Directed: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cinematographer: Robert Elswit
Starring: Adam Sandler
Barry Egan is a socially challenged plunger salesman. He has seven sisters who harass him, and drive him into sudden fits of violence. The film follows Barry as he falls in love and breaks out of his lonesome, and sheltered life.
In one of the opening scenes in the film Barry is spooked by a mysterious harmonium, an instrument much like a piano, that someone dropped at the end of the street. He is intrigued by the instrument, but usually shies away from uncertainty. Barry is comfortable in the warehouse where he works. It is familiar, and an escape from the outside world. In this scene he ventures outdoors to collect the harmonium, a journey that is frightful, and dramatic. Then in the safety of his office he is able to examine his prize and we begin to see a new side of Barry as he opens up.
Scene Analysis:
Barry ducks away in the safety of his warehouse. He is almost completely in shadows, his character is hidden from the audience. This makes him mysterious and curious. It is also how Barry prefers it, out of the spot light, by himself. The outdoors, which takes up the majority of the screen, is extremely bright by contrast. This amplifies Barry's reluctance to to venture out.
This wide shot serves as a reveal. We see the less than luxurious warehouse complex where he works. We see that he is somewhere in the western united states by the landscape. We see pieces of a car from a violent accident that happened earlier that morning, which scared Barry further into recluse. We also see that he has stepped outside of the gate to his warehouse, further into the world, further away from safety. The wide shot also makes Barry small in a big world, and adds to the mystery of the strange object in in a strange place.
As a huge 18 wheeler flies by in front of Barry, kicking up dust, Barry grabs the harmonium and makes a dash for safety. The quick cuts in the sequence add to the frantic situation. This wide shot shows the relative size of Barry and the huge truck. It makes him look insignificant, and small in the world around him. The dust clouds our view of him and shows the chaos of the outside world that he is caught up in. Instead of following Barry as he runs to the office we take a distant perspective, safe from the uproar. The audience doesn't feel threatened, we just watch our frantic main character.
Safe in his dark office Barry inspects his prize. His face is again cast in shadows. He is hidden, the way he likes it. The key light is at his back, he is sheltered from the sun and the chaotic outdoors.
This shot is almost completely dark. Barry's face is hidden. He feels safe and is free to play with his new instrument. It is a low angle, giving Barry a building confidence as he breaks his usual routine and explores something foreign. We slowly zoom into his face, penetrating this personal moment.
As he continues to make music his face becomes illuminated by soft warm light. The shallow depth of field tells the audience to look right into his eyes. Intimacy. The moment gives Barry confidence and briefly takes him out of the sheltered and fearful life he lives. Light represents knowledge, happiness, and all good things.
However, he can only handle a little at a time. His partner flings open a garage door, flooding the warehouse with light. He is illuminated with low key blue light from outside. Barry's moment of comfort and confidence is broken. Although Barry has begun his character's transition, it will be a long slow process.
Cinematographer Robert Elswit uses a shallow depth of field, contrasts between high and low exposure, contrasts between types of light, and both wide and close up shots to exaggerate the drama of the scene.
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