American Beauty Scene Analysis

 

American Beauty: Scene 1

The scene starts with a voiceover, with a extreme wide shot showing the neighbourhood. The voiceover is Lester looking back over his life before he dies, basically giving a rough outline of his life.

His tone is dreary, not very exciting so gives us an idea that looking back he wasnt happy with his life and we can tell from the fact he masturbates in the shower and calls it the 'the only high point of my day...' which gives a sense his sex life isnt what it used to be, when he wakes up he is in bed alone in a dull room and the fact that his wife wears the trousers in the relationship since she drives both him and his daughter to work/school.

And in the car, Lester is slouched in the back, sleeping and this gives an idea that he is like a stereotypical teenager; masturbating in the shower is also a giveaway to this. We can tell he is more like a teenager because of the way his wife and daughter treat him. He himself knows they think he is a 'loser' because of the way they look at him after he drops his breifcase. He is also unsocial like a teenager, because after the scene of being, kind of trapped in the shower, that metaphor of being trapped is shown again by him looking out the window and seeing his wife talk to his neighbours. this shows he isnt interested in social action with friends; this also creates a teenage-like image because its like he is shy to go outside.

 

 

American Beauty: Scene 2

Again, in the second scene we analysed, every scene tried to incorporate the red, white and blue. I feel that is a metaphor for the family being together, like the red, white and blue of the american flag and it represents America, i feel the 3 colours represent the family being together. This is a motif because it keeps reaccuring.

The music and the zooming in view sets the scene as well; the music is unattractive, boring, old fashioned 'elevator music' and again because husband and wife are at either side of the table, the music and the table are a metaphor for the emotional gap between the two and the music illustrates the mental strain on Lester, even though its his wifes choice.

We also get a contrast of characters; while his wife is sat up tall and straight on the lighter side of the table, Lester is on the darker side, in the shadows, and is slouched again.

before the end of the scene,  a boy is filming Lester and the camera shows him in the camera screen, again showing he is trapped; that is another motif.

At the end, we see Lester throw a blue towel on the work surface next to a black and white family photo. Another thing, a blue and white vas is in and, i think that by having a towel and picture in the frame, i think it suggests that he is throwing in the towel on his family, on his life because we know already his character is depressed and not happy with his life at that time.