Delicatessen opening

 

I will be analysing the opening sequence to the movie Delicatessen. The exposition to this sequence is used to set the time and place of this film. In the sequence, non – diegetic sounds of Accordion music is played in the background. This is used to set the location. It shows that this movie is set in France. This movie also sets the time of film. There is an establishing shot of thick yellow fog and there are broken buildings. This helps create the setting of this film. It shows that war has occurred. The camera slowly zooms into a door. There are diegetic, pleonastic sounds of a knife being sharpened. The camera zooms into this knife and the chief sharpening it. This shows that this chief is an important character in the film at the beginning there is barely any music in the background. This creates a dark tone to this sequence. The camera moves to someone that is disguising himself to hide in a bin. There is a close up on his face which shows that he is nervous. His facial expression is an exaggerated nervous face. When he hides in the bin and he gets found, the chief that finds him, laughs and then slices down his knife. His laugh indicates that this film is a comedy. The characters in this sequence are very exaggerated which shows that this film is a comedy. This shows that this movie is a dark comedy. The chief slicing the man who is hiding helps create the narrative to this film. It seems to be about a chief that is a murderer.

After this moment, non-diegetic sounds of an accordion are playing. This is used in order to create stereotypical French music which sets the location of this film in France. The music is very playful which shows that the genre of this film is a comedy. During the opening credits, the camera pans to the right showing different items in the credits. This sets the location of the scene. It zooms into a book. There is a hand which shows the dark humour of the film. The editing with the transition with the knife into the title gives off a comedic effect.

This sequence sets the time and place of this film. It shows that is set in France. It shows that this France has been through war as it shows the yellow fog and the broken buildings It also sets up the genre of the film. It starts off very dark and builds up tension and suspense to the when the character gets sliced by the chief. It sets up the story line of this movie. It shows that this movie is about some chief that is a killer.  It also sets up the genre as a dark comedy. This is done using the acting of the characters. The acting is very exaggerated which creates a comedic effect. At the end of the sequence, there is French accordion music playing in the background. The music is very playful which shows the dark comedy of the film.