'Marnie' - Title Sequence

Music

The music is in a minor key which might show there will be a horror part in the film. Violins are used to show romanticism but can also be used to show panic and terror. Alfred Hitchcock had violins in psycho and they were to represent the stabbing of a knife. Also to show panic Bernard herrmann used a fast tempo and used violins for a jumpy atmosphere.

Opening title sequence

Hitchcock used a technique so that they opening looked like someone was turning the pages of a book so this could suggest that the film was adapted from a book. The credits start with the production company which was universal pictures, then the director and actors. The credits include the hair and make-up stylists on the same page as the pictorial designs and the sound recording which show that they are just as important throughout the film. The pages turn in time with the music which also changes mood throughout the title sequence. Later on in the title sequence it is confirmed that the film is an adaption.

First sequence

The film first opens with a tracking shot which follows a yellow handbag to show it is important, it is being held by a woman centered in the middle of the screen. The only sound you hear are the shoes so you can tell that she is alone. In this sequence they use visual hierarchy to show that she is important, to show that, Hitchcock uses the lines of the train station and puts the woman in the middle of the screen.

Second sequence

This opens with a medium shot of a man who appears to be in an office, he has a suit, glasses and slicked back hair which suggests he is important and is maybe the manager of something. The first thing he said was 'robbed' and you almost immediately think of the woman as her manner was suspicious. When the manager tells the two police-officers the woman's name he repeats it so it embeds it in your mind and to put emphasis on it. When he tells the police-officers about the woman he describes her in a way so that we knew that he fancied her and was maybe even refused by her. Visual hierarchy is also used in this scene as the secretary is in the background looking smug and the two police-officers are in front. When the new character comes in you can tell he is important because of the way he looks as he has his coat over his shoulder and his hands in his pockets. When the manager tells stands next to the man and tells him about the woman they use a pan-zoom to show the range of expressions he goes through.

Bedroom sequence

When marnie flings back her hair after washing out the hair dye they use lots of lights to make her stand out more and they blur everything else to make the focus on her, this gives her a romantic feeling. Hitchcock does this to a lot of his leading actresses. She packs her new things in a new suitcase and chucks the old things in the old suitcase which is symbolic as she is leaving the old person/character behind.

Train station

In this she is walking carrying both suitcases but we don't see all of her just her back-end and this still shows a sense of mystery. she locks the old suitcase in a locker so she is locking away her identity. We see her looking at something and then we have a POV shot of a grill and we know she is going to head towards it. We then have a close-up of her dropping the key, it landing on the grill and her then kicking it down the grill so that identity has gone forever.