Analysis of Opening Sequence: Pretty Woman (Marshall, 1990)

The first thing we see on screen is the Touchstone logo which overlays a black background. But the audience is given an idea of what to expect because we hear a piano being played which creates a ‘ballroom atmosphere’, so we already imagine the scene of a wealthy area where people are ‘socializing’, all before we have seen the establishing shot.
When the establishing shot is revealed to us we see a CU of two women’s hands holding gold coins while a magician/entertainer is demonstrating a trick. Even though we do not see the faces of any characters yet, we know they are wealthy and well groomed because of the gold watch and their seemingly perfectly manicured hands. During the demonstration we are watching the pair of hands until the magician reveals the coins behind the woman’s ear, this allows the audience to act as a third person in the event because we are put in the position where we would be focusing on their hands and would then look up towards her ear to see the trick.
After the trick has been revealed the camera then follows the next character who is a short, bald-ish man who introduces himself as Phillip Stuckey. We follow him as he mingles with the guests and we also hear the name Edward Lewis mentioned in every conversation that he has. This immediately tells the audience that Phillip is not the central character to the film he is almost Edward’s sidekick who is just keeping everyone happy. There is a delay between the time that we hear Edward’s name mentioned and the moment he is finally revealed to us. This is because it allows for a build up and it makes the occasion much more important and clear to the audience that this is the guy we will following through the film.
We are introduced to Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) through a MS of him on the telephone to his partner. Visually we get an understanding that he very much belongs in the party because of his costume (consisting of a smart suit and tie) but through his conversation we get a sense that this is just work to him. It becomes obvious to us as his other half explains that she talks to his secretary more than she talks to him, that Edward is constantly on the go and never really slows down to enjoy life. This is built up further as the camera moves to a high angle behind Edward’s shoulder because we get a strong sense that even though everyone else thinks he fits in, he just does not want to be in that world and he is tired of it. The high angle also makes him seem as if he is intimidated by the whole situation.
The film then cuts to Edward walking down the stairs with another colleague who seems very young and new to the business because he is being told how to do things by Edward. When he is finished talking to the young man the camera pans around the room in an attempt to follow Edward, but for a short while we lose sight of him. This connotes that Edward feels lost in this world and finds it all too much. This is confirmed for us later when we see him pleading for the keys to Stuckey’s car. When Edward is back in sight the woman in the yellow jacket from the start of the film appears and it is clear that they know each other and we learn that they once dated. Through Edward’s thoughtful facial expression when he asks whether she spoke to his secretary more than him during the time they dated, we feel definitely sure that he doesn’t enjoy being the person he is.
When Edward is leaving, Stuckey becomes panicked at the idea that he wants to use his sports car. This suggests to the audience that he loves the materialistic life that he is able to live through being Edward Lewis’s lawyer. A sense of humour is added through the use of the script and the movement of the car that we are shown on screen (moving and stopping abruptly). We also hear Stuckey say that “Beverly hills is down the hill” and yet we see Edward drive up the hill, not only does this make the audience laugh but it also demonstrates that Edward is not used to driving around himself.
At this point the opening music starts which is a very upbeat and cheerful music that represents that this is occurring at some point in the 80s/90s. It is very much the type of music you would hear in a romance. We start off by following the grey car from a variety of angles including bird’s eye, but then we start to get a view of the city. This acts as a transition where the audience are being slowly moved from the upper class life of Edward Lewis to the night life in Hollywood.
As the slow transition completes we start to see the night life of Hollywood which is nearly a world away from the scenes we have just come from. The camera allows us to witness what seem to be regular events by using CU's of a drug deal and prostitutes looking for business. The audience know the film is set in Hollywood because CU's of the Hollywood sign and the walk of fame are shown. When the opening credits have finished and the location has been established, the film cuts to a CU of a woman's legs. This is a very sultry shot (because of the bare legs and the dimmed light which has a hint of red) and is almost shocking to the audience because it is clear that this is a completely different world, as this wouldn’t be shown at the start where the party was taking place. The camera then pans across a corkboard which has a load of pictures pinned on it. This leads the audience to believe that the person in the pictures is going to be the main girl in the film, but we are not entirely sure of it.
The sequence that follows is of the character getting ready, and even though we only get to see CU’s of different body parts we can already tell that she is not upper class or wealthy like those in Edward’s world. This is signified through her clothes and accessories (studded bracelets), and we also see her use permanent marker to renew her shoes. The music at this point has also picked up pace and is very rock and roll and consist of the words “I’m a real wild one”, suggesting that this character is very wild and lives on the edge.
The film then cuts back to the silver sports car driving around the corner roughly, demonstrating that Edward is still lost. It cuts again back to the female character walking down the stairs and we hear a man speaking about collecting money for rent, and we then see the character quietly walk back up the stairs, showing us that she obviously hasn’t paid the rent. When she checks in the little money box hidden in the toilet, there is little money.
At 6:46 the opening music stops and we follow the female character as she walks through the crowd on the walk of fame. We witness more night activities and a policeman questioning someone over a victim that has been found in a dumpster in an alleyway and from the information released we learn she was a prostitute. The audience also pieces together that the female character whose name we still do not know (this makes the audience want to know more because we know she is important, we just don’t know her name), is uncomfortable and unhappy with the life she currently leads because of the facial expressions caught on camera through MS’s and CU’s. However, humour is still created because tourists from Orlando are taking pictures of the body bag.
The film cuts once again to the inside of the Blue Banana Club, and we know that our character has reached her destination. We see people dressed in a similar way to the female character and the dimmed colourful lights create an atmosphere of people living on the edge and having a good time. When she asks the bar man if someone named Kit has been there we are immediately aware that they frequently visit this club because he instantly knows who she is talking about. We are introduced to Kit by a CU of her combing her fringe with a very bored/relaxed expression, showing that this is nothing but normal to her. At this point we also finally learn the name of the character – Vivian. We also learn small details like the fact that they are roommates, and Kit owes Carlos money for drugs (even after spending all the rent money). A two shot CU of Carlos and Kit shows that he is very serious about his money but he leaves little space between himself and Vivian, portraying that he has a ‘thing’ for her. She is clearly not impressed by the face that she pulls.

Through their next conversation we know that Kit is helping Vivian out and she doesn’t seem to see what is wrong with their lifestyle. Yet it is confirmed to us that Vivian wishes to escape the scenes she is surrounded by everyday.
The film then cuts back to Edward Lewis in the silver car and he asks a homeless person who is rummaging in the bins for directions. This clearly signifies that Edward doesn’t really have any idea of what the night life in Hollywood is like. It also leads the audience to question what is going to happen between the two characters that we have been following because we keep switching between their stories. This information is being held from us because it keeps us hooked and although we know their paths must intertwine at some point, we still have the need to find out how.
Once again we are taken back to Vivian and Kit who are claiming their “turf” of which they work on. We learn that Kit is almost acting like a big sister for Vivian because she says that Vivian is with her and she ‘protects’ her from Rachel, while Vivian is standing in the middle almost looking lost. We also know that Kit is not used to being the one to ruin everyone’s fun, and she prides herself on being wild, whereas Vivian seems to be very level headed and smart. This only furthers us to question why she has turned to prostitution.
Throughout this opening sequence we have learnt small details about the two main characters who are Vivian and Edward. The audience are able to guess that somehow their worlds are going to collide because of the constant switching between them, which forms to the conventions of the romance genre because it follows the storyline of two people who are so different yet still fall in love. It is signified that they are so different because of the countless binary opposites included in just the first ten minutes. For example, Edward’s world is very upper class and wealthy, whereas Vivian’s world is full of desperation and poverty.
Even though we learn so much, we still don't know why they don't like their lives and how they ended up in the situations that they find themselves in. The audience are asking constant questions and this is what keeps them watching, as they have an aim to figure out what is going on. This opening sequence has shown that your audience must have some idea of what is going on and they should be introduced to the main characters at least once, so that they are not left confused. The genre should be signified through both sound and visual from the very start. But they should not have everything figured out straight away because there would be not flow of information to keep them interested.