MovieChat Forums > Play Misty for Me (1971) Discussion > Great movie, but curious camera shots

Great movie, but curious camera shots


Way too many very wide shots for two people talking on the beach. Just my opinion.

moviemanjackson.wordpress.com

reply

I just watched something where those wide shots were explained as if from a voyeur's perspective (aka Evelyn.) Pretty effective when you think of it that way.

reply

Good point. I mean, we only see a few times that Evelyn is watching from afar, but who is to say that she didn't do it every time?

moviemanjackson.wordpress.com

reply

Exactly. And taking it from Clint's POV, by then he felt like he as always being watched.

reply

[deleted]

I just didn't think about it a ton like I should have. One poster pointed it out, and it makes sense. Adds to the voyeuristic, always being watched feel.

moviemanjackson.com

reply

There are some interesting juxtapositions with extreme close-ups too, like Evelyn and Dave will be stood together but her head seems much larger/is above him to show her dominant personality, or when Dave is knelt at the fire with a lit match aimed pretty much up her skirt.

The colour palette is eye catching as well, like when Evelyn first approaches Dave at the bar the barman is in red, Evelyn in yellow and Dave in green.

And personally I loved the wide shots, especially when the waves were behind them and it looked like they were going to be washed away. A metaphor perhaps of them being unaware of the danger building behind them?

What really ruins the tone I think is the silly tune played at the beginning over the cartoonish title sequence. It's like a Benny Hill sketch or something, very lighthearted, like it's the start of a stupid sex comedy.

reply