opening sequence of 'Rome' textual analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uocQ8t9K9FA


In the opening first three minutes of Rome, various themes and characteristics help determine the rank and status of certain characters. Mise en scene, camera work and editing help the audience understand who has control in the clip, and who the dominant characters really are. The main character is determined straight away, with a close up of his face. Battle worn and scared, we can see he is a determined character, and amidst the chaos of war, he stays focused and aware. These attributes help the audience gather that he is a ranked officer, in charge of the men behind him. The camera then tracks to another person, hinted by a glance of the first, we gather that he plays a vital role in this battle, or at least enough to have the ranked officers attention. The red frill sets the ranked officer aside from everyone else, giving him the focus of attention, and showing the elegance that the romans had in war.


The camera then cuts to a shot of a swarm of barbarians charging towards the regiment. With torn and matted clothes, dark unwashed faces, we gather that these people have no status and no battle plan; they fight for their freedom, not to conquer, and therefore look a stark contrast to the organized roman army. A cut to a medium to long shot shows the precision that the romans exercise during battle, as they stay in formation, shoulder to shoulder unmoved by the screams and chants from the mass of Ghouls. The sound of the whistle indicates that the romans have planned this maneuver, ready to execute it at the ranked officers command. This indicates to the audience the type of people that the romans are, and the intelligence and mindset that they have in order to stay focused. Quick cuts to various individuals show that they all know what they are doing, and the role they have amongst the group; apposed to the rout that is the Ghouls charge. The camera keeps on returning to the same ranked officer, showing that he not only plays a vital role here, but in the rest of the program to come. This, to the audience gives them and indication that he is capable of becoming even greater as the rest of the series progresses.

A birds eye view of the roman formation shows the complex rehearsal they must operate in order to succeed. As one line of soldiers move back, a line move forward in order to give the last line time to regather their energy and strength. It indicates to the audience, the tight nit shield that all of them together create, blocking out the enemy from attacking them, and a eye level shot from the inside of the formation shows the proximity between soldier to soldier, and shield to shield. This battle tactic puts the romans and an advantage and gives them the upper hand; they have the status and control in the battle. However, the status is then put in to a lone soldier, as he defies the command of his ranking officer, and go's it alone charging a Ghoul soldier. This introduces the character to the viewer, showing them his personality as a heroic soldier, but one who dares refuse command; which instantly sets him aside from the other soldiers, giving the audience again that they will see him, as well as the ranked officer again. This does not bold well with the commanding officer, who rushes to retrieve the lone soldier, who in return punches him. A quick cut emphasises the punch, returning to a long shot as we watch the soldier being beaten with a shield and dragged away by two soldiers.

A tracking shot slowly shows the enormity of the rome camp. The vast amount of camps can be seen stretching for miles around, clouded by the soldiers in their atire, slowly riding through the camp on their muscular mounts. The camera finally gets to the regiment we saw before, showing the vast size of the regiment. A man is seen wipping a man tied to a torture aparatus. He is clothed differently, his cape is removed, connoting that he doesnt want to deficate the cerimonial robes with the blood of his victim. The camera speeds up, showing the lone soldier we saw before, this time stripped to the nude, blood pouring out of the lashes done by the wip. He smiles, he obviously doesnt care that he is being punished, which is reminisant of the lack of respect he had for authority before hand.

The next scene shows the formality of the roman empire. The emperor sits upon his throne, the camera is low, and never on the same level or higher than him. This connotes the power that he has, no one is above him, they are below. Even the camera is his subject, this gives the audience the perspective of the king Ghoul would is dragged in front of the emperor. The camera changes now, contrasting to that of the emperor, The camera only looks down at the ghoul, showing that even though he is a king, he has no authority over the romans, and as a mark of embarisment he is stripped of his clothes, removing any thought of decency and respect he had for him self. Long cuts emphasis the tension in this scene, as whatever the emperor says is law, and he has the power to end the ghouls life. Just like the subjects around him, the audience now cling to his every word, desperatly wanting to know the outcome of the ghouls fate. Instead of killing him, he forces the ghould to kiss a staff, a sign of victory for the romans, as the ghoul has succumbed to the roman ways and given in and forfitted.