I felt that the beginning of Shutter Island was brilliantly done. It really drew in the audience and set the tone for the rest of the film. The image of the two marshals on the ferry approaching the island gave me a very eerie feeling. A combination of the misty fog and Marshall Daniel’s seasickness created a very uncertain tone as they approached the island. The two Marshall’s conversation also sparked my interest. After Chuck asks Daniels if he saw the briefing, Daniels responds by saying, “The island is a mental hospital…for the criminally insane.” By creating a pause in the middle of Daniels’ sentence, Scorsese highlights the words “criminally insane,” thus building suspense. I distinctly remember those lines from the preview from about a year ago so clearly they were meant to stick. Another aspect about the opening scene I enjoyed revolved around the music. The crescendo of the music just as the ship began nearing the island really gave me the creeps. It foreshadowed very bad things to come on the island. Overall, the opening set the stage perfectly for the movie. It created suspense and it foreshadowed that troubles lay ahead. I found the opening scene to be spectacular.
I completely agree with your opinions about the opening scene of this film, especially your observation of the background music. I also noticed how certain musical segments throughout the movie created heightened suspense with their chords, and repetition of the same music helped foreshadow and connect events. I also thought the vague, eerie feeling encompassing the first few minutes of the movie perfectly introduced it.
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