Analysis of D.W Griffith’s Unseen Enemy

Unseen Enemy by D.W Griffith is a silent short film that effectively uses diverse filming strategies alongside the narrative to bring Griffith’s theme. The movie is shot using black and white color and begins in a medium short that shows the two orphaned girls looking sad as they mourn the death of their father. This essay focuses on a specific time-slot sequence i.e., from 03:00:00 (the two sisters moving from one room to another) to 03:09:13 (the end of the film).  

The sequence uses a dynamic cutting with a mid-shot of the two girls. These shots are characterized by hot backlight/ soft front light an early film technique (Gunning 61). The use of lighting a soft front light facilitates bringing out the sad mood of the sisters.  The camera captures the body language of the two sisters contributing to the main theme of the sequence i.e., sadness and hopelessness. Here the angle of the camera doesn’t change for some time to capture the in-depth expressions of the sisters. Also, the mise en scène is portrayed by the calm and quiet setting of a room that contributes to the general theme of the sequence (Holmberg 87). The camera uses a deep focus shot which does capture every detail in the background and about the characters (Friedman 55). It is important to notice the strategy that is used to portray the attachment between the two sisters. They hold hands and offer emotional support to each other. Such tactic is contrasted with the loss of their father.

            The shot composition suggests a diverse view of the cinematic expression compared to the present cinema. For instance, the filmmaker has situated the two sisters as sad who see themselves as each other. The attachment between the two characters is contrasting to the setting they operate in, enrich the narrative and mise en scène of the film. Of course, the camera used in the film is quite different from what is being used today (Holmberg 85). The technique of ‘close-framing’ is phenomenal as the audio is lacking and the facial expressions of the two sisters enhance the narrative.

            The film also uses invisible cuts while taking different shots in the house that was one of the features of the early films precisely due to limited technological freedoms (Gunning 60).  Evidence of an invisible cut is evident when the brother arrives from out and immediately gets into the house. Apart from that, the movement of the girls and the maid from the telephone room to the safe room uses invisible cuts. The main objective of this cut is to hinder obstruction to the audience.  Apart from invisible cuts, the film also uses reaction cuts (Caldwell 42). This is evident during the phone call between the younger girl and her brother. The makes various cuts to show the expression of the brother. This is quite evident after the gunfire.  

            Griffith’s film does not use audible language but focuses on the use of facial expressing and gestures. From the first shot, the facial expressions on the girls enable the audience to understand that the characters are sad (Alford et al. 102).  However, after the brother arrives, their facial expressions change to sow a happy mood. This is evident through excitement and smiling. Apart from that, sadness and fear are evident as the girls hide and show scared faces as they get frightened by the maid.

Notably, the movie uses short and sequential shots. It begins by introducing the main characters and then moves ahead to show the antagonist that represents an early film characteristic (Gunning 27). Being a narrative, the short and sequential shots are effective and enable easy understanding of the movie and its theme (Ryan & Melissa 10).  However, the actions in the shots happen first and in a funny way hence making it more of a dramatic comedy. Griffith manages to use various filming techniques to bring out his theme of the unseen enemy.

Works Cited

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Alford, Terry L, Leonard C. Feldman, and James W. Mayer. Fundamentals of Nanoscale Film Analysis. New York, N.Y: Springer, 2007. Print.

Friedman, Ryan. Hollywood’s African American Films: The Transition to Sound. Piscataway:          Rutgers University Press, 2011. Print.

Gunning, Tom. The Cinema of attractions Early film, Its Spectator, and Avant-Garde. Wide Angle. Vol 9: 1986. P. 57-62

Gunning, Tom, In Your Face: Physiognomy, Photography, and the Gnostic Mission of Early Film. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Modernism/Modernity 4.1. 1997. 1-29

Holmberg, Jan. Closing in: Telescopes, Early cinema, and the Technological conditions of De-distancing. Department of Cinema Studies, Stockholm University, Sweden. 2000. p. 85-87

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Ryan, Michael, and Melissa Lenos. An Introduction to Film Analysis: Technique and Meaning in           Narrative Film. London: Continuum, 2012. Print.

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Caldwell, Thomas. Film Analysis Handbook: Essential Guide to Understanding, Analysing and      Writing on Film. Mentone, Vic: Insight Publications, 2005. Print.

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