Opening Scene Analysis of ' The Blue Dahlia'

The Blue Dahlia was released in 1946. It is an American film noir directed by George Marshall and written by Raymond Chandler. A navy officer returns home to Hollywood after being put on an inactive list from the fighting in the south Pacific to an unfaithful wife, who is later murdered, this already indicates a typical noir character due to the ‘ femme fatale’ and the jelous husband. Halfway through the script, Chandler became unable to write, as he become a alcoholic, he'd become a teetotaler for health reasons but he decided that the only way he could get inspiration to finish the script was being drunk. For several weeks, he drank heavily, and at the end of that time, presented the finished script. His friends George and Buzz to memory lapses and headaches, and is often short tempered, all likely due to his head wound. Johnny finds his wife Helen living and partying in a hotel bungalow, he then spots her kissing her boyfriend Eddie Harwood the owner of the Blue Dahlia nightclub, he punches Eddie. Johnny is willing to try to mend their troubled marriage, but Helen is not. She then confesses to him that their son did not die of diphteria as she had said, but it was due to the fact that she got drunk at a party and crashed her car. Johnny pulls a gun on her, but decides she is not worth it. He drops the pistol and walks out, taking a photograph of their son. In a Noir film, this leads to the wife dying; and the husband being blamed for her murder, or at least give the circumstances. Johnny knows he has to prove his innocence or possibly face the consequences.

The opening sequence begins with a deep focus shot of the top of the bus titled ' Hollywood', the navy officer and two of his friends then step off and enter a daily bar, all three men are dressed appropriately in smart suits and hats drinking and smoking, this is a typical 'mise en scene' in a film noir, traditional old happy music can be heard throughout the opening scene, followed by a cut scene to another navy officer stood dancing by a duke box in his uniform beginning to cause trouble with the ex navy officer. As the sound of music increases, the camera then appears closer to the ex-officer, and focuses on the anger and tension building up in his face, which then results into a confrontation shot of the two officers arguing, which is then revealed he has a plate in his head from fighting in the South Pacific. This is is also a medium shot to represent equal authoirty and importance.