Casino Royale Opening Analysis

By Connor Cummings

The very beginning of the film immediately immerses the audience as the establishing shot fills the whole frame. The use of black and white filtering has deliberately been chosen as it helps connotes feelings of isolation and it makes the atmosphere feel very eery and tense. The lamp is the main object that stands out in the establishing shot. The use of light would normally connote feelings of security and protection, however the black and white filter warps this feeling and instead the light from the lamp only increases the eery atmosphere as it make the situation feel unsafe. The monotonous, non-diegetic background music adds to the effect of isolation and this helps to establish this location as being dangerous. The smoke in the background is very effective as it creates an almost ghostly like feel which emphasises feelings of vulnerability and desertion.

When the male exits the car, the shot immediately changes to a low angle shot of an elevator rising. The music begins to increase as if mimicking the rise of the elevator. However this sound also creates meaning as the change of music creates suspense and suggests that something may happen to this individual when he reaches his destination. This also leaves the audience on a cliff-hanger as the scene is deliberately prolonged in order to maintain the suspense. A close up is used when in the elevator and no emotions or signs of weakness are shown on the mans face. This plays a trick on the audience as we are still yet to find out whether we can trust him or not. The close up establishes the character as a man of power and that he is a strong individual. The mise-en-scene is effective when establishing this character as his outfit implies he is a wealthy man and this could also make the audience think that he is no more than an business man. The shots have been juxtaposed to show his gradual progression up the building. It also helps condense time so that the suspense remains high. No-one knows what is going to happen next.

When the man enters the room, he walks over to a safe and we are immediately shown a close-up of his face. His emotions in his face inform us that he is not alone and this shot helps to create tension for the audience. The next shot of the safe immediately implies that the man is in danger because we now know someone is in the room. The background music increases to high pitch and this helps to emphasise the characters danger.

When we see the protagonist for the first time through the over the shoulder shot, the lighting is effective as only half of his face can be seen. This connotes a much deeper meaning that bond possibly has two sides to him. We are shown from a very early moment in the film that he has a hidden darkness to his presence. His elusive attributes are emphasised through the lighting, camera shots and by the sound increasing to a high, non-diegetic pitch. When Bond speaks for the first time, he is instantaneously portrayed as a threat and this helps establish Bond’s authority very early on.

When the man sits down, he opens the cabinet drawer and a gun is the focus of the shot. Guns have connotations of death and destruction and so the audience are now beginning to feel that Bond is in danger. The shot also helps to symbolise a sudden shift in power and makes the man appear dominant over the supposedly subordinate Bond. The way in which the gun is half lit increases the tension because it relates back to my first point about the black and white lighting creating a distorted view on reality

The long shot is used in the next frame to emphasise the distance between the men and also implies that they are opposite sides. This shot also emphases intensity as if it was a showdown between them. The man is higher up than Bond and further increases his dominant ego. We still cannot fully Bonds face and the audience are left guessing what type of character he is.

The scene then cuts to Bond fighting a man in a bathroom. Suddenly the audience are thrown into a completely different atmosphere to the one previously as the use of montage editing makes the action flow at a fast speed. This shows to the audience the level of intensity and physicality that the men are enduring. The non diegetic music is fast and upbeat to emphasise the pace of the action. This birds eye view shot during the fight, allows the audience to see the action from a different perspective and gets them involved in the action, making them feel apart of the film.

The scene cuts back to a mid shot of the man pointing a gun at Bond. This is a very effective camera angle as we now see things from Bond’s perspective. We begin to feel involved in what is happening. The cut shot is done on the man raising the gun thus giving the scene a level of continuity. When the man tries to shoot, the the diegetic click of the empty gun is very distinctive and can be heard by both men and audience and this further indulges the audience in the moment

The scene suddenly cuts back to the bathroom fight and a variety of camera angles are used to capture the moment from both mens perspective. Bond strangles the man and the low angle shot represents Bond as dominant over his victim and also reveals his more violent side. The man is shown as vulnerable as he is on his knees and the low angle shot strong implies that Bond will win this fight. Bond tries drowning the man and the close-up reveals the amount of work he is putting in to killing this man. The non-diegetic background music increases until the man is dead when he suddenly falls to the floor. The sound emphasises the quickness of death and how sudden it can all be over. Bond kills the man who he is talking to and the close up on his face with the gun in clear view, shows Bond to be this killing machine and that he is unstoppable.