Moral Tone And Mood Of The Film example essay topic

Using at least two key scenes, describe the way in which mood, atmosphere and moral tone are established in "The Third Man"I really got to know Vienna in the period of the black market". Mood, atmosphere and moral tone are vital to an audience's understanding of a film as such aspects evoke emotion for the characters involved, and so appeals to our basic understandings and decencies as human beings. Indeed, "The Third Man" too evokes such emotions as through the use of setting, camera work and indeed both diogetic and non-diogetic sounds, the audience are given an insight into the world of the characters and the moral atmosphere in which they live. The opening scene in which the narrator, Major Calloway, gives the audience a background of recent events and more importantly the effects that they have had on the nation, clearly establishes the mood and atmosphere of the entire film. Through the use of a voice-over monologue and montage of shots of post World War II Vienna such as close-up shots of shifty faces, money exchanging hands and a grim scene of a body floating in the muck of the Danube, film-maker Carol Reed captures the design of the entire film. The hard, impersonal facial impressions of the international police ruling the city, the bomb crates and mounds of dirt, as well as the ferris wheel slowly turning in the distance like a looming symbol of fate, further enhances the aforementioned argument for they assist in the audiences understanding and perception of the atmosphere.

Whilst the introduction establishes the moral tone of the world at the time and indeed the society, through the use of scenery such as buildings similar to those that were constructed in the Baroque Era, as well as the final scene, the film-maker further enhances the notion that things are not as they first appear, that is, the ongoing battle of appearance vs. reality. Through scenery such as those of building which cast large shadows, the continual theme of appearance vs. reality is once again shown and so adds to the moral mood of the film, for such structures and highly elaborated and fancy on the outside, however very dull and more so hollow on the inside. Indeed the final scene also evokes the idea of a corrupted morality in society for whilst the city of Vienna is shown to be innocent and morally righteous through the camera-works of what seems to be a 'church town' in the establishing shot, this is contrasted to what is beneath the surface, that is, the sewers, and thus shows that just like the film, this is where the city is ending up. Moreover, although the cinematography plays a very large role in the audience's understand of the corruption and moral tone of the film, the characters also play a significant role in the audience's views as they too are not always as they first appear. Indeed, Harry Lime, undoubtably the character who causes the most corruption, uncertainty and immorality in the film forms a very immoral mood and atmosphere for he is a man capable of evil deeds and a blatant disregard for other human lives. This is shown in his speech to Holly about the unimportance of the human "dots" and so allows viewers to portray him as a cynical, venal and amoral man.

In addition to this, the reference to his name "lime" further enhances his nepotism for such a name has negative and indeed corrosive connotations associated with it. Likewise, Holly Martins, the once "innocent abroad" is also a highly flawed character and thus adds to the moral tone and mood of the film for he is an alcoholic and "a hack writer who drinks too much". Holly also, whilst being a friendly and genial man, is in fact driven by unsure motives for he only agrees to help the police capture Harry on the provision that Anna, an illegal alien in Vienna, is allowed to escape from the Russians. MINOR CHARACTERS - Calloway, the child.