(Season One, episode 13. First broadcast January 1st 1961)
In the opening sequence of this episode, Rod Serling's narration alters our reading of the visual signs. We follow the main character and are warned by the narrator that he is not to be trusted, that he is a man with "a cheapness of mind, a cheapness of taste." The camera is slanted at a Dutch angle to immediately communicate that there is something out of place about his motivation and a diagonal composition is used as he checks in to the hotel. The close up reveals the face of a nervous man eager to get to the safety of his cheap hotel room.
As he begins to shave, visual information that would normally be decoded as a process of cleansing and purification is subverted by a warning from the narrator. Serling's voice-over is used to expose the inner character of the man and warns us not to trust what we see;
"Mr. Hammer has a talent, discovered at a very early age.
This much he does have.
He can make his face change."
This much he does have.
He can make his face change."
As the frame changes to an over the shoulder shot, a new face is reflected in the mirror. The moving camera follows his hand as he flicks cigarette ash into the ashtray before again abruptly changing position to an over the shoulder shot to reveal another new face reflected in the mirror. The change is accented by a musical cue.
No comments:
Post a Comment