Analysis of the film opening of Children of Men
The film Children of Men directed by Alfonso Cuaron is set in London in the year 2027. Women have become infertile and during the opening scene we learn that the youngest person in the world, ‘Baby Diego’, has just died at the age of 18 years and 4 months.
The scene is set in London, although it is not the London we know today, as it is based in the future. The colours during the whole opening are dull and drab, representing the fact that the human race seems to have just given up on chance of survival. The street are left to go to ruins, with bags of rubbish dumped outside and dirty path ways. Everyone around is also dressed plainly with almost no effort, their long coats and outfits seem to suggest going back in time instead of it being in the future. You can see the smoke and fumes coming from the cars and there are a lot of police that pass by, suggesting there is increased crime and violence on the streets of London. There are also Rickshaws that are used for transport that are old fashioned and give a sense of going back in time.
However, despite this, technology seems to have improved a lot over the years. The television screens are almost see threw and are very high tech and the bus advertisements move rather than just being pictures. There are also clips being played on screens across buildings, all on the same subject of Baby Diego’s death.
This is a bad representation of London and shows how the infertility affected the people, who seem depressed and hopeless.
The main focus of the opening scene is Theo. He doesn’t seem to have any typically heroic characteristics and seems quiet plain and ordinary. He almost blends in with all the other people, looking sad and drawn with a long black coat, tatty hair and seeming to have no power. But we are made to think he is the main hero of the story as the camera seems to follow him, giving us a clue that he is important. Theo also results in pouring alcohol into his coffee, showing how he realises on it to get through the day. This is also not something we would expect from a hero.
In the film opening of Children of Men, women are represented as being equal to men. They are among men around the street and do work, although they are seen to be crying often, which the men are not. It is shown that Baby Diego’s death and the infertility seems to have taken a more emotional effect on the women than it does on the men as they are seen tear faced and crying into tissues.
Throughout the beginning scene of the film, the lightening is mostly dull and dark. There is no sigh of sunshine or light colours at all and it is all black and grey. However there is a red banner across one of the buildings, which is the only source of colour in the whole scene. There is also a misty, smoky feel to the street, with also emphasises the feeling of depression for the audience and how everyone has given up hope on continuing the human race.
The Opening scene is most likely to have been shot in a made set rather than in the streets of London. This is because it would be hard to shoot a film along such a busy street and it would be easier to get the futuristic but depressed feel to the scene.
There are mostly short shots in the beginning scene which shows up close the expressions on people’s faces and the television screen. The camera then follows Theo out of the coffee shop and goes down to his level, almost giving the impression that the audience are also moving through the crowd to get out the shop. There is then some long shots of the streets of London which pans around, showing the dirty smoky area before focusing on Theo again as he walks a little way before putting is drink down on the side. At the explosion, the camera follows Theo as he jumped backwards before quickly moving forward to where a woman emerges, giving the sense that Theo is running towards her.
The pace throughout the opening scene is very slow. It is almost like it is building up the tension and your waiting for something to happen. Even after the explosion the pace only speeds up a little but mostly remains quiet slow and steady.
There is little sound in this scene other than the sound of the news reporter’s voice. Neither Theo nor anyone around him actually speaks and they all seem very separate. There is some quiet music as Theo leaves the shop, but it is slow and low violin music, adding to the depressed feel of the setting. It suggests that the scene is based mid day, perhaps during a lunch hour as it is and there were many people stopping at the coffee shop.
You can tell from the beginning scene that the genre of the film Children of men is action and drama. The slow build up at the beginning and the news about Diego’s death suggests that the film is a drama and the explosion of the coffee shop also suggests action. It could also be a tragedy by the gloomy sadness of the setting and people around the streets of London.
The opening scene gives you an idea of the basic story line and of what the film will be like. It continues being dull and depressed as Theo goes to work and everywhere seems to be the same, hopeless. The first scene also tells you about Diego’s death, as well as giving clues and showing the audience that it is based in the future, giving a picture of what the story will be about.
There would be quiet a large age range for this film, as it is a drama that would interest both males and females. Not one gender would prefer it as it is not just all action but has a good storyline to it too. The film would properly not be suitable for anyone under 15 as the idea of infertility and it being set in the future may be hard for them to understand. But anyone aged 15 upwards would enjoy the film and this age range would have been targeted.
The film Children of Men does give a message to the audience. It says that the infertility is the result of a flu pandemic and so suggests that we should do everything we can to prevent something along those lines happening. It shows the audience that you should never lose hope and that miracles can happen, which is shown when Kee becomes pregnant after 18 years.
The fact that the film Children of Men was made by Universal Pictures, means that it would have high expectations. Universal had a good reputation and are a large company, which means they would have a lot of money to spend on getting the film perfect and just how they wanted it. The audience would be more likely to watch a film that was produced by a good, reliable company that had produced many good films before and so would expect a lot from Children of Men.
