Nash In The Pentagon Breaking The Codes

3.9 Film Assessment write up

S1: Nash in the pentagon breaking the codes
S2: Nash at home with Alicia bathing baby

The film “A Beautiful Mind” by Ron Howard is about a mathematician who suffers from Schizophrenia. The film follows John Nash and his story from start of College to end. Howard uses a range of aspects to help show the audience how Nash is feeling. In this essay I will be looking at two different sequences showing these aspects. Sequence one will be when Nash first went to the Pentagon to break the codes for the government and Sequence two will be when he is at home with Alicia and he is going to bath the baby. The aspects I will use are Camera Work to show how we can see what goes on in his head, Costume which symbolises the
In the first sequence he is looking tidy wearing a suit and has trdy hair and looks well presented. He is walking with confidence and has his head held high showing he is better than everyone. The director has the use of the suit to show that he is still thinking right and functioning right this also helps the audience understand that he is still in the right state of mind to work and function like a normal person as he hasn't been affected much by schizophrenia yet. But in the second sequence Nash is in more untidy clothes and messy hair and it's obvious he hasn't been out in a while. Nash is wearing and old top with pencils in his pocket with a tank underneath which is tucked into pants help with a belt. Nash's actions are panicked and rushed. He seems to be talking to two people but only one person there which also leads to Alicia more eager to get on the phone to Dr Rosen. I think Howard has used this technique how corroding of the brain it really is as his clothes show and demonstrate how his mind might look like as first it was well organised and new what was going on but the second he is more messed and jumbled up and so he looks more untidy because the sickness has almost taken over his whole mind and he can't think straight anymore especially with the medication so he stopped taking them which made things worse for him and Alicia. His costume contrasts with his mind as
Lighting can help set the mood in a film and can be a symbol of how people are feeling. In the first sequence it is bright outside and as he came inside it got darker. But inside the room he was working in in the pentagon it was dimly lit. This can indicate that Nash is happy and he has accomplished an achievement with himself as he was called to work at the pentagon. This is a happy time in Nash’s life as he finally got what he has been working for. But also in this scene you can also see that as he is walking into the dark and when he sees Pacher for the first time he is in the dark. Which can indicate that he is bad or there is something bad about him. I think Howard used this technique to show the contrast of good and bad or happy and sad. But the bright light outside can show he is still in a happy and good place where he is still thinking straight but I think this is a turning point for a he is walking into the dark which is the pentagon which is where the bad starts. In the second sequence it is pouring down outside and it is very stormy and gloomy, Alicia is outside getting the washing and Nash was going to give their baby a bath. The scene is darkly lit but it is a bit lighter outside than in. This could indicate that Nash is inside which is bad so it's dark and outside is Alicia and it's a bit lighter. But Alicia goes into the wood it gets darker which may also be indicating that something bad is