Analysis of film openings: Catch Me If You Can and My Best Friends Wedding

Catch Me If You Can

The police car suggests that the film is a part of
the crime genre

Genre: The opening title sequence of Catch Me If You Can is fast paced and full of action, meaning that on first glance it would appear to be an action/adventure movie, or perhaps a sophisticated thriller. This idea of an action movie is also backed up by the range of different things the man is doing, as it suggests he leads a life with multiple identities or professions. Another genre which the film fits into is the crime genre. The lead character appears to be being chased by the other character, which suggests that he is the criminal, and the other man is chasing him on behalf of the law. The constantly changing outfits and professions of the man suggest that he has committed a fraud and is trying to evade this by reinventing himself so that the police cannot trace him. 

Narrative: The story of the film is almost completely summed up in the 2 minute long opening sequence, as it shows all of the different disguises that the lead character (Leonardo Di Caprio) will end up taking on in order to remain hidden from the law. The ongoing chase between the two lead characters shows the viewer that the whole film is going to be about a chase to catch a criminal, although it doesn't tell us whether the chase is successful in the end - it gives the viewer incentive to continue watching the movie. There is also a use of iconography with the airport signs seen in the clip, as these are what give a lot of the information about the cast and production companies whilst helping to tell the story. It also suggests that much of the narrative is going to revolve around an airport setting.

Character: Leonardo Di Caprio is the first name we see, closely followed by Tom Hanks. By having these two names appear before the title of the movie, the viewer instantly knows that they are going to be the stars of the film, and by using their names before the title, suggests that they were a huge part of the film even being produced. The actors names appear on airport signs, which have a little arrow on them pointing to a character - this immediately lets the viewer know that Di Caprio is the criminal being chased, and Hanks is the man who is chasing him - before even of them even appear on screen. The opening shows us that both of the lead characters are going to be male, which is typical of a film in the genre of action or crime - female characters are seldom seen as working for the police and are even less likely to be criminals.

Atmosphere: There is an exciting chase scene throughout, which would usually suggest an intense atmosphere, although due to the two characters rarely appearing on screen together, the chase is actually a lot more slow paced and methodical. This suggests that the chase in the rest of the film is going to have a proper plot to it rather than just a normal police chase - the opening introduces an atmosphere of complexity and misunderstandings, as it is through the use of misunderstandings that Di Caprio's character constantly escapes. 

Themes: The main themes which are evident within the opening are chases, (mistaken) identity and disguise. This links back to the genre of the film being rooted within the crime genre, as the whole of the opening is a chase between two men, one of whom frequently eludes the other one by changing his identity by disguising himself as a variety of different things. The theme of identity is the most important one, as the character disguises himself as an airline pilot and a doctor in order to keep himself apart from the other man. This intrigues the viewer as it appears that these are two separate characters at first.

New York iconography of the yellow taxi - shows
where the film is set

Setting: The location of the film is shown to be in various locations, with the air hostesses and aeroplanes signifying that it begins in an airport, and then the yellow taxi shows that the rest of the film is set in New York, as the yellow taxi is one of the most frequent pieces of iconography to represent the city. Additionally, the time period of the theme is shown to be in either the 1950s or 60s due to the shape of the cars and the fashions which the characters in the opening are wearing. The opening has been designed in a pop art fashion style with contrasts between bright and dark colours, which confirms the film is set in the 1960s as this is when this movement was popular.

Sound: Their is no diagetic sound within the opening, instead there is only non-diegetic jazz music playing in the background. This again confirms the setting as being in America in the middle of the 20th century. The music sounds complex, with frequent changes in tempo - this suggests sophistication within the music, which mirrors the sophisticated techniques of hiding which are seen in the opening. This suggests that the crimes which the film is going to be about are going to be well thought out. The music in the opening is cyclical as it keeps returning to the same repeated motif, to represent that with each crime he commits, he isn't caught and returns to the state of hiding he is seen as being in at the beginning of the clip. 

The arrow seen on this title shows which
character the actor is playing

Titles: The style of titles seen in the clip change as the locations change, with the first titles being written on airport signs to represent the setting, with other titles being used on various objects in order to highlight their significance, such as the title in the picture shown being used to form a ladder which reaches into the swimming pool. The title of the film comes in early, before any of the action in the opening sequence has really happened - it makes the title seem a lot more significant. All of the names are in a specific order, with the most important personnel having bigger titles that are on the screen first, and for longer. 

The letter 'M' has been elongated in order to become an
important part of the scene

My Best Friends Wedding

The uses of the colours purple, pink, white and light green
show that this is a rom-com/chick flick

Genre: The genre of My Best Friends Wedding is immediately evident as a romantic comedy during the opening sequence. This is due to one woman being dressed up as a bride and the other three women being dressed as her bridesmaids. There is also a heavy use of the colour pink throughout, which is a colour associated with love, marriage and femininity. The comedy part of the film is because the introduction is clearly tongue in cheek - the song the women are singing contains exaggerated lyrics about how to keep a man happy, which they were clearly mocking whilst singing. The film could also be regarded as being a chick flick, as the subject matter of a wedding with four women singing about it is a film opening which is clearly designed to appeal to men rather than women.

Narrative: The narrative of the film is shown to be based around a wedding and the problems which can arise from having a wedding, however it shows a wedding in a tongue in cheek way, through the use of irony such as the bride throwing her bouquet only to catch it again herself. The narrative of the film is also immediately shown to be from a female point of view - it shows a typically feminine view on marriage and getting ready for a wedding, although not necessarily a stereotypical one, which is what the comedic aspect of the introduction mocks.

Character: The characterisation of the opening is incredibly simple - it is a bride and her three bridesmaids getting ready for a wedding, singing a song in order to get themselves in the mood for it. Due to their being no dialogue, little is known about the characters, bridesmaids all appearing to be slightly jealous and competing for the attention of their friend. By showing very little about the characters in the opening sequence, the director doesn't give the plot away - he just shows the basic themes which will be shown throughout the clip.

Atmosphere: There is an atmosphere of cheerfulness and happiness, as all of the characters seem genuinely happy about the impending wedding. There is also the atmosphere that the film is in the style of a Hollywood musical, as the cabaret style singing suggests this.

Themes: The main theme which is seen in the clip is the theme of love and marriage. There are several references to marriage through the different things seen in the clip - there is a ring, dresses, a bouquet of flowers and a veil.

Use of the ring as a prop shows how important and grand
a wedding is to these women

All of these things are commonly seen at weddings to signify the grandeur of such an occasion. There is also an allusion to the theme of marriage through the words of the song which the women are singing - it talks about a relationship between a man and a woman. The frequent use of the colours pink and purple, in both the background and the dresses being worn by the women around the bride, suggest a theme of feminity, and show that the world of the film is going to be mainly from a females point of view, rather than a males.

Setting: The opening sequence has been shot as if the women are on stage performing to an audience. This gives the preparation for a wedding even more grandeur and importance than it would otherwise have, and shows that they see it as a public event which everybody should know about. This tells the viewer that the film is going to be set in a place or places in which many people are present - it gives them the idea that there are going to be few scenes where the women are alone. It would appear that the opening has been set in or influenced by the 1960s, as the hair of the woman who is in the wedding dress has her hair in the style which was popularised by Marilyn Monroe in this decade. This generic signifier is just one of many, as her bridesmaids are all wearing dresses which reveal their arms - these first became popular in the 1960s. Finally, the song they are singing was originally by Dusty Springfield, who rose to prominence during this decade.

Sound: The only sound in the introduction is a tongue in cheek song which is sung by the four women - they are singing it to show their opinion on marriage values, which appear to be fairly different to the ones expressed in the song. This suggests that a theme of the film could be female rebellion against men, an idea which seems very likely considering there are no male characters in the play. Additionally, the sound helps to set the scene of the opening sequence - it is a 1960s song being performed in the style of a musical, which promotes the impression that the song is being performed as a part of a show within the film.

The handwritten style of the titles connotes the writing
which is often seen on wedding invitations

Titles: There is an interesting use of titles within the opening, which is mainly because of the font of them. They are displayed in a handwritten font, which is reminiscent of a wedding invitation, again linking to the ongoing theme of marriage and love throughout the opening. Additionally, the four women seen in the opening do not actually appear in the film, yet all have an actresses name appear next to them. The bride in the clip has the name of Julia Roberts appear next to her as a title, which suggests that Roberts will be the star of the film, as the bride is the main 'character' of a wedding - she is the one who the attention is diverted too.