The Others. Opening analysis.

This piece of reseach was conducted by Laurel.
I was unable to find the opening on youtube and post it on here but have analysed the opening from the DVD.


Whilst waiting for her husband’s return from war, Grace and her two young children live an unusually isolated existence behind the locked doors and drawn curtains of a secluded isolated mansion. Then, after three mysterious servants arrive it becomes chillingly clear that there is far more to this house that can be seen. Grace finds herself in a terrifying fight to save her children and keep her sanity.
At the beginning of the opening titles of The Others there is a voice over from the main character, Grace, played by Nicole Kidman. She speaks about God and how many years ago he was the only one who existed, and therefore was the one to create the world, such as plants. This then leads onto the opening titles.
First seen on screen is the film title. This is faded into the foreground through a black background. The letters of the tile are like small lights, similar to candles, which also stand out. The dark atmosphere is continued as the lighting goes onto flicker like a candle. This displays to the audience a cartoon like background, which represents the story that will follow in the film. The colour of this is black but lit up with the candle. It also shows the characters that will be in the film, such as the mother and her children and the nanny.
The music is quite slow and high pitched, which gives a chilling feel to the audience as in the back ground echoes of singing children can be heard. The images that can be seen on screen also add to this feel as the camera focuses on drawings such as children screaming and a puppet doll with no legs, one arm and some broken strings.
The writing of the titles are white and placed over the drawings. They are quickly faded in and faded out. The editing and transitions are slow as at some points the screen goes black until the audience are again introduced the cartoon drawings. The camera follows the drawings like reading a book, from the bottom of the screen upwards. This is in point of view as it feels as if the audience are looking at it direct.
I think the opening titles to this film are very effective towards the audience. This is due to that fact not only does it indicate what type of film it is going to be or what might happen but it also puts a small amount of fear in the audience. The slow music and dark atmosphere contrast with the opening scene.
The opening scene is a shock to the audience due to the fact that the first thing to be heard is Grace screaming, whilst in bed, this also corresponds with the fear on her face. The next scene that follows is the view of the house. This again automatically gives a chilling feel due to the fact there is this big Victorian house out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by mist. The silence of the surrounding area and the footsteps of the three servants in the distance add to this. In addition to this we also find out that the other servants who worked their previously mysteriously left the house without taking their wages. Furthermore, we learn that Grace locks every door as she goes from room to room and that there is no electricity at all. They live in a household where silence is valued. She also lives in the dark due to her children’s condition of being allergic to sunlight. The large rooms are plummeted to darkness and the only way to see around the house is via candle light. Grace and the two servants walk up to the attack and it is at this point where we are introduced to her two children, Anne and Nicholas.
Straight away just from the opening three minutes of the film we can immediately categorise The Others into the thriller genre. Through what we learn at the beginning the audience establishes that this film will be one of mystery and suspense due to the isolated and dark existence these people live.