In 1864 Virginia, a girls' school has almost emptied because of the Civil War. When the women find a wounded Union soldier in the woods, they take him in. Their rivalry for his attention turns dangerous. Coppola films it as a Southern gothic with candlelight, mist and a narrow frame.
At a glance
The Beguiled is a 2017 drama, thriller and war film directed by Sofia Coppola. This breakdown covers 4 techniques (2 cinematography and 2 narrative), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Sunset Boulevard uses several of the same techniques.
Choosing a very wide or squarer frame than standard widescreen. The shape boxes characters in or leaves wide edges where threats can hide.
How this film uses it
Coppola shot the film in a squarer 1.66:1 frame. The narrow picture boxes in the house and its women. The edges of the frame seem to hide threats.
Where to see it
The house under siege. The women and girls stay inside the school while Confederate soldiers pass outside.
Setting the story in a large, decaying or out-of-date house that mirrors its owner's mind. The building shows the feelings and history that keep the people inside trapped.
How this film uses it
The old school stands apart from the war, half empty and falling out of date. It mirrors the women's lives, kept in a place that time has left behind. Once McBurney is inside, the house turns from a refuge into a trap.
Where to see it
The music room. Farnsworth locks McBurney inside for the women's safety.
Staging intimacy and temptation as a contest for control, so each embrace or offer shifts who holds power over whom.
How this film uses it
McBurney flatters each woman to stay protected, and each one wants his attention. Every charm shifts who holds power in the house. Farnsworth sees through it and plays her own game.
Where to see it
The preparations. The women and girls give him presents and prepare a lavish dinner for him.
Putting women at the center as leads, leaders and villains, and letting their choices drive every major plot turn. The story treats this as normal and never makes their gender the subject.
How this film uses it
Women run the school, make the decisions and decide the man's fate. His status as a soldier gives him no real authority inside the house. The story treats this as normal.
Where to see it
The mushroom dinner. Farnsworth and the students decide to poison McBurney, and he dies after eating.
Questions
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