Pearl Harbor Opening Scene

Pearl Harbor was made in 2001 and is an epic war film with

romance and action elements. It features a large cast and is directed by
Michael Bay.

It is a dramatic retelling of the Blitz, the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the Doolittle Raid. It received mostly
negative reviews from critics but became a major box office success.

The opening of the movie is set in 1923. It is
in Tennessee. Two young boys, Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker are friends who
are playing together in the back of an old biplane and pretending that they are
soldiers who are fighting German soldiers in World War One. Rafe’s father lands
his biplane and leaves which causes the boys to decide to climb into it. Rafe
accidentally starts the plane and the boys have their first experience of
flying. They are very excited but Danny’s father appears to take him home and
he is seen beating him. Rafe hits Danny’s father with a propeller and calls him
a “dirty German”. Danny’s father gets angry and defends himself saying that he
fought the Germans in the trenches in France during the war. He becomes very
defensive as he says the line, “I pray to God no on has to see the things that
I saw”.

When the boys are older they decide that they
want to follow their childhood dreams of being pilots for the army. The film
follows the story of the two best friends and their love lives as they go off
to join the war.     

The film begins with a piece of music that seems very old-fashioned and dramatic. It is preparing to tell an emotional and serious story.It also , in a way, reflects the times as it shows how in the young boys' lives everything is good but they will face many struggles when they decide to go to war later in life. It is an orchestra piece. We see and hear a plane flying in the air. The sound of the plane is very dramatic with the music. When we see it, it can actually seem a lot more relaxing as we see the plane flying in the sunset. 

The music shows that this film is most definitely not set in the modern day. It gives the feel of being a period drama. We can hear the plane flying around Tennesee but there does seem to be anything wrong. There is no questioning that this is just someone flying a plane for enjoyment. It is a very peaceful sight along with the orchestra piece. The plane becomes louder as it flies closer to the camera. it appears as though whoever is flying the plane is planning on landing quite soon.

The audience attention is then brought to two young boys who are sitting in an old plane pretending to fly. They are mimicking noises similar to that of the plane that is landing. They are acting as though they are in the war and are flying the plane to attack the enemy. They shout but it does not build any tension but instead creates a sense of curiosity as to who they are and why they are in an old plane. the propeller of the old plane is moving and every now and then it can be heard turning/spinning around.

They pretend to shout the enemy in the war. A cow can be heard in the distance, representing the countryside and the rural setting. They watch as the other plane lands and we can turn the engine as well as the propeller spinning around. A man is seen and heard getting out of it and jumping onto the ground. one boy shouts to him, and it seems that this is his father. A jeep is heard driving off away from the plane as the boys'  footsteps can be heard climbing down the steps to go over to the other plane. The audience can hear them climbing into it and talking about their plan. They are still pretending to be soldiers. The boy in front starts to play with the controls and accidentally starts the plane. The audience can hear their barely audible screams above the loud engine of the plane. The plane is heard moving and going up in the air before hitting the ground again. They scream as they realise that they are flying seem excited. They then manage to stop the plane and are very excited. Danny's father shouts at Danny and he hits his son and it can be heard as Danny falls to the ground. When Rafe hits Danny's father with the propeller it is very loud. He seems to have a to of strength. Danny's father leaves and Danny runs after him after telling Rafe that he is his best friend. Rafe stands there alone watching Danny catch up with his father. The music has become softer as the situation has now calmed down. It becomes more relaxed, but the audience are still left with fear as assuming Danny's father may hit him again.

Mise En Scene us extremely effective in the opening scene of this movie. The costume reflects the time period and also reflects the boys and Danny's father's social status. It is also reflective of the typical clothing of people from the countryside. The setting is enormously important.