Platoon Opening Sequence analysis

Opening sequences for a film play an important for many reasons: It is the directors chance to capture the audience and keep them interested enough to keep watching. Perhaps more importantly it introduces us to the essential narrative elements of setting and character and might hint at the direction of the plot. Out of interest I have decided to look at four films centered around the Vietnam War to analyze the form and function of their opening sequences. The films I have chosen are as follows: Platoon,Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter.

The opening scene for Platoon shows how simple elements of film form can make a really powerful opener. It shows how simplicity can capture and audience and create mood just as well as the opening scene of Apocalypse Now. The first thing we see onscreen is a quote from Ecclesiastes that reads 'Rejoice O young man in thy youth'. At the same time non diegetic music plays from a viola. Significantly before any shots are shown the music alone has already set the mood as melancholy. The quote has hinted at character but as a whole is an irony used to portray the films anti war theme.

The first shot is a wide long shot with a large military plane the focus of the shot. A closer inspection of the Mise-en-scène reveals a lot more to the shot. There is a very obvious lack of colour and the shot looks bleak, everything happens over a thick layer of dust. Military vehicles and personnel move across the shot in familiar green colours. The effect of this showing the setting as a military base and also preparing us for the introduction of the main character who is on that plane.

Next there is a cut to the back of plane motivated by the door opening which is followed by a zoom outwards showing a group of people exiting. We learn that this is a group of fresh recruits from their plain, undecorated, basic military clothing and the clean shaven youthfulness appearance given off by the actors. This is further suggested by the quote shown earlier. The next cut is to a medium shot which introduces us to our main character. This is made apparent by the way the shot holds its focus on his face for a few seconds while giving the background images a slight blur so all we see is our main characters face. In the same shot a tap on his shoulder followed by a finer pointing turns our main characters head which is the motivation for the next cut which changes to a Point of View shot of dead soldiers in body bags. The shot switches back to a medium shot facing the main character while another person comes over to the group to say 'alight you cheese dicks welcome to the Nam follow me'. This piece of dialogue confirms country of the settings they are in, Vietnam.

The scene neatly and simply portrays many key ideas. The melancholy music consistent throughout the scene sets the mood and allows the viewer to experience and share the same emotion as our main character. It gives a very close representation as if we were the ones landing in Vietnam for the first time and a large part of that feeling is through the music which's adds another level to the emotion felt when a point of view shot is used to show dead bodies. It also sets the mood for the narrative. It introduces the main character and tells us where we are.

A link to that opening scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97dqp28B2mg

Works Cited:

Platoon. Dir. Oliver Stone. Hemdale Film, 1986. Film

Corrigan, Timothy and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. Third Edition. New York: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2012. Print.