Formal Analysis

     The shot begins with a dissolve opening onto a near shot of a large wood carving of Christ on the cross, followed by a pan downwards to reveal an alter with a photograph of the Emperor Wilhelm II on it, then a bed. The pan then continues on to the right to reveal a series of objects in the room. We see in close-up the personal possessions of the person inhabiting the room: a geranium in a flower pot, a bottle of champagne in a bucket, a volume of Casanova’s memoirs with a revolver placed on it, a woman’s photo, binoculars, a sword, etc. The pan continues upwards to frame in a near shot an orderly blowing into a pair of white gloves, then follows him to the left until he stops in front of a table where the commander is having breakfast. Pan down to the table, then to the left again to frame the table and the breakfast in a near shot angled slightly downward, followed by a slight tracking backwards to frame Rauffenstein in a near shot sitting at the table with the orderly standing in front of him. Cut.

Commentary

   This is another superb example of a Renoir sequence shot. No interruption breaks the unity of the space of Rauffenstein’s room before it has been revealed to the spectator in its entirety, along with the characters which inhabit it. The camera acts like an invisible guest whose gaze sweeps over the room, revealing, by the presence of the bed, that it is indeed a bedroom, but revealing also a whole collection of objects which depict the character of its occupant. Rauffenstein’s room was the former castle’s chapel, which explains the large wooden crucifix on the wall. But the sculpture also introduces the theme of Catholicism, which is not foreign to Rauffenstein’s aristocratic persona; European nobility has been linked strongly to Catholicism for centuries.

   Rauffenstein’s character and his lifestyle are next clearly suggested by the series of objects revealed by the descriptive panning around the room: his patriotism by the photo of the emperor, his social milieu by the bottle of champagne in it’s bucket, his old school romanticism by Casanova’s memoirs, his love life by the lady’s photo, his military identity by the revolver, the binoculars, and the sword. The presence of the orderly indicates that the room’s occupant is the commander of the fortress, while the white gloves seem to connote his membership in the caste of career officers. Rauffenstein’s voice-over also contributes to the creation of the character. His sharp, hard manner of giving orders indicates his haughty and scornful attitude, an impression that is confirmed as soon as a final reframing brings Rauffenstein himself into the picture. It is not until this moment that the spectator realizes that the commander of the fortress is none other than the squadron commander who shot down Boëldieu and Maréchal’s plane and then invited them to lunch in the German officers’ mess at the beginning of the film.