Opening Scene Analysis: My Own Private Idaho

This is my short analysis of the opening scene from My Own Private Idaho. There is no particular order or structure to this and it does not include any comments on the micro-elements as it is a jumble of ideas thrown together.

• This is the clip from the film:

• This is the original screenplay (filming of it may have been altered):

   
     The desert in the daytime.
     
     MIKE enters the frame in front of a blue sky filled with white 
     clouds. He has a Texaco gas station attendant's shirt on with a 
     name tag that reads: BILL (not Mike, his name).
     
     The clouds are puffy against a deep blue sky. The road is red. 
     Purple mountains surround Mike on all sides far in the distance, 
     ten miles away. Mike looks in front of him at a long stretch of 
     road that disappears into the horizon.
     
     Mike looks at his wristwatch on his arm. He times how long it 
     takes to walk ten steps down the road.
     
     Ten seconds. He glances back at a duffel bag. The duffel bag 
     falls over.
     
     Mike looks at the picturesque sights surrounding him. A wind 
     sends a tumbleweed into the air. He takes ten steps back to his 
     duffle bag and checks watch again.
     
     The sun is now setting.

• This is my analysis:

The immediate feeling of isolation is conjured up in the audience as the road is perceived to be in the middle of nowhere. The quiet nature of Mike's character is safely comforted by the absence of company. The colours in the scene are vivid and alluring, much alike to those seem in dreams. This highlights the constant state that Mike delves into throughout the film; one of liminality between consciousness and unconsciousness. Mike's curious expression of lost bewilderment indicates to the audience that something must be wrong. This notion is amplified by the ticking of the stopwatch, drawing attention to the urgency of time. The movement of the duffel bag is presented as one of pure coincidence. However, the Semantic code is being referred to here as the larger meaning behind the mise-en-scene hints to the majestic presence of a higher power which watches over Mike during his vulnerable sleep. The far-fetched, unworldly ambiance of this opening scene allows the audience to stay rooted to Mike and rely on his narration and actions to move the story forward.