Film opening analysis of Kelly's Heroes

The second film opening i analysed was Kelly's Heroes (00:00:10- 00:03:35)

Kelly's Heroes opens with a fade in shot of German soldiers on a tank with a burning building behind them, this shows what genre the film is, which is an action/war film. Across the screen there are some credits although the image is still visible behind them, the camera then pans left to set the scene with multiple German troops and tanks with more credits on screen. The camera then tracks a particular German soldier at a medium shot, the tracking then stops to reveal the protagonists in a jeep. The camera starts to zoom in on the jeep which then cuts to a close up of a German officer in the jeep, the camera then moves right to reveal the main protagonist (Clint Eastwood). Main credits appear on screen, there is a jump cut to a locked down shot of soldiers walking, then back to a tracking shot of the German soldier again, there is a shot-reverse-shot of the German and the protagonist to show each others reaction. This is followed by a medium tracking shot as the jeep drives off down an alley, non diegetic music starts as the jeep drives off, followed by a point of view shot inside the jeep, after the point of view shot there are a series of tracking shots. There is a close up shot of Clint Eastwood as he is driving which then cuts back to tracking shots of the vehicle. Credits roll over the screen as the action continues, a point of view shot follows the tracking shot, then there is a medium shot of the protagonist followed by another jump cut to a  POV shot which jump cuts to a locked down shot of some German soldiers while the jeep drives past. The final part of the scene is a long lasting tracking shot. The opening of Kelly's heroes sets the scene and allows you to understand the situation and get an understanding of what the story is about.

Mise-en scene:

The location is a partly destroyed village, the lighting is low key lighting emphasising the darkness of war even though the film is partially comedic. The props used such as tanks add to the dramatic affect of the film as they are seen as deadly and dangerous.

Target audience:

The target audience is anyone who is a fan of any war film or comedy as Kelly's Heroes has a few comedic scenes in the film.

Synopsis:

Set in the midst of World War 2, a selection of colourful American GI's get inside information from a German officer about millions of dollars worth of gold behind enemy lines. Kelly (Clint Eastwood) devises a plan sneak behind enemy lines to retrieve the gold, they enlist the help of a hippie Tank Commander, Oddball (Donald Sutherland) to help them. despite several casualties the men are determined to press forward, even if it means making a deal with the enemy.

Reflection:

The reason i chose to analyse Kelly's Heroes is because i'm a fan of WW2 films and also the actor Clint Eastwood and Donald Sutherland, also i am interested in the history behind the plots of films. I think that the opening o Kelly's Heroes is effective as it sets the scene of the film and adds a comedic effect within it.