The Dynamic Frame: Camera Movement in Classical Hollywood

1.x5 Girl Shy

The drunkard’s point-of-view shots are among the most thrilling in the film, playing off the contrast between the streetcar’s cab in the foreground, which remains stationary, and the city’s streets in the background, which spin left and right as the trolley winds along its tracks. Although the gag reinforces just how out of control this trolley is, it ultimately distracts our attention from the primary suspense line, whereby the Boy must maintain his balance atop the vehicle. Compare this to the slower but more expressive trolley shot in Sunrise (see 1.8). 

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