Bridget Jones Diary Analysis

Bridget Jones Diary ( 2001, UK, Sharon Maguire)

In the opening sequence of Bright Jones Diary, we are first introduced to the main character Bridget. From the mise-en-scene aspect, we make various assumptions about her as a character. First of all, her outfit/costume is a bright red colour and obviously festive (the film is set around Christmas time), which suggests that she is quite a fun, bubbly character due to her nature to get involved with the spirit of Christmas. In addition to this, the whole 'bubbly' aspect of her character is reinforced by her facial expressions, as she seems reasonably happy despite the contrasting scene we see afterwards.

After the very first scene, we are brought into Bridget's home. It becomes immediately apparent that she lives alone due to the layout of the room. There is nothing in the room except the basics, there's lots of furniture and it's very comforting, which suggests she needs something to keep her happy. The use of props already reinforces this, as when we first see her she is slumped on her sofa with the remote in one hand, and a cigarette in the other. Cigarettes are generally assumed to 'chill' somebody out, which is probably what the director wanted to get across when creating this scene. She also picks up a glass of wine and proceeds to drink it a little, then down the whole glass. This further suggests that she is very lonely, and needs to take the stress of being alone off of her. Her general costume is also very obviously deliberate. She lies on the sofa in her pajamas, suggesting that she has no reason to leave the house (i.e. no men in her life) because she has nowhere to go.

At the beginning of the clip a voice over is used. This is when Bridget starts to talk about her life and what needs to change. A voice over is a non diegetic technique. The use of a voice over allows the audience to gain a better understanding of what Bridge'ts life is like and what she intends to do to change it.

On to sound, at the very beginning of the scene a voice over is used which overlays Bridget on a normal day. She details her current life and what she aims to change in the time period of the film, which gives the audience a little more knowledge about her, and what her life is like. This, like a lot of the rest of the sounds in the opening sequence is non diegetic sound. Non diegetic sound is very effective, especially when placed right. Oddly, in the opening sequence the sound goes from non-diegetic to diegetic in the space of 10 seconds as the song 'All By My Self' is being played, and Bridget gradually joins in with the singing of it. Even though the song is typically depressing and sad, there is a comedic element to it as she is singing along, and this allows the audience to relate to her and show sympathy to her situation. Secondly, when Bridget gets up to read the answer machine, she clicks the button and the music quietens for a brief moment while the answer machines says "no new messages". This emphasises the fact that she is all alone, and she doesn't really have any male company. Again this makes the audience empathise and connect more with her.

Editing plays a big part in the creation of mood in this scene. The use of a 'cross dissolve' is used when the shots fade/transition between one another. This is a great way to illustrate the passing of time, and shows that she doesn't have anything to occupy herself with, hence why time is moving really slowly and she does not really majorly change position, she just fidgets. This suggests that her life is very unexciting, which evidently is a reinforcement of previous points.

Also, the font used in the film titles are a cursive type, and are made out to be handwritten. This undoubtedly relates to the 'Diary' part of the film title. As the titles are transitioning between each other, the text on display is a sans-serif font type. This contrasts with the scene by adding an upbeat and lighthearted aspect to it.

We also start to ask questions like has she been in a relationship before, and when, how old she is, and if she will eventually find a man at the end of the film.

Audience response

1. The character/film is set in London, due to the architecture  of the houses.
2. It's post-Christmas, as decorations aren't in their prime
3. Bridget has obvious ways of dealing with her loneliness (e.g. alcohol, smoking)
4. Bridget is a lonely character, and is seeking a man.