the girl with the dragon tattoo

1. THE GIRL
WITH THE
DRAGON
TATTOO
Opening SequenceTextual Analysis

2. Connotations
of Sound:
• The contrapuntal and orchestral sound played through
out the opening sequence connotes the negative
aspects of winter. It also connotes the mysterious
conversation the man is having on the phone. Lastly, it
connotes the enigma of the film.
• The diegetic sound of the phone ringing connotes the
importance of the call the man is having since it started
from the beginning.
• The diegetic sound of the wind howling connotes the
intense weather condition in the scene, a snow storm.

3. Connotations
of these 2
shots:• These establishing shots and extreme long
shots connotes that it is winter and that the
house is most likely a country house that is
isolated and near a lake or in a farm
• The pan right during the first shot connotes the
pace at which snow is falling and winter is
occurring.
• The quick cuts through out the opening
sequence that started between these two shots
connotes the quick pace of the phone call,
quick pace that the evens are occurring in the
film and relates to the visceral pleasure of the
audience feeling the chill and thrill.

4. Connotations
of this shot:
• The still camera connotes the importance of the call
and desire of the man to hear from the person on the
other end of the phone.
• The medium long shot shows that the man is inside a
house in the kitchen and the fact that his back is facing
the camera connotes his dominance and the secrets he
is hiding. On the other hand this connotes that he is
uncomfortable and his awkwardness being in a home
which is supposed to be a safe environment.This then
subverts the dominant ideology of a home being a
place of safety and represents the opposition of safety
vs danger
• The dim lighting connotes the dullness of the weather
and the emptiness the man may be feeling.

5. Connotations
of this shot:
• This medium close up showing that this man is in an
office and on the phone connotes that he is the person
the man in the beginning is talking to, the person on the
other end of the line. This shot connotes that he is
focused on listening to the person on the other side of
the phone and connotes that he is listening intently.
• The magnifying glass connotes that this man may be an
investigator hired by the other man to get information
on something or someone.This links to Propp’s
character types as he represents the dispatcher or the
helper who is working with and for the Hero
(Protagonist).
• Even if we never see the mans face connoting
dominance and power, the fact that this shot is a high
angle connotes that there is someone who dominates
and controls him, possible the man in the beginning.

6. Connotations
of this shot:
• The pan right that occurred before this shot when
he is walking connotes his eagerness to hear the
answers of the person on the other end of the
phone call
• The pan to a still shot connotes his focus when
the man on the other line gives him bad news and
could connote the change of feeling from
eagerness to disappointment
• The close up of the mans face and low key
lighting connotes his disappointment and
sadness of not getting the answer that he hoped
for.These feelings occurring early on in the film
connotes the early onset of a disequilibrium
which links to theThriller genre since this
occurring early is a convention ofThriller films.

7. Connotations
of this shot:
• The tilt down to a still camera connotes the importance
of the image in the picture to both the man and
importance it has in the plot of the film. However, since
it is a tilt down, it connotes that the image is something
that brings back bad memories.This is evident with the
dull lighting and grey mise-en-scene that surround an
image of a flower. Even if a flower connotes sweetness,
happiness and hope, the fact that it is surrounded by
negative aspects subverts these ideologies of a flower.
• The magnifying glass could be the dominant
iconography due to the fact that it could symbolize
mystery and suspense which ties into the thriller genre