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The beginning and ending scenes of a visual text are significant to the development of ideas
in the text as a whole.
Analyse how the beginning and ending scenes work together to develop one or more
ideas in a visual text you have studied.
In the film Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol, the beginning and ending scene consist of
similar camera work, lighting and dialogue to create circularity and in turn, effectively
develops the idea, that dreams are greater than limitations.
Niccol intends to convey through Gattaca, a world where superior children are made by
manipulating genes, that one’s ability cannot be decided by their genetic make-up. This is
shown through Vincent, born a ‘faith birth’ as he overcomes the restrictions (caused by
society’s discrimination against his genetic imperfection) to his dream of space travel by using
a camouflage of Eugene’s superior DNA. Vincent, an in-valid accomplishes a dream that only
the ‘valid’ with perfect genes are permitted to pursue with his determination and spirit.
In both the beginning and ending scenes, Niccol uses close ups and extreme close ups to
show how the human spirit enables dreams to be pursued and accomplished despite
limitations that are of “God’s handiwork”. In the opening scene, we see extreme close ups of
falling nail clippings, hair strands, skin flakes and also close ups of Vincent exfoliating himself
and attaching blood samples to his finger tip. Immediately, the audience is conveyed that
Vincent is affected greatly by these minute details, suggesting that his DNA requires
camouflaging. In the ending scene, we see in a close up, a swimmer’s silver medal that
belongs to Eugene (a ‘valid’ with perfect genes who is crippled) burn in the incinerator.
Through the mise-en-scene where the medal burning in the fire stands out as its colour
seems to turn gold, symbolically, this shows Eugene has reached his dream of being the
champion swimmer. Furthermore, in the end where Vincent also reach his dreams of space
travel, a close up of a lock of Eugene’s hair in Vincent’s hands as he travels in the space ship
show as Eugene commits suicide in the incinerator. Here another dream of Eugene’s is
shown to be accomplished as he could not walk before, but he can now travel to space with
Vincent symbolically in his lock of hair. Through the combination of and extreme close ups in
both the beginning and end scene, Niccol shows that one’s spirit and determination to
accomplish his dream “can straighten what He (God) hath made crooked”. Although Vincent
was discriminated against because his heart disorder which restricted him from pursuing
space travel, he is enabled by his spirit and determination to work so hard and train up his
body to fit the camouflage of Eugene’s superior genes and profile, and outlives his probable
lifespan. Also, with the development where Eugene’s spirit is shown to have reached his
dreams in the end scene, we realise that there is no limitation in life that can stop us from
pursuing and accomplishing our dreams. So we must come to a sense that although gene
modification is becoming more probable in today’s society, it must not be practiced on
mankind as Niccol reveals that abilities are not restricted by our genes, they’re restricted by
our spirit and “there is no gene for the human spirit”.
Niccol also uses contrasting lighting of warm and cold colours in both the beginning and end
scenes to emphasise that the obstacles in the path to accomplishing one’s dreams may be
harsh, but overcoming them will take you closer to reaching your dream. In the beginning
scene, a clean blue lighting was created with blue filter and neon lights. In this lighting we see
extreme close up shots falling body fragments and a close up shot of Vincent shaving. The
audience is shown a very clinical aspect, suggesting that the routine Vincent is carrying out
requires great care. The blue colour also shows a very cold and harsh mood, as if Vincent is
in pain and that he pays a great price for pursuing his dream. However, as the setting
changes to outside Gattaca, where Vincent can accomplish his dream, the lighting is
controlled with a yellow filter that warms up the whole atmosphere. The lighting here
contrasting from the cold blue lighting suggests that Vincent’s dream is hopeful because of
the dedication he has put into it. Similarly in the ending scene where we see Eugene climb
into the incinerator to commits suicide, the lighting starts off with the same dull blue colour.
The lighting does not only add a sympathetic mood to Eugene’s sacrifice for reaching his
dream, the lighting also makes the silver colour of the medal that Eugene puts around his
neck more distinct. The blue lighting symbolic for sadness thus shows the extreme of sacrifice
one can make in exchange for reaching his dream. As the lighting immediately brightens
when incinerator ignites, burning the medal and Eugene, the bright gold colour caused by the
fire and lighting over laying the medal in a close up suggests that Eugene has reached his
dream of being an Olympic champion swimmer and the bright yellow lighting of the shot
directly contrasting from the dull blue lighting shows the glory of Eugene’s sacrifice for
reaching his dream at a spiritual level. With the end scene showing a development of how
one can sacrifice for his dreams with a similar technique, the audience is deeply impacted by
the idea of dreams are greater than limitations.
Another technique Niccol used to develop this idea is the use of continuity of dialogue in the
beginning and end scenes. After the first substance test in the beginning scene where Vincent
goes prepared for with Eugene’s urine sample and passes the test with a positive test for
Eugene’s profile, thus successfully hid his own ‘in-valid’ DNA, the doctor says to Vincent,
“have I ever told you about my son?...Remind me to sometime.” In the end scene Vincent
goes unprepared for his last substance test before going off to space. The combination of
dialogue between Vincent and the doctor in the beginning and end scene show that the
doctor had known Vincent’s true identity since the beginning as the doctor says before he
tests Vincent’s own urine sample, “Unfortunately, my son’s not all that they promised”. Then
after Vincent’s sample is tested positive for his own ‘in-valid’ profile, the doctor helps Vincent
to change it back to Eugene’s ‘valid’ profile. We realise that the doctor also believes that
dreams are greater than limitations as he saw Vincent, an in-valid who is thought to be
incompetent to serve society but has successfully pursued his dream with such a strong spirit,
as a symbol of hope for his son as the doctor also says, “But then who knows what he (the
doctor’s son) could do?” The audience also comes to the realisation that Eugenics can never
benefit people and also poses great ethical issues behind the genetic modification
advancement in today’s society. Thus suggesting that people in today’s society or ‘the not too
distant future’ that we should not ‘tamper with Mother Nature. Vincent’s faith in accomplishing
his dream is also revealed in the dialogue as when he realises his dream will be crushed by
the substance test, he says to the doctor, “Just remember...that I was as good as any and
better than most”. Niccol conveys that one’s spirit can, not only overcome the greatest
limitations that had been brought by fate as Vincent has, but also elevate one’s selfconfidence as it was Vincent’s faith and confidence that made the doctor believe in him and
help him hide his identity and thus created the pathway for Vincent to reach his dream.
Thus Niccols cleverly uses the combination of camera work, lighting and dialogue in a similar
way in both the beginning and end scenes to significantly develop the idea, dreams are
greater than limitations. The audience is influenced greatly not only through the circularity
built for the development of this idea in both the beginning and end scene, but also how
Niccol has conveyed this idea through both Vincent and Eugene at both a physical and
spiritual level.