The above scene depicts Marc Antony in Alexandria preparing for battle. As expected, the center-focal point is Antony. Based on the amount of background this still-shot shows, I would call this a long shot. Here Antony, is looking down as if to show great concentration and concern for the upcoming battle. This shot is shot in a way to show that while Antony is clearly in charge of the Romans, the Egyptians pay no attention to the Roman Consul. The Romans are clearly placed behind Antony in an order of rank. Starting at the center we see Antony walking alone and slightly isolated from the rest. Next we see his officer in-charge, or right-hand man. This man appears to be following Antony and focusing on his words. Behind the officer, we can see a lower-ranking officer who is turned slightly toward Antony while implying that he has devoted his attention to the women and construction of the tomb. The Egyptian women are clearly all servants of Cleopatra due to the single-file line they have formed outside the door to the tomb. We can also clearly see that there are Egyptian slaves bowing to signify presence of high authority. The lighting of this shot is coming from the top left corner. The colors portray the same division as the placement of characters: The division between the Romans and the Egyptians. The Roman soldiers are dressed in red and other bright colors whereas the Egyptians are in darker colors. To me this represents the importance of the different characters. For instance, Antony is dressed in a red cloak, and gold armor telling me that he is the most important person in the scene. This is shot with a slight upward angle to gather the full affect of Antony's gaze. His gaze is not one of weakness but one of strength and dedication.
Tj you hit a lot of the good points about this scene. The three planes was used well in this scene and you mentioned how each plane had an action in it and how each plane had movement within it, from the slaves in the far to the right hand man in the medium and then Mark Antony in the near.
ReplyDeleteI really like, TJ, that you notice how isolated Antony already seems. He is the only one moving, and thus seems energetic, but he is also looking down, not confident towards the future.
ReplyDeletePaul's comment about the three planes that we observed in "Cabiria" and in the 1913 "Marc'antonio e Cleopatra" is also very pertinent. I would maybe add yet another comparison to these movies: again, the Egyptians appear subservient (kneeling and bowing), whereas the Romans, even in the presence of Cleopatra (who we know must be in the tomb), remain proudly standing, like "real men".