Textual Analysis part 3: Tombstone

Tombstone

Genre: The jangling spur of the cowboy boots is common of the Western genre. The Winchester repeaters, double-barreled shotguns and revolvers are iconic western weapons. The Costumes are classic cowboy costumes, black hats and even the cliché moustaches indicating the villains.

Narrative: The story is linear and easy to understand, establishing the villains for later in the film.

Location: The band, character ethnicity and architecture all suggests the setting of this scene in Mexico or at least the very southern United States, where there will be a large Mexican influence. The outfits and weapons all suggest the old west as the period the film is set in.

Characters: The 'Cowboys' are introduced as merciless villains, gunning down a wedding procession and killing the groom. They wear mostly black and have traditional old west villain moustaches which fits the convention of evil outlaws. This is to add to the black and white morality of old westerns (Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns aside.)

Voice over: There is no narration, leaving a certain enigma to the scene to be revealed later on in the film, building up these characters before telling you about them.

Pacing: This opening is quick paced, with sharp, fast cuts and heavy, fast music. This creates more of an action packed feeling to the scene.

On screen graphics: No on screen graphics are used.

Editing and postproduction: The scene cuts between the villains and weddings at first, juxtaposing the two scenes. In the shoot-out, lots of quick cuts are used to add to the chaos of the scene so the viewer does not know the outcome till the fighting has settled down, adding tension.

Music and sound effects: the juxtaposition between the deep, low notes for the villains and high, happy and light notes for the wedding immediately sets the scene for the viewers and allows them to identify villains and heroes before they even see faces. It also creates tension and adds an ominous feeling, as the audience knows the villains will do something.

Camera work: by not revealing the faces of the villains at first it builds up tension and suspense for the reveal. The shaking, handheld camera during the shoot-out adds chaos and danger to the scene whilst close-ups reveal the emotion of characters. Strangely, no wide shots are used, so the overall setting remains a mystery, which makes the action feel more condensed and closed in.