The+Game

Analysis

“The Game” by director David Fincher, is a neo-noir film in which the theme revolves around protagonist Nicholas Van Orton’s coming of age. Nicholas lives a superficial life as a cold, but rich investment broker. It is only through this abrupt change in his life, the game, that he is able to transition to a more mature phase of his life, in which he realizes the value of the more important things in life such as family.

The low-key lighting in “The Game” immediately makes clear it is a neo-noir movie about a serious topic matter. By lighting rooms with low-key lighting, the viewer is made to be uneasy as barely lit characters on screen enter dark rooms with little indication to what might happen next. Characters appear equally mysterious or even sinister as the harsh shadows hide their true intentions on screen. Thus, Fincher’s distinct cinematic noire style begins to emerge and also compliment the story. Nicholas is going through a dark phase in his life, figuratively and metaphorically. It is only through this highly stressful and tense moments can the audience believe Nicholas is capable of change, as old dogs can’t learn new tricks.

The minimalist sound design is crucial in establishing the tone of the film. By keeping background music and other background sounds at a minimum, there is a lot of built up tension since the sound design mimics what one would hear in a similar real life scenario. When a person is trying to figure out what is going on, or how to escape, that person would become very sensitive to their surroundings, both visually and aurally. This is what makes those situations tense. The music only serves to increase the tense and mysterious feel of the film. The simple piano music almost seems to tease that there is something about to happen. On screen, if something that seems straightforward is occurring (walking into a hotel room) the music suggests to the viewer otherwise. The viewer is never completely at ease when this background music is combined with the minimalistic sound design. This tense feeling is absolutely essential in communicating to the audience how incredibly stressful the situation is to Nicholas. Only this way can the audience believe that Nicholas is being broken down psychologically so that he might be able to remold himself.

Mis en scene in terms of color scheme is especially important in immediately presenting the inherent problems with Nicholas’ lifestyle. For the most part the blue color grading of the film is cold, much like Nicholas’ life. The scenes that do have golden color grading strangely enough do not feel as warm. It seems that both color schemes are not very saturated. Ultimately, they make the viewer feel alienated or distant from Nicholas, a cinematic tone common with film noire. Coincidentally, this fits in well with the story, as it demonstrates Nicholas is a man who has lost the zest for life. After all, how friendly and cheerful could a man who lives in a cold and systemic lifestyle be?

The “old money” setting of the movie also help to show how distinctly rich Nicholas is. The buildings help present a believable world if the rich, a world Nicholas is a part of. As he is part of this rich upper class world, the setting communicates he also has the problems one would have as a member of the rich. It reinforces the idea that he has worked for money at the cost of his family. He lives in a grand home, but it’s devoid of anyone save for one maid who happens to live in a small cottage beside his mansion.

Props also play a small role in the Mis en scene in its symbolism. The book with a hidden gun in it, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a small nod to what is going on in the story. As the book is about a coming of age story, it forms a parallel with what is going on in Nicholas’ life. Nicholas has finally taken the step in his realization he is not actually living the “good life,” rather, he is living an imitation of it. That is his coming of age story. The viewer can literally track the change in his clothing. Prior to the climax of his story, he wears only the most expensive suits. However, as his psyche unravels, his clothes get simpler, until he winds up “buried” in a cemetery in Mexico. Here, he is wearing an all white suit as he literally rises from the grave (possible allegory to Jesus rising from the grave). He has undergone a mental change.

The editing of the film is used primarily to suggest Nicholas’ father’s connection to Nicholas. It is clear throughout the numerous flashbacks that Nicholas is still haunted by memories of his father. This suggests the death of Nicholas’ father still clouds Nicholas’ mind. The scene that most exemplifies this is Nicholas’ attempted suicide. This suggests a minor subplot to supplement the main coming of age story for Nicholas. By showing the parallels between Nicholas and his father during the introduction and suicide sequence, the film is able to suggest they both committed suicide for similar reasons. Nicholas’ father might have committed suicide because his father’s life was completely unfulfilling while Nicholas committed suicide because he had just killed a person that made his life fulfilling. With no reason to live, the match cuts would imply that Nicholas attempted suicide for the same reason his father did.

Overall, the cinematography is distinctly slow and steady. In order to fit the tone of the film, the shots remain simple-a characteristic of film/neo-noire. Instead, shots always seem to lurk around the action, instead of being completely “in your face”. This makes it feel the viewer is not part of the action, but more so, an observer, yet another characteristic of the neo noir tone of the film.

In addition to being film noire inspired, the dark, moody undertone of the film exemplifies-both metaphorically and literally the journey Nicholas is undergoing in his coming of age story. Nicholas is in a rut. Although he has a “good life,” it is not fulfilling on a deeper level. The only solution is his “game,” a systematic destruction of his psyche for a remolding. Mis en scene and its tense/cold on screen elements only exemplify the emotions he has prior to the game, and the intensity of what is at stake during the game. It is only through this destruction can he reach his breaking point (in which he attempts suicide due to his brother’s apparent death). Thus the parallel editing suggests Nicholas deals with his tension and other problems with suicide, only realizing after the suicide attempt why those problems came to be in his life and his father’s life.