Suspense and Tension in Brian De Palmas film The...

Suspense and Tension in Brian De Palmas film The Untouchables During the 1920s many people were unemployed because of the poor economic conditions in America and to make it worse, were drinking to make their lives more tolerable. The government decided to ban the sale and drinking of alcohol, this was period was called The Prohibition. People continued to want to drink and this lead people to go to illegal bars or speakeasies which sprang up all over America. Gangsters such as Al Capone and others saw this as an opportunity to make money by transporting and supplying alcohol to the them.. As a result they became so wealthy and well organised that during the 1930s a special police unit was†¦show more content†¦The arrest of the bookkeeper should be fairly easy but Ness finds himself in with for reasons. Being a caring person he is helps a woman struggling to bring her baby up the stairs. While doing this Ness recognizes one of the gang members, taking out his gun he single-handedly defeats all the members of the gang while at the sam e time protecting the baby. Ness and Stone walk out the station unharmed and with the bookkeeper. Brian de Palma has used a variety of sound techniques to create a feeling of suspense and tension for the audience. Dialogue, sounds effects, ambient sounds and non-diegetic sounds have all been used to reinforce what the audience see. The content of the station scene is expressed through Nesss dialogue. He informs the audience of what is happening by what he says to other characters on and off screen. Sound effects have also used successfully to add realism so the audience can believe that what theyre seeing is actually happening. Non-diegetic sounds also played a big part in the station scene. It changes the mood of the audience from feeling excited to feeling tense and uncomfortable. First there were drums which made the audience feel Nesss tension as he tried to find the bookkeeper. Mobile music is then added, creating more tension showing now that Ness