Semiotic Comparison

The clip I am analysing from ‘Braveheart’ is in the middle of the film. The scene is the main character, William Wallace, performing an inspirational speech to his army before an epic battle against the English.  Similar to ‘Braveheart’, the clip I am analysing from ‘Lord of the Rings’ is also a scene which involves an inspirational speech. This time it is performed by the character of Aragorn who is preparing his army for battle against an evil and frightening opposition. I will do a semiotic comparison of the two clips/films using the key aspects of mise en scene.

Firstly, the setting in ‘Braveheart’ is the rural fields and hills of Scotland, which is used as a battlefield in the instance. The rural and aesthetically pleasing scenery suggests that Scotland is a rather peaceful place surrounded by tranquillity. However, a gruesome battle is taking place on this land which can be described as binary opposition as you wouldn’t usually associate the peaceful innocence of the Scottish countryside with a barbaric blood bath. Similar to ‘Braveheart’, the setting for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is also used as a battle field.  However, the location is rather dull and gloomy, which is very different to the location in ‘Braveheart’.  This dull and gloomy and environment suggests there is a lack of hope and happiness in this specific location and it’s a place where not very good things take place; which is rather fitting considering a massive battle takes place there causing many deaths.

Secondly, the costumes used in both films are quite similar. In both films the armies are wearing very basic and old fashioned clothes and armour. This suggests that these armies have very little money to buy equipment which could mean that it was from a time period a very long time ago. The basic clothing could also represent how these people cater the bottom of the society and are not considered as upper class.

Another aspect of mise en scene is the facial expressions of the characters. In ‘Braveheart’, the army’s members have very determined facial expressions. This signifies that they are all willing and desperate to fight for the beloved country and are a prepared to sacrifice their lives and safety for the country they call home. Contrastingly, the facial expressions of the army’s members in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ are ones or fear. This suggests that the army is not confident of winning the battle as they already consider themselves as ‘underdogs’ before the battle has even started.

Overall, there are many similarities and differences between the two clips of the films. In my opinion, the most significant similarity is the costume and makeup worn by the characters. The basic clothing signifies that both sets of characters belong at the bottom of society.