Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Scene by Scene

Scene 1

Title

Director Doug Liman uses an eye level angle and full-front position in this scene to make the audience feel as though they are the counselor and, therefore, feel sympathic for the troubled couple. The wide angle lens also highlights the stiffness and awkwardness in the room as both Jane (Angelina Jolie) and John (Brad Pitt) are looking away from the camera (counselor), and each other as well. By using a medium shot, Liman emphasized their small, uncomfortable actions as the viewer can only see from their waists up. In addition, the separation between the two is mirrored in the fact that Jane and John are sitting in two different sofa chairs side by side and are placed under two different spotlights.

Scene 2

Title

Director Liman uses a full shot in the first shot to show the contrast of Jane’s appealing white dress and the jet black uniform of the police. Her light clothing portrays her as a beautiful, good-hearted person, who the audience and John will immediately take liking to. Additionally, Liman uses a medium shot for the second shot to emphasize John's white shirt, which matches Jane's white dress, establishing their connection. The gorgeous, lit-up background also plays into their connection as through the chaos, they miraculously find each other in the most alluring place. Lastly, the hints of saturated green in the plants hints to the audience that (foreshadow) Jane and John will spend the rest of their lives together since green symbolically means life.

Scene 3

Title

Director Liman utilizes close up shots in the first two images to emphasize the growing passion between the two protagonists. In addition, the blurriness (telephoto lens) of the objects around their clear faces reinforces their romantic and physical attraction. In the last image, Liman uses a wide angle lens, full shot to demonstrate the irony of the blooming love of the couple during a time where buildings are being destroyed as there is smoke rising from outside. He also zooms out from their faces to give credit to the set design team for their attractive, vintage-like bedroom theme.

Scene 4

Title

Director Liman uses a medium shot in the first image to highlight the expensive clothing and sunglasses that Jane and John are wearing as well as the fact that they are taking separate, yet equally expensive cars to work. This separation is clearly emphasized in the following two wide angle lens images, which also showcases the excessive pride these individuals have as they initially nearly collide into each other when trying to be the first to leave driveway. These last two images reinforce the awkwardness and uneasiness of the Smith's broken relationship when even leaving the house does not go smoothly.

Scene 5

Title

In the first image, director Liman utilizes a high angle shot to give the audience the idea that the employee (Adam Brody) receving his assignment is weak and maintains little authority. In the second image, Liman chooses to use a low angle shot to make the boss (Keith David) of the employee look much more powerful, important, and somewhat scary. The wide angle lenses in these two images are used to give the audience clear views on these significant characters as they, through one way or another, will be substanially involved in the lives of the film's protagonists later on in the plot.

Scene 6

Title

Director Liman uses wide angle lens in these two images to emphasize that even during their mundane, everyday tasks, John and Jane still use their special skills. The clarity of the photos show Jane in heels, standing on the arms of a chair to fix curtains while John, with ease and without looking, throws a basketball into a hoop and makes a 3-point shot. Additionally, the lightning in the two shots juxtapose each other--Jane is surrounded by a dry, well-lit room as John mows the lawn in the rainy, dark night. This opposition also plays into their broken, distant relationship.

Scene 7

Title

In this series of images, Director Liman uses wide angle lenses and intense, bright lighting to capture the appearance of high heat and loose sand in a real desert as well as clearly show the encounter of John and Jane in the battlefield. Liman also uses long shots and extreme long shots to showcase the wide expanse of the desert to establish this different setting, and to add more power to John's and Jane's characters, who are risking their lives on a dangerous mission. Through the grandness of this scene, the audience will be impressed at the exploding effects and excited by this highlight of the continued dramatic irony.

Scene 8

Title

Director Liman uses wide angle lens and small portions of a human body to showcase the major realizations of both John and Jane, who are finally piecing together that their spouse is their enemy. For example in the left image, John's fingers run under Jane's company title in a slow trance, suggesting he is finally understanding who his wife is. In the right image, Jane is also gazing at a lit-up screen (modern technology), rewinding the stranger's movements, who she soon realizes is her husband. This scene is played out slowly to give the audience the satisfaction they need after knowing, for most of the film, more about Jane and John they knew about each other.

Scene 9

Title

Director Liman uses wide angle lens in this series of shots, which have a steady pedestal movement down, to bring additional uneasiness and intensity in this significant scene where John and Jane realize they are assassins and major enemies. In addition, the clarity of the film showcases perfectly-made food, an immaculate house, and their formal attire, which completely juxtaposes their internal, wild thoughts and tension. In turn, it makes the audience tense and lean out of their seats, desperate to know what happens.

Scene 10

Title

Director Liman, for comedic effect, brings Jane and John to the friends who, in the beginning of the film, explicitly said their rushed marriage was a bad idea. In these two somewhat telephoto lens images, additional light is directed on the troubled couple and their close friends to signify their importance. In addition, their trusted friends, since they are giving John and Jane advice, are given more power in terms of their placement. For example, in the left scene, Eddie (Vince Vaughn) face is shown to the audience while John's face is not, suggesting Eddie has more control and authority, especially since he is also taller and bigger than John. In the right scene, even though Jane's face is showing and Jasemine's (Kerry Washington) is not, the high angle in this shot makes Jane look smaller than Jasemine, and gives Jasemine more authority and power. As a result of giving the close friends more authority and control in this scene, the audience will side, or agree rather, with the friends and trust them.

Scene 11

TEXT

After their first house fight, Jane and John return to their house separately with back up to inspect the house. Liman purposely films their entrance similarly to continue the symmetry. While Jane returns with her entire company and John only returns with their vunerable neighbor, both protagonists are kept clear despite the telephoto lens. This is to continue their signifance while with other character, who are blurred. Liman also chooses to film these scene in a medium shot and full frontal, so that the audience will feel closer to the protagonists and willl understand their struggles. By focusing on their facial expressions, viewers can also understand what is passing through their heads without characters having to verbally communicate those feelings. Additionally, while Jane is in front of her associates, establishing her dominance and command, John maintains his authority despite being positioned behind the weak neighbor as he can be clearly seen unlike his blurry neighbor. It was also a smart move on John's part to bring his neighbor in front of him to his house to ensure Jane would not shoot and kill him as reveiling her hidden identity in front of a civilian would be too risky.

Scene 2

PICTURES

In this series of photos, Liman shows how much John still cares about Jane as he cannot fire the bullet despite his perfect chance. In the first photo (close up shot), the emphasis is placed on John's face instead of the gun (due to the telephoto lens) to add tension as he struggles to shoot the gun. This full frontal also makes the audience sympathize for John and his struggles, which they can see through his facial expression. In the second image (extreme long shot), Liman chose to film it as a high angle and wide angle lens to make it look as if it is from John's perspective while also demonstrating how comfortable skilled Jane is with scary, high heights. Lastly, the the third shot (long shot), is shot as a low angle and wide angle to give the audience the effect of looking through Jane's eyes at a fustrated, yet sad John. He is also placed in a black room to give a visual representaion of his dark emotional space, which is contrasted by the light outside.

Scene 13

In these two shots where John appears at Jane's workplace again, Liman cleverly portrays Jane's reaction to "blowing up" John. In these shots, Liman uses a tilt to give the audience the feeling that they are looking at John through the eyes (direction at least) of Jane. In addition, the telephoto lens of these two scenes helps add significance and attention to John, not Jane. However, in the second shot, Jane's hand is not blurred like the other visible portion of her body, to show the audience that she does care about John and does not want him dead, despite what she says and does to him. This is news for the audience because they don't know what goes through their minds, but this reaction from John's "death" gives them a peek into Jane's true feelings.

PICTURES

Scene 14

In the first shot, Liman chooses to use a close up and telephoto lens to draw more attention to Jane's thoughtful facial expression and John's hand as he holds her glass. This is significant because without giving away the fact that John is still alive, Liman creatively tells the audience that he is alive through Jane's face as she suddenly gathers her composure after crying over John's "death."

PICTURES

In the second and third shots, the dance is a series of power plays between Jane and John. The medium shots and telephoto lens help place emphasis on the protagonists and their intense fued. Even though they are in uniform by wearing black like everyone else, their sharp, dangerous movements are very unlike the others. In the second shot, John is placed standing tall in the middle of the film to portray dominance in this lethal dance. In the third shot, Jane is removing a weapon from John's leg in a swift maneuver, establishing her skill and control of the dangerous dance.

Scene 15

PICTURES

Liman chose to shoot these two scenes with Jane and John the same (close up shots) with the protagonists in the same positions to add more symmetry and to foreshadow them mending fences. The telephoto lens as well as the light on their faces directs the audience's attention to Jane and John instead of the dark outside. In addition, Liman purposely filmed these scenes close to the troubled couple's faces, so viewers would clearly see their facial expressions and the inner emotions that they keep hidden from each other. The soft light in this scene also plays into the intimacy of the couple's conversation as John confesses to Jane that he thought she looked like Christmas morning when he first saw her.

Scene 16

PICTURES

In these shots, Liman chooses to have Jane and John wearing opposite colors (black and white) to demonstrate their incompatibility and tension. In the first shot, Jane is in a full frontal position while John is in a back-to position, encouraging the audience to attract more to Jane than John as she is in a more vulnerable stance. In addition, the couple is physically separated by the frame, which shows how they are also emotionally separated. In the second shot, Liman zooms into a medium shot to increase the tension and to put more emphasis on John lowering his gun, a sign of surrendering to Jane. However, they are still just as separated as their bodies are as far away from each other as possible. The tension again increases as Liman zooms into them more, creating a close up shot (3rd shot). However, the couple breaks the tension when they cave to their romantic emotions and kiss each other passionately, ending their feud.

Scene 17

PICTURES

Liman shoots this symmetrical scene in a long shot with Jane and John in the middle to give them more significance than the other characters, who are only visible thanks to the length of the shot. The intruders' multilayer, mostly black uniform is a stark contrast to the couple's vulnerable, white clothes, reinforcing the color symbolism of good and evil. In addition, the intruders' synchronized movements and blurry faces (thanks to the telephoto lens) give a creepy, conformist army look where the intruders have no willpower, but instead only follow their leader.

Scene 18

PICTURES

In the first shot, Liman purposely places a mysterious suspect with his back to the camera (back-to) to make the audience not trust him. Jane and John are positioned in quarter position because the audience already knows them well and Liman wants viewers to understand where they are coming from. The three characters are all wearing black because they are all dangerous, powerful people and are also placed in a triangle form to reinforce the intense power dynamic between the three.

In the second shot, Liman uses a high angle to make the intruder look bigger, and therefore more powerful and more important. In addition, due to the angle, the building where Jane and John are in with the intruder looks small, therefore they are small and powerless. Liman also purposely has the intruder in all black to give the audience the feeling that they are dangerous and murderous. Lastly, the building where couple and intruder are located in the only illuminated building to clarify their whereabouts the audience as well as create contrast between the intruder's all-black uniform and the white,

safe haven that is their building.

Scene 19

In the first shot, Liman uses full frontal to help add to the symmetry of Jane and John (as well as their surroundings), who are standing side by side while stealing clothes from the mannikins behind them. While he keeps it as a medium shot to give the audience a peek at the still new area, Liman does use telephoto lens to give importance and attention to Jane and John.

In the second shot, Liman uses a close up shot to play into the passionate connection between Jane and John. In addition, Liman strategically placed the actors so that the blue light would shine on them, and the audience, due to the high camera angle, could see their intimate eye-connection as well as the soft, romantic light poured on them. Lastly, a telephoto lens is used to give the couple more attention from the audience.

PICTURES

In the third shot, Liman uses a medium shot to show the closeness of Jane and John's bodies, which have never been facing each other in such a tight, powerful stance until now. In addition, their black suits play into the fact that they are assassins, something that they previously hid from each other, and in this particular scene, they are teaming up to accomplish pretty gory work. The telephoto lens also adds to the effect that complete chaos is occurring around them, yet they are in control and are powerful united.

Lastly, the stark contrast in color between the white, explosion light behind the dark-colored uniform provides additional eye capturing images that the audience will soak up.

Scene 20

PICTURES

To end the film in a satisfying full circle, Director Liman concludes John's and Jane's story by having them sit in the same positions as before at their marriage counsel session. Again, Liman uses an eye level angle and full-front position to make the audience feel as though they are the counselor and, therefore, feel more intimately connected with the not-so-troubled couple. While Jane and John are still sitting in two different sofa chairs side by side, they are more relaxed and happy with each other. The awkwardness and stiffness that was previously there is now nonexistent as Jane is smiling and John proudly shows ten fingers when asked how often they have sex. In addition, the medium shot emphasizes their now casual and easy-going facial expressions and hand motions. The wide angle lens then reinforces their new found, genuine love for each other as the audience can clearly see their mutual joy.