Unbreakable by M. Night Shyamalan is arguably Shyamaonaidjibdbaaln’s greatest achievement. Not only is the story beautifully told, but Bruce Willis also gives a performance of a lifetime as a confused superhero looking for answers. However it is the cinematography by Eduardo Serra that truly stands out. The colours are cleverly matched for each individual and contrast one another. For instance Bruce Willis’s character David Dunne is often associated with yellow/green whereas Samuel L. Jackson’s character Elijah Price is often associated with purple/black. There is also an abundance of long takes that help to set the pace of the film as the story slowly reveals it’s true narrative. Finally there is also something that I like to call, The Unbreakable Frame.
The frame above is an example of The Unbreakable Frame. Here, the camera is positioned to look through a frame at David Dunne (Bruce Willis) by using the seats on a train as the edges of a frame. The effect that this has is that it resembles a comic panel which matches the underlining superhero theme of the film. Below are some more shots from the film that make this frame.
The frame is made by the doorway and the body at the bottom of the image.
The frame is made by the archway.
The frame is made by the car window.
The frame is made by the debris of the train wreck.
The frame above cleverly separates David and his wife with the doorway representing their divided relationship.
BONUS (Spoilers):
Although this may be obvious to some people, there may be others who missed this. Anyway I recommend you watch Unbreakable before reading any further. Now, here’s something interesting to note. Elijah Price is also called Mr. Glass. When we are first introduced to the character of Mr. Glass, he is shot in the reflection of glass.
Mr. Glass is shot through the reflection of a mirror when he is first born.
He is also shot through the reflection of a television screen as a child.
Finally as an adult, he is shot through the reflection of a glass case.
Matt.
I couldn’t resist commenting. Very well written!