Misery scene analysis

In this scene, there were many techniques used that contributed to the feeling of suspense in the film. A few of the close-ups were effectively used towards the creation of suspense. When Paul gets out of his room for the first time, he wanders into a sitting room where everything is neat, and everything has a place. Moments later, there's an extreme close-up shot of a penguin that he nearly knocks over. This creates a feeling of relief and uneasiness, because if anything is out of order, it's obvious that Annie will get suspicious and do something extreme, based on what is already known about her. Another very shocking close-up is when Annie returns to the house. The close-up is used on Paul's face, and he looks very afraid. You're hoping that Paul will make it back to his room, but you have no idea if he'll make it on time. The moment makes you excited and afraid at the same time. At several points in this scene there are ground angles used on Annie. One being when she is trudging through the snow on the way to her house. She's coming closer and closer, and you're hoping that this will give enough time for Paul to pretend like nothing has happened. It's almost as if she were a monster. It emphasizes the fact that this is what Paul is scared of, this human beast. The canted angles in this scene proved to very useful in the creation of suspense. One example is when Paul finally abandons his wheelchair so that he can get into the kitchen. The canted angle shows how helpless he is. He can barely crawl on the floor. It makes you wonder if he'll even make it out alive.

It's no secret that Paul is a prisonner in Annie's home, and the mise en scène in this scene captures that. In one still, Paul is just sitting in Annie's house, in the wheelchair, without hope. He is framed by a window, which happens to have bars. It's almost as if Annie prepared her home for Paul's arrival. At another point, Paul discovers a shrine of himself in Annie's house. It looks very organized, and contains all of the misery books. There is even a framed picture of Paul that's signed best wishes. The picture proves to be a very clever technique, because it's wishing Annie all the best, but all Annie has done for Paul is make him completly miserable. When Paul is in the kitchen, he tries to find any weapon he can use against Annie. His eyes fall on a collection of knives. The knives are shiny and delicate, like it's almost too easy. Next to the knives, is a stork holding a baby. It's scary because it looks very unreal. It's as if Annie lives in a fictional world.

This scene played an important part in the film Misery. It demonstrated how certain techniques can really help to develop suspense. It gives the audience a better understanding about just how trapped Paul really was. It's as if you were in his situation yourself.