but now their running had come to an end and although things didn't happen the way they intended it to, they were both now at peace.

“Gun Crazy” use of mise en scene and soundtrack to create
meaning/mood at the end

Gun Crazy is the story of a man named Bart Tare who, since a
young age, had always loved firearms. When visiting a travelling carnival, he
meets Annie, a gun fanatic similarly to him and he falls in love. They later go
on to get married and as Annie isn’t content with their financial situation,
she persuades Bart to pull a robbery with her. He agrees to this under one
condition; nobody dies. One robbery leads to more and Bart and Annie find
themselves permanently on the run.

At the end of the film, Bart and Annie are running
helplessly through the woods away from hounds, police and their fate. Their
lies having confined them to this type of lifestyle, all they can do once again
is run. The mise en scene and soundtrack play huge parts on how the audience
interprets this scene. With the semi diegetic sound of the hounds barking as
they run hysterically the audience can practically feel the creatures’ breaths
on their necks. This suspense keeps the audience at the edge of their seat as
the soundtrack helps to build to the climax of the scene. The pathetic fallacy
used also helps to set the mood; the eerie deep fog mirrors the confusion and
isolation of the two characters which later on leads to their deaths. Annie’s
thoughts unclear and her exhaustion lead her to make the reckless decision of
shooting at whatever is coming at her; this is shown by her facial expression
and her body language. Once again she is scared and is controlled by her fear,
the only thing she can think of doing when in a precarious situation is kill.
As she does this Bart shoots her to prevent her from hurting anymore people. We
reach the climax as the two antagonists die together and fall onto the damp,
murky swamp waters.

Everything at the end of Gun Crazy perfectly rounds up the idea that the audience has had throughout the whole movie: the characters played by Peggy Cummins and John Dall would eventually get caught.

The mise-en-scene contributes to this hugely; the setting is made very eerie by the use of low key lighting. There is a lot of fog, which keeps the viewer guessing what lies beyond it, and also what their fate will be. The use of make up shows that they are exhausted, as their faces are stained with mud and dirt and their hair is messy and greasy. We can clearly see the fear they are feeling through their facial expressions, and the level of proxemics between them is very high: they are huddling close together, as if they could protect one another, but the audience knows that safety for them is no longer a possibility.

There is semi-diegetic ambient sound, which allows the viewer to feel the same tension as the characters, and sounds such as water splashing and crickets are extremely magnified. Towards the end of the scene, there are rustling sounds coming from beyond the fog. They are coming from a constantly moving sound source, so this gives us the impression that Bart and Annie are surrounded.