Start of Textual Analysis 'The Machinist'

The Machinist: Textual analysis

From the very beginning of the opening scene the lighting is very dim representing that the whole film is going to be dark. There is also a body being rolled up in some carpet, this means that the first thing you see in the film is a dead person. This represents the things that are going to take place in the rest of the film. This first shot is filmed through a window so you can just barely see what is actually happening. You can see a city’s reflection in the window, this could possibly be representing that outside of the house is freedom but the main character is trapped in his own life and cannot escape. You then see him looking out of the window, this supports the idea that he wants to escape his life and his problems but he can’t.

After this we see Christian Bale’s character driving off in his car to the middle of nowhere. He then dumps the body and a single light source reveals his face. This light source shows all of his bruises on his face and a black eye. This means that he has likely been in a fight and connotes the type of character that he is going to be throughout the film: rough, angry and possibly a bit crazy.

He is also wearing really dark, plain clothing. Everything about the character is very dark in the opening scenes, both his personality and costume. This represents that he is a dark character and possibly a villain. This would go against typical stereotypes for most films where the main character is a heroic type of character.

The sound in the opening scenes is mainly diegetic sound. The scene is very quiet with only a tiny bit of non-diegetic sound which is an eerie sound that is almost creepy. This sound is intriguing because it makes you guess what’s going to happen next. This non-diegetic sound represents that the film is going to be creepy and gives Christian Bale’s character a mysterious personality.

The use of mise-en-scene in the opening of this film is very interesting. All of the walls in the house are plain and so is Christian Bale’s clothing giving the opening scene a scene of mystery. It also connotes the idea that the remainder of this film will reveal many of the characters secrets although he is trying to keep the truth to himself.