Kiss Me Deadly

The film Kiss Me Deadly was directed by Robert Aldrich in the year 1955. This film is under the genre of thriller and is also a film-noir, which has a strong atmospheric mood.

In the film cinematography is shown throughout, with some variety of camera shots and angles. For example the film begins with a female character running away from someone or something, this is shown by the women running towards the camera, and looks as if it has been repeated three times but on the third she steps in front of a car and it stops. During the opening sequence the majority of the shots are close ups, this doesn't reveal much to the audience at any early stage therefore it makes them carry on watching. In addition a shot of the women running away shows the rule of thirds, for example the woman is represented in the middle of the frame, which suggests to the audience that she is the centre of attention. However compared to the background she looks very small and also shows that she is vulnerable. The little variety it also reminds us that not a lot of information is being given out. The opening of a character is important as it gives the audience a quick and general perception of what they are like. For example, during the opening sequence we see that she might be in trouble or scared, the opening shots are very effective as they help the audience understand her character, but we find out that she was from a lunatic home and is wanted.

Furthermore the costumes and colour gives us information and clues to what is happening. For instance the woman is running down the road with no shoes on but also only a coat and nothing on underneath. This builds suspicion as we wonder why she is like this and perhaps whether she has been raped or a prostitute. Additionally, as the car pulls over we learn more about him just through his appearance. For instance the man was driving a white convertible which suggests that he is wealthy, but also as he is wearing smart clothes adds to the suggestion that he is wealthy. Moving on, the colour is an important part in this although the film is in black and white. For instance the black helps provide that dark and anxious atmosphere, and helps the audience follow an uneasy mood. Also white stands out particularly well as it contrasts effectively, this makes it easy to notice things such as the car, but also smoke which alone gives an uncanny and mysterious feel.

Within the film sound is important as it can suggest what the characters are like. For instance the film begins with the women running down the road, however she is exhausted and completely out of breath. The sound which is being given off is her heavy breathing, this sounds OK at the beginning but as it moves on it becomes over exaggerated and perhaps cheesy. However it does help towards the tone as we question why is she breathing like this and running away. Moreover there is some editing in this but not much, for example the titles of the films move up the screen and white titles against the black background contrast effectively. In addition, there aren't many fast paced shots but the ones that are, are at the very beginning, but from then onwards it slows right down as they are driving in the car and only close up shots are used.