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This image portrays a middle shot in which Cleopatra is just off-center, her handmaiden taking the central place behind her. The audience is viewing this scene from an eye-level angle with Cleopatra, so that she remains the character we are most inclined to watch. Cleopatra is dressed in white and an off-gold color, colors she has often worn throughout the film and that typically symbolize wealth and royalty. However, unlike most of her outfits, this one is far more subdued in both its elaborateness and fanciness. Her hair is much the same. While still dressed and done up beautifully, she appears in this scene in a much more humble manner than was present previously. This demonstrates that she no longer cares for the power games she used to play and does not feel the need to put up a facade. The light in the scene directly hits Cleopatra, illuminating her and drawing the attention of the audience. The rest of the screenshot remains in shadow and so appears to be less important. Octavian's side is visible and he is clutching the hilt of his sword, demonstrating that he is ready to take action if the need arises. Through his positioning the audience is given a clear view of the ring on his hand- the ring of Cleopatra's son, Caesarion. This serves as a reminder of all that Cleopatra has lost, and that Octavian had a role in her tragedy. Still, by only being shown a portion of Octavian, the audience is not enraptured by him or his deeds. Their focus belongs solely to Cleopatra.
Very nice analysis, but the last sentence puzzled me:
ReplyDeleteSince you actually know who the man is that is partially shown, why don't you use your knowledge of the context of the shot for its interpretation? After all, when the director and cinematographer created the shot, they didn't do it in a vacuum.
One more hint: why do we see Octavian's arm in close-up, rather than a shot that would show him, say, from the waist up looking down at the sitting Cleopatra?
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at this screenshot more closely, I came up with a few thoughts about the side-view of Octavian. To me, the most important part of his positioning is that it gives a clear view of Caesarion's ring. I added more on this in the actual post.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we are supposed to notice Caesarion's ring on Octavian's hand, together with the sword that killed the boy. The very next shot, if I remember, is a closeup of the ring, and then we see Cleopatra's reaction, as she notices the ring and realizes that her son must be dead.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing that occurs to me now is why Cleopatra's hair is so unadorned and left hanging down. In Greco-Roman antiquity, wearing the hair like this is a sign of mourning.