How does Mis-En-Scene, performance and cinematography construct meaning and provoke response in a sequence from The Man with the Golden Gun?
Mis-En-Scene, performance and cinematography are significant micro features are used in every movie, they are essential in the film industry as they help create an idea for the audience to analyse the scene. The Micro-Elements do tend to make the scene, without them there would be no scene to watch, follow, and understand. In this essay I will look at the 1974, Guy Hamilton, Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun. In this sequence we see a gun dual through Scaramanga's (Christopher Lee) Fun house where Bond (Roger Moore) and Scaramanga attempt to kill each other in one last battle. Eventually Bond kills Scaramaga with a shot to the chest after he pretends to be a waxwork which Scaramanga keeps of him in the Funhouse. The film's focus is on a British 00 Agent who is sent to find a highly valuable Energy Source (Solex) and to get to it must fight against a millionaire assassin whose weapon of choice is a golden gun.
The clip starts with Nick Nack walking up some spiral stairs in a modern kitted room. The spiral stairs have a resemblance to those seen in a castle signifying this place to be like the villain's fortress. This allows the audience to connote the features of a typical fortress with items such as traps, henchmen and weaponry. This shows the villain as having power as in the medieval times when castles were the residence of lords and important figures. This connotes to the audience he is someone with power and that the stakes are high. Also the fact this is a one on one gunfight gives the impression this is a fight to the death. The fact this room is modern and the computers which Nick Nack uses are modern indicate the owner of the house has wealth and therefore has superiority, this could give the audience the idea he is some sort of "king of the castle". The fact Bond looks around when he enters the room gives the idea to the audience that he is foreign to this place, almost as if he is invading the fortress that Scaramanga owns, this gives the villain more dominance as the newcomer will not know what to expect in the place whereas the owner will know the layout, this also gives the audience the idea that Bond is at a disadvantage therefore increasing their fear for his welfare, this raises tension and drama for the audience which subsequently keeps them viewing. Nick Nack suffers from dwarfism which some would see as a physical deformity, this symbolises to the audience he is a villain as in the Bond series the use of physical deformities is used a lot to show a villain. This is because if a person has a disability it is harder to create a relationship with them as they do not have qualities similar to the audience therefore distancing them and weakening the upset they would feel if something was to happen to them. The use of the rising chair which Nick Nack sits on gives the idea that Nick Nack has more power as he rises. This is because it gives him access to the computers which he can use to control the devices to antagonise Bond and help Scaramanga.
In the next part of the clip the lights are dimmed and an image of the face of the villain, which is cool and calm, appears. The use of low key lighting links into the well-known media trick that bad things happen in the dark, it could also be an inter-textual reference to the fact that Christopher Lee (The actor who plays Scaramanga) is a well-known horror actor; this could highlight to the audience how evil Scaramanga is. The use of an image of a villain gives the idea to the audience that he is everywhere and can see Bond where ever he goes. The fact the image shows Scaramanga as calm could also be interpreted that the actual Scaramanga is confident he will defeat the villains that enter his lair, he is also wearing a tracksuit, showing him as athletic, this could also give the idea he has strength which makes the audience feel his power showing he could be seen as a respectable adversary who matches Bond is certain physical aspects. When the golden doors appear, Bond appears to be wary, possibly showing his concern that the villain could be hiding around in the newly appeared corridor, the look signifies just how high the stakes are and also increases tension for the villain as the hero could die at any moment. We then go into a part of the scene where a Wild West saloon appears and a cowboy comes out, the cowboy model is significant as it links to the Wild West gun duels of the 1800s on the frontier and can be interpreted by the audience as a sign this is a fight to the death. When Bond sees a waxwork of himself, as shown in a midshot, in the next part of the scene he seems surprised. This gives the audience the idea it's taken him off guard and Bond has momentarily put his barriers down. This worries the audience as it gives Scaramanga an advantage over Bond. The next shot is a close up on a roaming security camera, which signifies to the audience the importance of Bond being watched by Nick Nack and the advantage it gives Scaramanga over Bond. In the next part of the clip we see Bond go past a representation of St Paul's Cathedral this could link into the owner of the funhouse's faith or the fact that Scaramanga sees himself as a god figure and that the cathedral is in his house therefore it being a house of god. All throughout the clip Bond has crisp white clothing, this shows him to the audience as having a calm exterior and him being fearless, this gives him power from the audience as he impresses them with his bravery and the fact his clothing is white may also symbolise to the audience Bond's purity.
To follow there is a low angle shot of Bond standing on top of some scaffolding. The audience can see how high up Bond is and therefore could signify more status as it shows him as superior to the audience as they have to look up to him and could also show how dangerous being up there is. He then leans over the edge to look at the scaffolding below, this gives the audience the impression he could consider accepting the danger of the situation and climbing onto the scaffolding just so he can defeat Scaramanga. A few moments later and Bond's gun falls into an endless black pit below. The fact we can't see the bottom of the scaffolding shows just how far down it goes and increases the tension and the audience's fear for Bond's life. The fact he has lost his gun increases his vulnerability as it gives the audience the thought that he has lost his protection against Scaramanga. We see Scaramanga looking alarmed when he hears the noise, this gives the idea that Scaramanga is lacking confidence and to the audience he may appear weak as his emotions are easily visible. The image of Al Capone when Nick Nack is searching for Bond using the security cameras helps the audience identify with the villains craving for violence; this is because Al Capone is an iconic figure within the genre. The spikes in the room where the final confrontation between Bond and Scaramanga takes place could signify the danger in the area and builds the audience's anticipation and tension in the final build up for the death. We also see Scaramanga holding his golden gun creeping around the room. The fact he is creeping around could represent the fact he is being careful so as to not let know Bond of his whereabouts and this signifies to the audience that Scaramanga may be concerned by Bond's abilities. His golden gun may represent his power and wealth and as gold is a strong metal it could make the villain appear difficult to defeat. This increases Bond's vulnerability and gives the audience the idea that Scaramanga is strong like gold. However, Scaramanga's shirt is visibly creased which gives the idea he is unkempt unlike Bond who is always pristine. This suggests he is a lesser being than Bond and helps the audience feel that Bond could have more status than Scaramanga. Scaramanga is also wearing a watch which could suggest to the audience he is running out of time. Eventually when Bond shoots Scaramanga there is a look of horror on his face which could suggest he's lost all status, this also resembles Dracula's iconic facial image, a character Christopher Lee has also appeared as, throughout this clip there are several inter-textual references to the character of Dracula, including Lee's lack of dialogue. This shows to the audience Bond is a supreme character that now has complete power and status over the villain, we see a complete status shift as Scaramanga falls down in front of Bond in his death. He falls to the floor in front of the stairs, possibly symbolising a true fall from grace. We also see a long over-shoulder shot of Scaramanga in the floor and Bond standing over him, this helps to increase the audience's idea that Bond has full power over him and succeed in developing his aim and thus completing the narrative expectations of the audience.
I believe that the micro-elements that I have analysed in this scene are fundamental in helping the audience enjoy this scene. The director, Guy Hamilton, has done a superb job in installing these micro-elements so as to make it into a great scene.
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