“The Talented Mr Ripley” Title Sequence

This specific title sequence, although it is around 8 minutes long and our final productions have to be two minutes maximum, reveals a lot of information through editing, mis-en-scene, camera angles and sound.

Information is portrayed about the character in several formats. Editing is used in the form of transitions; streaks appear one by one by sliding of appearing on the screen revealing the face of Mr Ripley. This informs us that the eponymous character is multi-faceted. The streaks give the appearance of broken glass that could mimic his broken personality hinting that although he may seem normal there are more sides to him that are of deeper emotion and meaning. The streaks don’t appear in an orderly fashion therefore it may resemble his unstructured life too. Editing is also used to present the film title, the adjective of “talented” is played with, and we see many other adjectives before “talented is chosen, which informs us there are many great aspects to describe him; he is a complex and versatile, again he is multifaceted which makes him unpredictable. This intrigues the audience. A tracking shot following Mr Greenleaf and Mr Ripley as they walk and talk shows the continual and effortless lies which Ripley tells, he is an opportunist and a liar. We see a medium shot of Ripley in his poor apartment polishing expensive looking shoes.  This tells us the character has aspirations to live a better life and he is through in playing the role of a wealthy man. A long shot of him playing a piano on stage with the lights dimmed on his own show that when possible, he strives and is willing to achieve more. Similarly, a long is used of Mr Ripley exiting out of his apartment where mis-en-scene is used portraying he lives in the meat packing district, conveying he is a poor man. Match on action is used in shots of Ripley in a rich and wealthy environment, explaining the smooth flow of events he can create even though he may not be from that lifestyle, he can move back and forth from the two differing lifestyles effortlessly. Showing that he is “talented,” editing strongly informs us of character.

The plot line will be that Mr Ripley will travel to Italy to find Mr Greenleaf’s son who he doesn’t know. We hear diagetic sound of Ripley listening to jazz music even though he doesn’t like it, as Mr Greenleaf’s son is a fan of the music genre. A canted shot of Mr Ripley and his falling ceiling portrays his interrupted lifestyle because he is poor, as well as his unstructed lifestyle that could explain how he will plan to find Mr Greenleaf’s son. In the opening scene, a close up of his face shows a traumatised expression which suggests he is reflecting on past experiences that he regrets. We think he is either traumatised or deeply guilty, anyhow we can tell he is deep in thought.

Furthermore, sound informs the audience about the film. We assume that the character Dickey will be binary opposites of Mr Ripley as diagetic dialogue from Mr Greenleaf explains how “all he is good for is wasting his allowance.” From what we are told through technique detail, Mr Ripley has many great assets (editing), he has high aspirations to be wealthy, dissimilarly to Dickey who abuses his wealth. Therefore they’re binary opposites which may drive the plot forward. Various types of classical music are played throughout the opening. We first hear diagetic sound of Mr Ripley playing the piano which we assume he is of a high class background (as he is able to play so well). However, after realising that our assumptions were not accurate, further classical music is used where Mr Ripley is learning from them, showing that he is through in what he does and reliable because he is trying to fake a personality by listening to jazz even though he dislikes it. 

The time period is established through mis-en-scene, there is a medium shot of the type of car that the characters of a richer lifestyle own, portraying the film is set in the early 60’s. Jazz music was very popular at this time also. Whereas location is established through sound; all the characters have American accents. The long shot of the a ship shows the time period also as it was extremely expensive to fly, even for wealthy people. So this was a main form of transportation in the 1960’s.

The genre is mystery as the voiceover informs us that he regrets going to Italy, but most importantly he regrets putting on the Harvard jacket from the beginning, setting the expectation of deceitful characters. Although, it may be seen as a thriller because the non diagetic music which introduces the film is a woman singing a slow tempo song however she continues to hold a note when the music stop which makes the audience feel uneasy. The sound is delicate and soft yet airy and disturbing. This sets the expectations of strong emotional engagement which takes that audience

Many enigmas are created in this title sequence. We wonder ‘why would a “talented” man want to erase himself?’ as his voiceover in a solemn tone explains how “I wish I could erase myself.” Another enigma we ask is “will he get found out?” his change of costume was the first way we observe him able to change identity, however now the situation  has become more complex we are curious to find out what happens.