Opening EG4: Dead Mans Shoes



DVD cover

Dead Mans Shoes (Shane Meadows, 2004)

PRODUCED BY: Warp Films, Big Arty Productions, EM Media, Film4.

DISTRIBUTED BY: Optimum Releasing, Ascot Elite Entertainment Group, Magnolia Productions (click here for a full list).

BUDGET: £723k

BOX OFFICE: $6k (USA).

RATINGS: 7.7 (IMDb).

 

This film has appeared in many lists of all

time greatest films, despite not getting a UK cinema release or making very little in the US. The music in non-diegetic, as it is imposed music. The first scene is like a documentary. The footage shown is home video, and the crackling effect and washed out colours of the film make it seem old. There is a flashback montage, from the present day to these videos. In the present day, there are two boys walking together on a bleak and lonely moor side. There is use of narrative enigma here, as there is no dialogue and we have only seen the back of the two men. There is a down beat song, which suggests tragedy, and an audio bridge to create a link between these present day videos and old home footage. These jumps in time are called ellipsis, and are very significant. The auteur portrays a certain style and certain messages, and this film also says 'A Shane Meadows Film' giving the impression the director is the creator. This is done as part of the marketing. After the flashback montages, there is a fade into black transition, to signify the ending of the opening sequence. It ends at 4:16.