Usually, when we ask a person what they enjoyed about a film they will say they enjoyed the story, characters, or the surprise twist at the ending. Rarely does the average viewer take into account the cinematic elements that work to communicate all of those details in an intriguing or enjoyable way. Furthermore, it seems as though few films that we would agree have excellent stories or characters could also be poorly produced. These things tend to go hand-in-hand for filmic narratives simply because in order for a story to be good it has to be told well, which, for film, implies the proper use of elements such as the score, mise en scene, and cinematography, just to name a few. For example,
A Beautiful Mind, directed by Ron Howard and released in 2001, relies heavily on these elements to tell a story and construct a compelling plot over a progression of time.
A Beautiful Mind, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2001, was based on the book by Sylvia Nasar and adapted for the screen by Akiva Goldsman. This biography of John Forbes Nash is a compelling portrait of his mathematical genius and mental illness. The film begins with John Nash (Russell Crowe) in his early university years at Princeton while he is on a quest for an “original idea”. During this stretch of time we are introduced to the complexity of his mind as well as the flaws of his character. After Nash makes great discoveries in game theory, he is given a position at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he meets Alicia (Jennifer Connelly), a beautiful and bright student whom he falls in love with and then marries. However, what seemed reasonable earlier in the film as part of Nash’s world begins to approach paranoia and eccentricity. As his marriage, family, and career begin to deteriorate, Nash is finally diagnosed as schizophrenic and he must begin the slow and difficult journey toward mental health.
The score for A Beautiful Mind works well to tell the story of Nash’s progression from genius to paranoia to determination. Composed by James Horner, it contains complex rhythms and layers of instrumentation, all working to convey the complexity of the character and the mood of his abstract world. A dominant theme in the film is numbers; their structure and yet artfulness. This is beautifully expressed through the music as it follows the standard conventions for composition, yet contains elements that pull out the extra-ordinary. This can be seen in the use of Charlotte Church’s vocal background, which conveys not only grace, but also a more mature timbre that seems to inspire awe quite well. As the story progresses, as with all scores for film, there are certain themes that continue to reemerge, but also there are variations to give a sense of the passage of time that has taken place. In some ways, as Horner describes, it is almost like a constantly shifting weather system. All of this working together provides a greater sense of emotion and continuity in the narrative story line.
Another element of cinema that in necessary to conveying meaning and story in this film is the Mise en Scene. This is a French term that literally means “put in the scene”, but more generally refers to everything that is within the composed shot. Considering that this story takes place over about 40 or 50 years, there were a lot of details that had to have gone into considering the basic elements in costuming, set design, and even diagetic sound. What is most impressive is not only their ability to convincingly transform the world in which Nash lives, but also the aging of the characters; they had to go through about 9 stages of aging over the course of the whole film. This steady progression creates a high degree of verisimilitude or suspended disbelief for the audience and a sense of familiarity as the audience feels they have spent half a lifetime watching these characters age and mature.
While the music and the design of the scene are important, the cinematography is crucial to how meaning is conveyed in a film. Specifically, for a film that is portraying the mental illness of the main character, which occurs internally, it’s all about perspective. The point-of-view shot is not only important for understanding the ideas and emotions of John Nash, but also of all the people that interact with him. However, it is interesting how this is done in such a way that at first the audience is part of the constructed inner world of Nash and is unable to discern fiction from reality. However, as the film proceeds, the viewers are slowly allowed into the reality of the other character’s perspectives and therefore the truth of Nash’s illness. This is achieved by coupling point-of-view shots; first what Nash sees, then the reality of what the other character sees. This can prove to be either humorous or scary depending on the situation, but contributes greatly to the viewer’s involvement in the film by being pulled into the world of a genius only to have that world disassembled. Because of the way it is shot, the viewer is more effectively brought into the full range of emotions that are experienced by the main character throughout the film, which makes the story not only more enjoyable, but more believable as well.
While a viewer might state that the story was the best quality of a film, what they heard, saw, and experienced is really what shaped their idea of the perceived story. Cinematic elements such as the score, mise en scene, and cinematography are just three of many components that are part of constructing an effective narrative for film. Winner of four Academy Awards, A Beautiful Mind, masterfully utilizes these elements to present an intriguing story and a compelling plot. This film pulled these areas together in a way that brought the story to life and gave it the kind of depth and emotion that create a lasting impression.