- The opening scene
The film starts with the audience understanding that the story begins in Nazi-occupied France, demonstrated by on-screen text in old-timey font, suggesting the aesthetic of the film to seem vintage, which aids the 1940s time period it is set in. The establishing wide shot is drawn out, showing a humble cottage with the farmer and his family working. This setting appears warm from the hazy summer colours, domestic as we can assume the cottage houses people working off the land, and an idyllic French countryside that appears more cosy than isolated. The camera cuts to a low angle shot of the farmer throwing an axe with a stoic expression while wearing domestic working clothes. This tells us that he is hardworking, stable, and not completely defenceless; Tarantino could have shown the farmer milking a cow, which would be expected of a dairy farm, yet he chooses to show him in a heroic stance as this strong, masculine figure; we have faith in him to handle the coming situation.
The camera cuts to a medium shot of his daughter hanging the washing. She pulls back a sheet, utilising it as almost a curtain to theatrically reveal motorcycles coming towards their dwelling, of what we can only assume to be Nazis from the reaction of the daughter alerting her father. This reveal suggests their idyllic, stable, domestic life has been intruded upon, and it is interesting to see that this has been framed from the farmer's perspective, showing the approaching vehicles to be foreign and dangerous - hence placing us on the farmer's side. The Nazis appearance is black, contrasting with the warm blues, yellows, and greens it is placed against. This aids their approach to be intrusive as if they don't belong there and therefore bring an unwanted presence. As this happens, the Beethoven classic of 'fur Elise' starts, which appears unexpected to the audience as the scene does not immediately evoke emotion. This high pitched, gentle music also contrasts with the sinister forces approaching. However, this music blends to a guitar similar to what has been used in classic westerns; this could be seen as a tribute to 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly', one of Tarantino's favourite films. This reminds the audience of the western trope and our view shifts to a form of duel or standoff that is expected - perhaps that the farmer must act heroically to protect his family from the evil forces. He does this by paternally ordering his daughters inside, but careful not to run as to not bring suspicion to the Nazi interrogators that they are fretful of their arrival; this is an important motif which we will see later. The farmer appears calm in a close-up shot of him wiping the sweat from his face. This alludes that he has accepted he cannot control the Nazis visiting him, yet the audience can assume feelings of dread and introduced tension as he loses his high stance when sitting down, appearing smaller and more helpless. As the farmer wets his face, in another intimate close-up sequence to focus on his reaction as he internally prepares himself, the music has stopped. This tells the audience that the long-winded anticipation is forced to end, and the farmer must face the Nazis.
The vehicles pull up to the farm, and the audience gets a clear VLS shot of the villains. We know they are villains, not just because of the film's context, but because of their entire visage: the psychology of the dark colours alludes to death or perhaps power, control, and hopelessness to those fallen victim. The staging of this wide shot shows the Nazis filling the entire space, more or less, which could link to the idea of power being introduced and their intrusion. This is carried through, as the camera follows the main antagonist, Hans Landa, as he walks towards the cottage in a tracking shot of his side profile. In most introductions of villains, it is common to have the camera at a low angle to make them appear tall and powerful or to not show their face at all for an element of mystery, yet here Tarantino chooses for the audience to see the villain. This is the first time the camera moves beyond panning, and this choice of having the camera move with Landa shows that he is in control; this makes him stand out and therefore important to the scene. Tarantino has made us feel his presence and approach without us even seeing him properly or understanding his character. The camera stops as he shakes hands with the farmer - a medium shot to get a clear image. Landa is wearing his identifiable Nazi officer uniform which the audience can recognise to be a powerful image; he is tidy and well-mannered which indicates he is proud of his title, and he initiates contact first to establish his dominance. As he grabs the farmer's hand, we can see a visual imbalance as the farmer pulls his hand away from Landa, thus giving Landa the control and we can see he makes the decision in breaking contact.
The setting has changed, and the scene becomes more intimate inside the small footprint of the cottage. The audience is more involved in the scene and understands that Landa's visit is more secretive. As they walk inside, the window in the middle of the shot shows the Nazi vehicles outside which supports the notion that the farmer and his family are trapped and have no control over the situation. This also shows that there is a dangerous threat outside that prisons them. This long shot of the two men has the camera placed over the shoulders of two of the farmer's daughters. This symmetry places us on the farmer's side as we see Landa from the daughter's perspective, further alienating him as someone we can trust. Yet the daughters are in the foreground, reminding the audience that they are what Landa is looking at - the control and focus are still with him and we as spectators are placed with the girls and may feel uncomfortable at this as we are subject to his focus too. Landa also looks out of place in the setting. Among the humble farmer's cottage, Landa is dressed in his full black uniform, bringing an authoritative presence that appears menacing, perhaps that he is 'bringing death' with his arrival as his status holds so much power. The camera crabs left with Landa's movement to reframe him as he stops at the third daughter. We notice how uncomfortable they all appear and may have sympathy for the third as she is Landa's choice of focus. In relation to the context of the film, Tarantino may have directed Landa to approach her as she is the only daughter with typically Aryan features, of which were favoured by the Nazis. The tension increases at this point after Landa's eyes linger on her until asked to sit down by the farmer. The camera cuts to the three daughters in a medium-long shot but the camera subtly pans to the right as Landa sits down, reminding us that he controls the scene. He is offered wine, but exchanges it for milk, grabbing a daughter's wrist in a dehumanising way as she gets it, taking control of the situation again. This creates an uncomfortable feeling, as an almost implied threat, delivered with a polite smile. This adds an element of suspense; uncertainty. At first, it is unclear why Landa chooses milk over wine, and perhaps it may be his duty as an officer to not drink on the job, but we must realise that he is a detective interrogating the family. Tarantino used the innocence and pure form of milk as a prop in contrast to the dark villain, as well as from the perspective of Landa in that he must portray himself to be innocently enjoying the visit, acting politely to try their milk, so they let their guard down and be swayed to give information.
One of the daughters is told to close the window, and the shot is a medium close up directly framed in the centre, as the focus is entirely on the daughter's action. This forces us to understand that this is important since the conversation is established to be private from the outside, and the idea that they are trapped inside with Landa who has full control. Afterwards, we see a close up of the third daughter as she shares a serious glance with her father which indicates that something is wrong. This motif foreshadows what is to be revealed later. This interaction clues us to a mutual understanding between the daughter and father that they have something to hide and must not appear rational or suspicious. When the camera cuts to a medium shot of Landa, even though he is sat down and at a lower position to the family, the angle is low, framed nearly at eye level which makes him dominate the frame. The angle makes him seem intimidating and powerful, even without the aid of his Nazi uniform.
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