american beauty

permeating images that have consumed mainstream American life. Mendes exploits these

images as constructions that we created around ourselves as a means of hiding our true selves. Mendes is able to implicate us in the construction and make us active viewers by exploiting our voyeuristic nature, the nature of a prying observer to usually seek the sordid or the scandalous. In American Beauty, Mendes uses the voyeuristic tendencies of the spectator to acknowledge the constructed images. Also, through the use of narration, the mise- en- scéne and cinematic techniques, Mendes has the spectator use their voyeuristic tendencies to deconstruct the images in order to reveal the true image. From the start of the film the construction of images is evident.

American Beauty begins with the obvious constructed shot of a young teenage girl, shown through the use of a hand-held camera. The narration reveals that she wants her father dead. The image portrayed about her is constructed as an evil, unaffectionate youth. The next scene is of a high angle shot, with a voice-over narration. The voice-over goes to explain that Lester Burnham is speaking.

. . .
By using the video camera Mendes, gives us two different images of the same situation. We see Carolyn standing against the jumbled blinds of the sliding door. Yet to reach !

a point to appreciate the beauty we must strip away the complex layers which we have surrounded ourselves with. Carolyn Burnham, real estate agent, mother and wife have been, from the very beginning is constructed through the narrative in such a way that the spectator defines her as someone who is consumed by the importance of projecting and maintaining the perfect image. ” This theme of looking past the constructed images is Mendes way of telling us to look past the superficial images that we represent and to find a way to see our true selves. In American Beauty, Mendes constructs his images in order to ask the spectator to deconstruct, by looking closer.

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**Bibliography**

. This film represents the darkness that we have allowed to seep into American culture.

The narration that accompanies the scene is allowing our voyeuristic desires to enter into the private lives without guilt or shame. Just as the

potential home buyers did not buy into the image of the home, we as the voyeur are warned not to ‘buy’ into the images of the characters. By doing such, demands us to see the construction of the image and asks us to deconstruct it, to look closer, to be active voyeurs within the film. The small smile across Janes face shows her own deconstruction of her image. Referring to Jane Burnham, “are you trying to look unattractive” or to her husband at a real estate gala “there’s a certain image . Everything had its placed within the dining room.

Common topics in this essay:
Jane Burnham, Jane Lester, Buddy King, Beauty Mendes, Jane Mendes, American Beauty, Lester Burnham, Mendes Lester, Sam Mendes, Rickey Mendes, video camera, american beauty, constructed images, mise en scene, en scene, mise en, images characters, close-up shot, mendes constructs, voyeuristic tendencies, throughout film, rickey video camera, video camera mendes, house house mendes, american beauty mendes,

Approximate Word count = 2053
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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