Misé en Scene

        This clip takes action in the 2014 classic movie, Maleficent.It is a movie that goes in depth with the life story behind the antagonist of the classic Disney movie, Sleeping Beauty. The family and fantasy film encapsulates the dark world of maleficent using mice en scene. This clip portrays maleficent walking into the castle after feeling betrayed for not receiving an invite by the king, Stephen. For that, she curses the royal family's newborn child that when she turns 16, she will poke a needle on a spinning wheel and fall under a death-like, deep sleep. Only the kiss of true love may be able to wake her.

           The scene takes place in King Stephen's castle that has, large doors, stoned walls, grand rooms, and two gold thrones, indicating the Medieval Era. Everyone was gathered inside near the throne, celebrating the new baby as maleficent walked in. The doors slammed open, echoing throughout the whole room as her force blew a wind, causing the people to be unsteady. This shifted the attention from the baby to maleficent since she was isolated while walking in, coming in with a power that was very forceful. With the cold stone walls and long pathway, the setting creates tension to what's about to happen.

        The properties that were focused in this scene were the crib, the thrones,  and maleficent. The only set of decor that is depicted in this scene is the baby's crib rail cover, which were red roses sequined on a white fabric. In this instance, the rail symbolizes deep love and purity of the baby. This small detail is the only set design in the scene to highlight the attention that the people had on something so joyful, pure, and. refreshing, was stolen by darkness and a vengeful spirit. 

        The mood in the atmosphere of the scene was fear, as a gut-wrenched feeling bestowed upon all the people that something of grave danger was about to happen. There was a sense of eeriness in the air as the room remained quiet. The king's nobleman were stuck in a place distress. There were no other obnoxious movements from other characters to emphasize the shock that was set when Maleficent boldly entered on uninvited grounds. Maleficent appears to hold some sort of power over the king. Her bitterness toward his action of not inviting her to the celebration will lead to the curse.

    The costumes in the scene is the main key visual of the contrast in characters and their intentions. The king and queen are dressed in expensive, pastel-laced coats and gowns, topping it off with big jewels and the crowns. The other guests that are of high status are dressed in similar garments that signify their royalty. Maleficent's outfit consists of a pitch black dress that has a zipped up collar like neck form, bulging out. She wear a headpieces of black horns, a draping cape, and holds some type of scepter, where she may draw her power from. The black outfit signifies her role of the evil character, and leaves no doubt that it's her. Her makeup consists of pale skin, black eyeliner, sharp cheekbones, and red lipstick. This creates a further expressed wickedly look that arises terror when people look at Maleficent. The whole color scheme of the scene is dark and black, with splashes of color here and there. The room in the castle is dark, as well as Maleficent's outfit and the background furniture. The royal family, the three fairies as well as the baby crib bring light, warm colors to focus in the dark scene.

        The overall lighting of the scene is low-key. The castle room is dimly lit, creating a strong shadow to dark figures and a contrast to the colorful ones. This adds onto the mood of the scene and the tension going on. There is a near danger when maleficent walks in and everyone is aware of it. There was also a clip where there was high-key lighting. The baby was brightly being shown in the crib along with the three fairies. This detail symbolizes that the baby is the pure and good thing in the room that brightly shines it, even in the dark. Everyone is worried about the safety of the child when the tragic curse is brought about. The crib is almost like a safety bubble of good that the baby has in contrast to the evil environment that maleficent brings in.

The audience faces emotional appeal while watching this scene. They are inclined to feel fear and terror as the antagonist sets foot in the castle. All of the characters are frozen in fear because of Maleficent and she seems to have a hold on the King as well. The scene contributes to the genre by adding to the magical realm of the story. The antagonist comes in with her green force and threatening nature, scaring the kingdom's holder and the newborn's fairy godmothers. 

To conclude, the Maleficent movie is filled with unique imagery that place together a setting in the fantasy world. The detailed depiction of the antagonist herself allows you to get a sense that she is the main character and wherever she goes, evil follows. With the dim lighting, the contrast of colors, the dark character, and the costumes, the mise en scene in the film all come together to perfectly depict the story of Maleficent and the Sleeping Beauty.