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No one could have put it better than Janet Maslin herself, “A journey of self discovery for two hard-bitten souls” (2019). Central Station, directed by Walter Salles, is one of the greatest foreign films of the century that exhibits the rawest form of self discovery. Upon meeting Dora, she expresses an immense distaste of life without hesitation and by the end of the film “...she finds herself regaining a long-lost faith in life and in the very humanity she scorned…” (Maslin, 2019). Director, Walter Salles, did an outstanding job with the use of mise-en-scene and cinematography throughout the award winning film that was easily able to communicate the films main idea of self discovery no matter your background.
I agree with Janet Maslin’s idea of the film’s message of self discovery and that the use of the film’s mise-en-scene and cinematography further explained the very idea.
Mise-en-scene can be explained as what appears in the film frame or as the original theatre term, “ put into the scene” (Baker 4).
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This includes all aspects of design from the position of lights, color of costumes, the points of cameras, the setting design, etc. In Central Station Salles exposes the viewer to the rush of Rio de Janeiro in the beginning, along with the calmness towards the end. This is symbolic to the message of self discovery because things always start out rocky, but then as time goes on life becomes calmer until we are at peace in where we are. Similar to the journey of Dora and Josué.
A particular scene in the film when Dora has lost Josué in a crowd of hundreds, praying and begging for forgiveness exemplifies just how intense it can be. In this scene Salles’ shows us the anxieties of being lost with the camera’s shakiness, the intensified colors of red, and the sounds of grief until she finds Josué and the frame is filled with warmth.
Professor Aaron Baker states that cinematography means “writing in movement” and relies solely on photography which then translates to “writing in light” (5). This includes all aspects of a subjective point of view, the depth of field, framing, mobile framing, etc. Walter Salle’s use of mobile framing further conveys the message of self discovery. Mobile framing is when the image follows an action, object, or individual (Baker 5). Throughout the entirety of the film, we follow Dora from beginning to end, with or without Josué. This then draws our attention solely on her, thus bringing our attention to her journey. In Central Station, there’s a scene towards the end where we are following Dora out of Josué’s father’s house, on her way to the bus station. Not only in that scene are we able to follow her to the end of her journey, Salle’s also captures the whole picture. This is accomplished with the use of depth of field when we’re able to take a step back from following Dora, and reflect on her entire journey of self discovery.
Walter Salles is a director with an eye for mise-en-scene and cinematography. As Maslin stated, “ Mr. Salles directs simply and watchfully, with an eye that seems to penetrate all the characters who are encountered on Dora's and Josué’s journey” (2019). Central Station is a film that I will admire and cherish for it’s drive and courage to challenge the meaning of self discovery. All aspects of mise-en-scene and cinematography in this film fully capture the rocky roads, literally, and smoothness of discovering yourself no matter your background. Maslin’s view of this film is exactly how Walter Salles intended for it to be.
Works Cited
Baker, A. (2019). Lesson 4: Mise-en-scene.
Baker, A. (2019). Lesson 5: Cinematography.
Maslin, J. (2019). FILM REVIEW; A Journey of Hope and Self-Discovery for Two Hard-Bitten Souls. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at:
https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/20/movies/film-review-a-journey-of-hope-and-self-discovery-for-two-hard-bitten-souls.html [Accessed 28 Jan. 2019].
Review Central Station, Directed By Walter Salles. (2022, May 01). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/review-central-station-directed-by-walter-salles-essay
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