American Beauty and The Ninth Gate

In Sam Mendes' American Beauty, the primary setting is the Burnham suburban home, where all of the family characters' misery is centered. From the opening scene with Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) narrating, we know that the neighborhood is his life as unfulfilled as it is.

Setting is also very important in Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate. Like American Beauty, this film was produced in 1999. From the opening sequence, it is clear that books, and one book in particular, are central to this story. Opening in a library with camera angles and lighting that emphasize the beautiful old leather volumes, we are shown that one book is missing, which obviously is connected to the fact that the character, Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), is committing suicide. While American Beauty uses the artificial setting of suburban America to create the atmosphere, Polanski uses the richness of old books combined with the city landscapes of New York City and European destinations to add to the mystery of The Ninth Gate.

American Beauty was shot almost entirely in the suburban setting to better reveal all of the characters and their individual disappointments in life. In spite of the perfectly trimmed lawns and beautiful homes it is obvious that these do not bring happiness to the characters in the film. The primary message that I felt was revealed in this film is that money and success cannot buy happiness. The effective use of the home and neighborhood helped emphasize that point.

In The Ninth Gate, the settings were chosen obviously to enhance the mysterious nature of the story with its satanic theme. The use of large libraries filled with rare books centered on the devil, combined with exotic locations in Spain, Portugal and France create an atmosphere that adds to the intensity of the film.

The art director's choice of clothing in American Beauty says a lot about each individual character. Lester and his wife, Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening), both wore the standard business attire that would be expected of them for their occupations while others tried to show more on their individuality through their clothing. Jane (Thora Birch), the daughter of Lester and Carolyn, showed a sense of rebellion through her clothing. She usually wore dark clothing with dark make-up to contrast with her "perfect" surroundings.

The Ninth Gate uses trendy, fashionable styles of 1999 with most of its characters. The majority of characters, being European, are wearing stylish clothing of that time. "The girl" (Emmanuelle Seigner) who curiously shows up wherever Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) went is a contrast to the other characters in that she is plainly dressed in casual jeans, tennis shoes, jacket and sweater. An interesting aspect of the film was its focus on the feet of characters. Right away in the beginning we see Andrew Telfer's expensive slippers wiggling as he is hanging himself. Later, we see unknown feet in a window followed by "the girl's" tennis shoes, which had been shown to us in an earlier scene. Polanski uses this character's feet to remind us that she is always around Corso.

I felt that American Beauty used bright lighting to emphasize the "perfect" lifestyle that is really all for show rather than actual happiness. The bright lighting is as direct as Lester's statement to his neighbor, Col. Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper) "Nope, our marriage is just for show. A commercial, for how normal we are. When we are anything but." The lighting shifts dramatically to a softer, more diffused look during Lester's moments of fantasy involving Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari). I believe that this is showing the contrast between the artificial world he lives in and the imaginary world that he fantasizes.

The lighting in The Ninth Gate is also very appropriate with shifts between bright and darker scenes to match the mystery that is unfolding. From the opening scene, the lighting brings out the books on the shelves. During periods of dialogue, it seemed that the new character being introduced was more prominently lit. Lighting was especially effective in the transition to day to night throughout the film. In both American Beauty and The Ninth Gate the director uses lighting to set the tone very effectively.

David Freeman's article Why 'American Beauty' Works: Focus on the Use of Symbols stresses the importance of color in American Beauty. He points out that red is the dominant color used to indicate a variety of emotions throughout the film. For example, when Lester buys the car of his dreams, it is bright red, which shows his side of rebellion. The article also included that one of the scenes with Carolyn in the kitchen showed a red oven pad which was "her soul hanging on the wall". Red is a dramatic color and Freeman tells how it was used for "dramatic" effect in the film.

Polanski also uses red in creative ways throughout The Ninth Gate, however the purpose is far different. With the devil as the central theme of this film, red, especially fire, is used effectively to create an atmosphere that could make a person feel his (the devil's) presence. Blood red lipstick on the evil Liana Telfer (Lena Olin) and the actual blood from "the girl's" bloody nose are especially effective.

I felt that both films were very stylish and artistic, with excellent use of lighting and color, which made them both enjoyable to watch.