thelma & Louise

The opening of Thelma & Louise
Director : Ridley Scott
Released: 1991

The opening of Thelma & Louise effusively informs the spectator of the two title roles. The five minute opening prepares the audiance for the film to come, and leaves action codes to hint at the character development to come.

* The opening music is typically southern american, which establishes the characters origans, as well as leaving the spectator with the image of Louise, accompanyed by the lyrics, 'Aint looking for a guy.'

* Louise is introduced in a diner - a working girl - with the audacity to smoke in the kitchen of her work (and without bieng challenged).

* An added appeal of the film is the title role Louise bieng played by Susan Sarandon, an A list actress.

* Her smoking at work, along side the customer's, also establishes the age of the film in the 90's, before smoking became a taboo habit.

* Mirrored in contrast, Thelma is introduced in her kitchen at home, almost as a prisoner in her own walls, wrapped in a dressing gown, denied the allowence to even leave the house.

* As her husband is introduced, the spectator is automatically against him, as he enters, moning at our heroine for every small detail. He is portrayed arrogant and unrully as he then proceedes to insult her after the implication that he may be having an affair. The specator is then satisfied as he falls down his own driveway.

* The contrast between Thelma's and her husband car ingrains the spectators dislike, as the climes into his expensive red sports car, where as her delapidated one 'Can barely get down the driveway.' Louise has a smooth blue convertable, which represents her frredom and independance, alongside converting the stereotype of 'blue for boys'.

* The mountains behind Louise as she approaches her car hint to the adventures to come, as Thelma & Louise set out on their fishing trip even though niether knows how to fish, leaving an ominous outlook to the adventure.

* Thelma was to scared to ask her husband if she can go, and so the audiance expects uproar on his behaf, and even begins to suspect that Louise may use this opertunity to leave the empty shell marrage.

*The editing is very effect when showing the two girls packing. Louise's independance has already been asserted, but is renforced by the spotlessly, almost compulsivly clean house she maintains by herself. Cut to Thelma, who nervous, scatty reck as she is, stuffs everything and anything into bags, taking up alot of room, and reforming the idea that she may be preparing to leave her husband for good, not just the weekend.

* This reflect the wider issues in society about empty-shell marrages, overbaring husbands, and divorce. Contrasting to Louise who reflects the issue of a single life, and how an older, single woman is viewed in society.

* Whilst hurridly packing, Thelma throws a gun into her bag. This gives the spactator and action code of whats to come, and hints that it may be used later on.

*Finally, the use of the picture they take together shows a significant moment. Picture taking is often used in films to indicate a significant moment, maybe the start of something, the end of something, or the last time the characters are toghether. After the picture the characters always evolve, develop, possibly drift appart or even die.