Lvl 10: The Beginning of the Manchurian Candidate

          The Manchurian Candidate starts out with a few shots to set the mood and context of the film. Set during the Korean War, a US platoon is seen hanging out at a brothel, while Sergeant Raymond Shaw appears and blows his whistle, telling the men to get moving. It is obvious that Shaw is seen as a "killjoy" and is not popular among his fellow soldiers. Even Meanwhile, despite being in the middle of a war, the rest of the soldiers seem to be very laid back and relaxed, and not at all concerned about the brutalities of war. They are seen joking around, and bashing on Shaw, and overall not taking any of his words or actions seriously. 

          The movie starts out with a large caption, "Korea, 1952". This quickly establishes when and where the current scene is playing out, although it is not very specific, most people with some idea of American history would instantly think of the Korean War. We hear diegetic sounds of a motor from afar, and although most of the screen is filled with darkness, there is a long, following shot where the camera follows a military vehicle out of a forest to the front of a shack. There is a contrast between the initial darkness to the brightness as the truck makes it's way. The soldier driving the truck, whom we later learn is named Shaw, gets out of the truck and walks into the building. There is an eyeline match as the other soldier in the truck follows the movement of Shaw as he disappears off screen and then reappears again to enter the building, and he just chuckles to himself and starts reading a newspaper, clearly disinterested in what Shaw is about to do, and perhaps even accustomed to his actions. 

          The camera then cuts to Shaw walking inside the building. The diegetic sound is now of people laughing while some 50's swing music plays. He keeps his stoic expression, despite having to walk around a couple passionately kissing right in front of his passageway. The camera then pans to the left as it follows Shaw, and he opens a door to reveal the inside of a brothel, and the dozen platoon members in it, with a POV shot. The scene then cuts to a upwards-tilting medium close up of Shaw, still looking expressionless as he looks around at the soldiers and their lady companions. The mise-en-scene is very particular: there are several small American flags and a portrait of an officer, with the words "GOD BLESS AMERICA" scribbled on the wall. The camera then cuts back to the other soldiers, still chatting away, either totally unaware of ignoring the entrance of Shaw. There is a match on action when we follow a young lady in one shot as she moves towards Shaw in the next shot, trying to get his attention through tugging on him, but he pushed her away and instead blows his whistle. The music seems to fade a bit in the background, while everyone stops and looks his way, some of the ladies looking quite distressed. It cuts to one soldier soothing them, saying its "just our Raymond, our lovable Sergeant Shaw", despite not smiling at Shaw at all.