Lester Burnham
We find that the lead character of American Beauty is going to die in less than a year. He's not happy and doesn't get on with his daughter, or wife. His wife is more in charge than he is and she's a perfectionist who goes overboard with matching things like shoes and garden clippers. Their house is large and their garden is neat, it looks like they are well off. He seems like a normal, boring character but there is something making him unhappy. He's also clumsy, as he drops his briefcase on the garden path when leaving. We assume that he doesn't lead a very interesting life, as he explains he could watch his wife and the neighbours forever.
Jerry McGuire
We find that this character leads a very busy lifestyle because of the job he has. We see him taking phone calls, meeting people, accompanying sportspeople to various places all throughout the first few minutes of the film. He's dressed smartly in a suit, which makes us assume he's not short of money. He also looks well groomed. He explains that he is the person behind everything, the one who is never seen. We are then shown a photograph in a newspaper where you can only see his ear and a bit of his head which shows that he is cut out of things. We also get the feeling that he is not happy with how he's being treated, but he's happy with his job. He doesn't really seem impressed with the way that some of his clients are acting for themselves or towards other people.
Comparison
The two characters are very different, but also have a few similarities. Jerry's personality seems to be more bossy, confident and assuring, while Lester's seems to be reclusive, upset and shy. Both of their characters contrast in that way, but underneath both are unhappy with their job.
Ken
This character is a pub landlord who is shown in the first few minutes of the programme singing a song whilst cleaning up around his pub. He seems happy and jolly and not too bothered with the mess that is left around. Obviously he doesn't have the best job, but he seems content with what he is doing. He sang something about dignity as he was scrubbing a toilet which gives us the impression that his job is the lowest of the low, but he doesn't seem bothered. He's also seen filling an expensive looking bottle of brandy that is on show, with some cheaper brandy. This makes us think that he's not truthful. Also, when told that a man had died he didn't seem too fazed nor upset by it, which makes him look disrespectful.
Opening Sequences:
London to Brighton
At the beginning there is a sense of urgency, everything is rushed and it was hard to figure out what is going on. We soon see that the two characters are really 'rough' and don't come from a good part of London. The woman tells the girl to stay in the toilet cubicle whilst she goes to get food. When the woman goes to get food, you see more surroundings and light and you see more of the woman and what her appearance is like. Her eye is swollen and when asked about it she doesn't explain why. She then sells herself to get money for her and the girl to get a train. There are several references in the speech to people finding them and how they have to leave quickly, but nothing is really explained. We assume that something bad has happened and they're now running away from someone or people, but we don't really know what's happening.
The Graduate
Nothing really happened in the opening of The Graduate. We see a plane full of people looking dull and boring, no one seems happy with landing. The colours we see are dull, nothing stands out and things are clean. After exiting the plane we see him walking along next to a neutral coloured wall, he looks like he is nothing special, or will cause any trouble. Over the song, ''The Sound of Silence' airport commands are played which is probably similar to the life of education he has just been through. He doesn't seem happy about going home.
Napoleon Dynamite
The beginning of this film is very cleverly done. We see food arranged on plates with the names of producers and directors etc on the food. Names are also written on library cards, pencils and drawings. I think this is really cleverly done, as it keeps the audience interested. Usually no attention is paid to the names at the beginning of a film but this draws the person watching in and maybe makes them take notice of the names.
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