Titus

In one of the final scenes of the movie //Titus//, the director makes an important choice, that not many other movies can pull off effectively. This scene could be seen as the climax of the movie, in which Titus Andronicus has killed his daughter and Tamora, and has just been killed by Saturninus. Titus's son Lucius, in turn, shoves a spoon down Saturninus's throat.

1. The scene is then practically paused, with Saturninus in the act of being flung back in his chair, and Lucius spitting at him. The banquet can be seen in the background with some of the Roman Tribunes and leaders of the Goths,

2. making it a medium shot.

3. The camera, with the action still paused, pans around Saturninus to focus on Lucius's emotions.

Lucius finishes spitting at him and moves to get his gun and shoots Saturninus, with the rest of the scene still paused (Except for Young Lucius, who watches the murder). This is a very bizarre scene, but it is effective in letting the viewer take a breath from the suspenseful and blood-filled action of the film. All the hate of the participants combines in this scene,

4. emphasized by its harsh lighting.

5. The music that plays before the scene is heavy metal, which conveys the characters' feelings and the action that is going on.

6. After the shot of Lucius's gun, the camera pulls outward, and instead of a room, the banquet is now in the arena from the beginning of the movie, but this time, the stands are filled with people, the citizens of Rome.

7. This sudden transformation of the scene, from a very close shot into a very wide shot lets the viewer realize that the action (and the movie) has come to a close, and that the characters have essentially calmed down. All the emotion is still in the center of the screen, but also on the outsides, where the people of Rome overlook the happenings.

8. Images of the people then overlay the banquet, showing their waiting faces, essentially portraying the (most-likely) shocked viewers. The viewers wonder what is going to happen next, after the bloodbath of the banquet, and the images of the people let the viewers think about what just happened. The odd use of pausing a scene and the rest of the directors choices makes for a very spectacular combination of scenes that effectively close this beautifully filmed movie.