Film Analysis: An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

Robert Enrico, the director of the film An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge crafted a masterpiece that leaves viewers questioning “What just happened?” The film can become easily misleading to viewers due to the blurred lines between illusion and reality. Enrico uses strategic, well-thought-out methods when displaying the imagery and using minimal sound effects during the film to create a storyline ending by snapping viewers back into reality from the illusion they did not even know they were in. Furthermore, the film begins by showing the bare trees which leads the viewers to a view of a bridge appearing in the dime light. With no words to explain what is happening the audience is awaiting answers already in the first thirty second of the short

Still, photographed in black and white, Enrico’s film depends enormously upon sound editing for its effectiveness” (46). For example, one of the most effective scenes in the short film in applying sound is when the audience hears a clock ticking in the background right before Ambrose Bierce is supposed to be hung. The general stops, and removes Bierce’s pocket watch, and the ticking sound of the clock stops, which eludes to the belief that the time has come for Bierce’s demise. Additionally, as stated before the tone of the sequence changes, and when Bierce emerges from the water, and the images that represent new life simultaneously appear as the song plays in the background. The lyrics continuously repeat the words “a living man” which eludes to the viewers Bierce is going to receive a second chance, but this is just part of the illusion that Enrico is creating in the short film. Furthermore, the scene when Bierce washes up on the embankment after surviving from his descend from the falls an explosive sound goes off. This is when Bierce comes back to the realization he is still running for his life from the military. All of these scenes are examples of how the settle amount of sounds effects are affective in distinguishing between illusion and