Mis-en-Scene

Peaky Blinders: Season 1, Episode 6

First, a little bit about the director of this episode, Tom Harper. He was born in 1980, which means he is only 9 years older than I am; that is crazy! He is still trying to prove himself out there in show business. He has directed a lot of short films, and ,in fact, that is how he got his start. He realized he loved directing at the age of 18(1998), but really got into directing at the end of his time studying at the University. It's hard to find a lot about him out there, because he is so young and there are a few other semi-famous guys named "Tom Harper," but it seems like he is slated to be directing some more shows in the future. 

This specific scene we chose from Peaky Blinders is an intense scene! It could not have been that way without everyone's help, but Tom Harper's direction in this episode really pulls it together. I cannot help but to think that this scene was totally real and it actually happened. Tom and the other directors have made sure to try and make the actors as authentic as possible. They are known to hire real professionals (gunmen, coal miners, blacksmiths) to show the actors how their trades are really done. That gives the actors a real life example to follow to make the scenes that much more realistic. I love the way the actors are portrayed in this scene, and the way they fit in to the actual physical environment. The two main characters in this shot,Tom and Kimber, match the filthiness of the alley. The way they hold the guns and talk to each other makes me feel like I am watching two gangsters confronting one another. The poor wife in the scene acts in a way that we can all relate. We think of how the women and children would act in our lives if we were to die too young. Her pointing out the reason behind her black dress was key to the scene. Everyone knows a woman who has lost a loved and is devastated by that loss. We all know a woman who isn't afraid to tell her man when he is being a complete idiot also. I can't help but to sympathize with her when she gives that speech. A speech that I'm sure Tom Harper had to shoot a few times to get everything right and to make everything fit into place to get that kind of emotional reaction out of everybody. If i had to choose one word to describe this scene it would have to be "authentic."