Tinker Tailor
Soldier Spy (2011)
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Opening Credits from Mikhael Tarigan on Vimeo.
The
opening of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy follows many thriller conventions, such as
low key high contrast chiaroscuro lighting and a blue camera filter which,
together, give the film a darker, uninviting appearance common in thrillers. An
urban setting is also very conventional for thrillers, as urban areas have
higher crime rates and thrillers are often based around crime and punishment. The
urban setting is identifiable as an English city, most likely London; the
viewer can assume this due to the building style and iconic signifiers such as red
double-decker London buses.
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| London location |
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| Mise en scene (e.g. maps) signifies spying |
The actors in
this opening are predominantly male, and are all either middle aged, or in the
case of actors like Gary Oldman and John Hurt and in their 40’s-60’s. This is
again fairly conventional for thrillers, as age connotes experience and
knowledge, but many thrillers would not have cast members as old as Hurt and
Oldman, as this can limit potential action scenes. This indicates that Tinker
Tailor Soldier Spy is aimed at more mature audiences by being less
action-orientated.
The
viewer also assumes that Oldman is more of a heroic character, as he is seen to
have a fairly normal life, where he does nothing noticeably evil or out of character
for a hero. People in the secret service buildings where the opening starts
clearly recognise him, meaning he is probably a part of their team and
therefore a heroic character as he is on the side of those who fight crime.
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| Oldman's normal life |
However, the
people who recognise Oldman look shocked to see him there, indicating that his
presence could be a possible Todorovian narrative disruption. Another possible
disruption is the death of a man in a hospital bed, which the viewer assumes
must somehow tie in to the other events of the opening sequence. Overall
though, the lack of information about characters which prevents them from being
classified in different roles creates enigmas, interesting the viewer and making them want to
continue watching and learn more.
In
camerawork and editing, the opening sequence begins with long shots of the
secret service offices. In a particular long shot, most of the people visible
are fairly stationary except for Oldman and Hurt, indicating that they are main
characters and drawing the viewers’ attention to them. A tracking shot of Hurt
and Oldman shows how shocked people are to see Oldman, creating mystery as to
why, and also illustrates the theme of espionage, in maps and people listening
to tapped phone calls in the back of shot, whilst also illustrating the time
the film is set in, most noticeably in the typewriters on peoples desks. A
sequence of ellipsis edits further shows Hurt and Oldman making their way
through the large building, its size shown by a long tracking shot of the
building’s exterior. During this montage like sequence, shots are frequently
framed using columns, banisters, metal bars and barbed wire, the last two of
which have connotations of imprisonment and crime, which is what these spies
are supposed to combat.
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| Iron bars have connotations of jail and crime |
One
of the most interesting shots in this sequence is from a small lift designed to
transport files from floor to floor. The camera ascends inside this lift with a
particular file, creating mystery as to what makes this file so important and
what it might contain. The floors are used to create fades to black in the
sequence, as the lift passes by them and they black out the window. There is a
parallel edit after this fade to black to a close up of Oldman’s character’s
glasses, which should be recognisable to the viewer, and there is a diegetic
alarm sound, indicating that this is taking place the morning after the
previous events in the opening. A long shot shows Oldman’s bedroom, and whilst
it is well decorated and quite luxurious, it seems fairly unwelcoming, and
Oldman is alone in a large double bed, suggesting that he could be a flawed
hero due to problems in his personal life. Another parallel edit goes back to
the file in the elevator as it is taken out of the lift and is stored in a
safe. Tracking shots and ellipsis edits of the movement of the file, as well as
a close up of the safe being shut strengthens the interest surrounding this
seemingly very important file from the viewer.
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| Oldman's luxurious but drab bedroom |
Another parallel
edit goes back to Oldman, and there is a montage of his day’s activities,
predominantly in medium and long shots, as any closer shots would be too
intimate for a character that is new to the audience. A long shot of Oldman sat
down in an optician’s with people walking past outside juxtaposes the earlier
tracking shot of Oldham walking with people stood still in the fore and
backgrounds, indicating that the pace of his life is slower than the pace of
his work, signifying the flawed aspect of his hero character.
The opening sequence to Tinker
Tailor Soldier Spy is accompanied by non diegetic soundtrack music, the most
identifiable instrument being the saxophone. This saxophone is supported by
other instruments and is loud with a fairly slow tempo, creating an ominous
mood. This is the only sound heard for the most part of the opening sequence.
The only dialogue in the whole opening is “Gentlemen, shall we begin?” which
further emphasises the theme of espionage. This questions could also be seen as being directed at the audience, taking the viewer into the beginning of the film.
The
titles in this opening sequence are always overlay titles in simple white sans
serif text. The white text on predominantly dark backgrounds is an example of
the dark/light binary opposition often found in thrillers. These titles fade in
and out and do not distract the viewer from the events of the opening sequence
because the viewer needs to pay close attention to the subtle action of this
opening. The titles are fairly conventional, starting with the main production
company, Studio Canal, followed by the films main actors and then the director,
co and executive producers, editors, screenplay writers and the director of
photography amongst others.
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| Overlay titles |
The main themes
established in this opening are of espionage, due to location and mise en
scene, and mystery, which is predominantly created by the lack of any spoken
narrative exposition throughout the opening, which makes the viewer eager to
know what is really happening and the significance of what they are watching. A
motif featured a lot in this opening is that of Gary Oldman’s character’s
glasses, which appear in close ups, both in their normal state and their alteration
at an optician’s. These distinctive, large framed glasses are being used to
draw attention to Oldman’s character, as well as connoting knowledge and
experience. The viewer can assume that, from this opening, the film will be about revealing secrets and enigmas, rather than action.
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| Oldman's glasses become a signifier of his character |
The audience this thriller is aimed at
will most likely be quite mature, due to the lack of exciting over the top
action, typical of many action thrillers aimed at younger audiences. The action
in this opening is much more subtle and ordinary, which helps create a
mysterious mood which means the viewer has to fully concentrate on the film.
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