Opening scenes

The film begins with a mid shot of a man carrying a child walking through mist or smoke. The colours are dull grey and blue. The only sound is the whistling of the wind. The colours and sound effects combine to create a sinister, depressing atmosphere. It is a flash forward that foreshadows later events. There is a voiceover explaining: “This is a simple story, but not an easy one to tell. Like a fable, there is sorrow, and like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness”.

These opening moments of the film hook the viewer into the film; who is the man? Where is he? What’s going to happen to him? We need to keep watching to find out. The voiceover introduces the idea of a fable – it’s going to be like a fairytale, a little bit magical, and there will be a lesson at the end.

These opening moments also provide a contrast with the next scene, where an establishing shot shows the sunny Italian landscape. The text “Arrezzo, Italy, 1939” immediately sets the time and place. There is bright, sunny lighting and vivid colours of green fields and blue sky. Guido and Ferruchio are driving along a road. The dialogue “I sing what I see…” and cheerful music add to the lighthearted atmosphere. When the brakes fail and they drive through a village, they are mistaken for visiting royalty and everyone claps and salutes. Guido tries to tell everyone to get out of the way, but they mistake his gestures for a Nazi salute. This “prologue” is important in establishing the lighthearted tone of the first section of the film. It starts the film off in an entertaining manner while at the same time establishing the setting more clearly – it is in Italy and the Nazis are popular.