Close Reading of Film Stills in The Notebook

The first screenshot of the movie up top is a dark and moody scene, which symbolizes a lot of emotion. There are candles lit and Allie is wearing red, which is considered a romantic color in most western cultures. The screenshot focuses on Allie’s face which is filled with emotion after she begins to remember that the girl in the story Noah is telling, is her. You can see the tears in her eyes and on her face because there is just enough light in the dark room for her tear to glisten on her face. The second screenshot is a calm setting. The angle of the camera shot is centered on the both of them. Behind them is a calm lake which reflects tree branches, letting us know that there's probably a forest there. The sun is shining and the light jacket Noah is wearing tells us that it may be a bit chilly. Noah is holding the book in his hand; it is open while he looks at her and Allie’s face looks confused and she is starting down at the grass. There's a lot of natural lighting which changes the mood into a happy one. Allie is once again wearing red in this scene but the red look much brighter, to resemble to color of a rose. Noah’s posture on the chair tells us that he is relaxed. His back is against the back of the chair and his elbows rest on the arms. Allie on the other hand has her hands crossed on her lap and her back is not rested on the chair. She looks worried and confused. Although this isn’t a close up of her face, we can still see her mental state at that time.