10 rillington place- mise en scene overview (opening scene) by Amber Kasparian

Ten Rillington Place (1971)

                                           (Opening Scene)

10 Rillington place is the address where the cold blooded serial killer, John Reginald Halliday Christie, lived and killed a total of 8 women including his wife, Ethal Christie. The film itself is directed by Richard Fleischer and features Richard Attenburough  and John Hurt playing the two leading roles.   

the opening begins with a woman walking down Rillington place toward number 10 in the dead of night. For this reason the lighting is low key with some light from the moon behind her and  clear shadows projected from the torch in the woman's hand, the lighting sets the somber tone for the whole film without the need for dialogue.


 As she rings the bell. john peers from behind the curtain and looks through the window and the camera immediately zooms on him so the audience is aware of the significance of the characters presence. the inside of number 10 is very drab and plain with no pictures or any paintings on the wall. the colours are a drab mix of greys and browns reflecting the theme of death and listlessness which the house holds
 within the whole film. furthermore the lack of belongings and furniture in the house are relative to the time period which is 1944, during the second
world war and the feeling that the house is not a home

but just trap whether 8  innocent women spent there last breath in the cold dark house.
The woman is then led to what is described by John as
a  'cosy' kitchen. but instead of a warm and inviting living space, it  is a cramped, claustrophobic and eerily quiet box room with no windows and a  blinding harsh light from the ceiling light bulb add to the cold and uncomfortable feel of 10 rillingon place.

john is dressed in his reserve police uniform which is a jacket with his badges on. he wears spectacles and smart trousers and his appearance could be seen as professional and smart looking, nothing in his dress looks odd or unusual. the guest is wearing a grey suit and they both look out of place in the bare and small kitchen,
because of the time in which these murders too place as an audience we could question whether his insanity had anything to do with his involvement in the war and why he does not bother to change his uniform while murdering the woman.

above: real photo of John Chrisite