Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey)

Lester Burnham is the main character in the award winning film "American Beauty". As a class, we were told to make notes on his body language, voice, clothes, mise en scene and general representation. At the beginning of the film, Lester is talking about how he has less than a year to live. However, he does not know that yet, the voice over is as though he is speaking from a dead person's perspective. During the introduction to himself where he reveals where he lives, what he does etc. he speaks with a monotonous and unenthusiastic voice which later links to his body language. During this time in which we get to know him, he shows a defeatist view on his life, it is as though he has nothing left to live for. It appears that he has everything a person could possibly want to achieve in their lives; he has a large house, a wife, a child, he's smartly dressed, a nice car, large shower, his daughter has a computer in her room etc. He basically shows that he's succeeded already and has no ambition any longer. He even admits when he's masturbating in the shower, that's the best part of his day.


When we are introduced to his wife, it shows her with gardening gloves on which match her gardening accessories, she is looking after her roses and maintaining her garden, obviously a very materialistic woman. His wife and his daughter both think that he's a loser and they show this via their sarcasm, especially when he is late for work and he drops his papers - she gives him a deathly stare and shows her hate towards him, which is mutual from both Lester and his wife. When he gets in the car, he sits in the back, with his wife and daughter in the fornt, which is quite unusual in traditional families. When he is in the back, he does not join in any conversations, he just sits there and falls asleep with his body slumped. Throughout the beginning of the film it shows that nothing goes right for him and that he is a liability. Despite all of this, Lester's voice picks up and become more confident when he says that things are about to change.


During this opening of the film, i picked up that there was a repeat in the colours Red, White and Blue. Which shows to be quite patrotic, as the American flag is made up of those colours.


The final thing i picked up on is that Lester is trapped. He is always on the inside looking out and never vice versa. I think that this may act as a signifier for the rest of the film. As he is trying to change this order in order to make his life better.