Marathon Man- Nahuel

In media, we analysed a range of thriller opening clips. The clip I chose was 1976 thriller, Marathon Man. The film was directed by John Schlesinger and stars Dustin Hoffman as Thomas 'Babe' Levy. The opening of thriller 'Marathon Man' uses all four film aspects to create suspense; camera, sound, mise en scene and editing. The titles in the opening begin with basic white font against a black background which continues over the shot of Dustin Hoffman running. The content of the clip contrasts with the introduction, which I thought would be a documentary. The title, opening shot and the rest of the clip all correspond with the theme of running, however, the sudden cut to a man opening some sort of safe, keeps the audience in suspense by challening their expectations. The opening mounts the suspense by focusing on a close up of Hoffman's running feet and only revealing his identity in the latter part of the clip. In the shots of Hoffman's running feet, the only indication of his form is a shadow; which builds suspense as it conjures up eeriness associated with the unknown. It cross cuts to a man opening a safe and then cross cuts back to hand held tracking of Hoffman running. This stedi-cam technique creates an uneasy and dysfunctional feeling for the audience. There's a change of dynamics in the sound as what starts as muffled cheering (creating a heroic impression) soon leads to a diegetic sound of heavy breathing and panting which builds up to dramatic music to create tension. This non-diegetic mood music, creates further suspense by evolving to more sinister and high pitched. The music acts as a sound bridge creating continuity between shots. The location is identified as New York as the clip shows the man running over a bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn and features a shot of the iconic Manhattan landscape. The use of the jail in the other shot heightens apprehension as the negative connotations of incarceration creates fearful expectations. The mise en scene is also reflected in the props; a key and a box both develop in suspense from confusion. The lighting is also significant in the clip, for example, there is a soft, 'early-morning-sunrise' which creates an inspiration impression contrasted with a more harsh and clinical lighting in the shot of the man in the jail. The clothes help to determine representational issues aswell. For example, Hoffman is in jogging sweats, which is a reflection on what he is doing. However, the man in the jail is attired in a smart suit; a reflection that he is of a higher class and also his status; a powerful business man perhaps.