Nicholas Ray's Johnny Guitar (1954) presents its most important setting, the Vienna saloon, in a very uncomfortable way. It represents a landmark condemned by a hypocritical group of settlers (Emma Small and her group) from a plot point of view, but thanks to the mise-en-scene and cinematographic choices, the quiet saloon also exudes a menacing aura and he constantly tries to detach the audience. from the club despite many of the characters, and in particular the protagonist, hoping for his salvation. This presents an interesting dichotomy with the vast wilderness accompanied by the orchestra surrounding the saloon. From the cold, dead stares of the lifeless bartender in the background of many shots, to the absence of close-ups and non-diegetic instrumentals in the first thirty minutes of the film, the saloon, despite its relevance and value to characters like Vienna and Johnny Guitar, becomes an eerie and disturbing stage for many events in the story; making it difficult for the audience to empathize with his inevitable downfall. The film begins with a title sequence against a static backdrop of distant shrubs, mountains, and clouds; a persistent show that does not truthfully establish upcoming events in the Vienna saloon. His saloon may be quiet, but it's always busy, and while the opening sequence, in which we are introduced to Johnny Guitar, is full of horn swagger and orchestral accompaniment, the saloon itself is inversely populated by the sound of wind, tumbleweed and harsh silences – something perhaps more associated with the western expanse in which the story takes place. However, due to this sonic dichotomy, the opening images after the credits sequence foreshadow the destruction of the venue, and the audience takes place... at the center of the card... friendships and many other events within the walls. of the living room. However, the lounge itself remains the same, as do a few select occupants, which in turn offers a stark contrast to the actions within it and the wilderness it sits alongside. So at the end of the day, when everything is razed, all that's left to feel is confusion and unease: the place that takes up most of the film becomes a place you never quite understood; perhaps your empathy is better directed elsewhere. Works Cited Citations: Charney, Leo. “Historical Excess: The Containment of Johnny Guitar” Cinema Journal 29, n. 4 (1990): 28-30. JSTOR. Network. November 21, 2013.Hardy, Phil. The Westerner. London: Aurum Press Ltd, 1991. Print.Cresswell, Tim. Definition of the place. Egham: Elsevier, 2009. Web. 20 November 2013.