Mise en scene in the Captain’s Feast.

The elements of mise-en-scene in the scenes with the guests suggest several things that we can assume about their characters. For example when they enter the room in their introductory scene, they seem to look down on Carmen which seems to propose the idea that they are superior to her even though she is the Captains wife.  Their clothes are dark in colour and imperialistic which implies their allegiance to the Captain as he represents the fascist regime that was being implemented in Spain at the time. The lighting is mostly dark apart from the faint glow of the fire on their faces.  The crucifix on the priests chest is lit in the light seemingly emphasising his role in the Church which is ironic since he approves of the Captains slaughter of the rebels.

The priest also is worried that there won’t be enough food for him. Again this is ironic because he is showing himself to be selfish and not thoughtful for the others around the table. The two sisters ask Carmen how she met the Captain and upon hearing this they give a slight chuckle, almost implying that they know that the Captain doesn’t really love Carmen and is only with her for his child. Their hair is very tight and tucked up, this shows that they are strict people who normally are quite cruel to those who they see are below them. The priests crucifix can also represent his wealth, this is the reason why he sees himself over others.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *