The editing of the interrogation scene in Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985) uses long takes and seamless continuity editing to convey the nature of the two main characters in this scene and their conflict. Although the scene conveys extreme tension, urgency, and crisis, this is accomplished by the editing aiding the narrative of the story and not through tense editing and abrupt cuts, as in Battleship Potemkin (to which Brazil pays homage in an earlier scene).
In this scene, our protagonist Sam Lowry finds himself apprehended by the totalitarian government and strapped to a chair in a torturous interrogation room, before his interrogator enters - his old co-worker and friend, Jack Lint.
The scene opens with a close-up of Sam as a bag is lifted from his head and he is introduced to his new, horrifying environment, with creepy music quiet in the background. The camera quickly pulls out to an establishing shot of the vast chamber as the music crescendoes, then falls silent. This first shot establishes the viewer to identify with Sam: at first, disoriented and with a clear impression of his emotions, and then astounded at his circumstances. The music accompanies the story by instilling shock and horror in the viewer.
In the next phrase, the camera cuts between Sam's panicky point of view and close-ups of his horrified face, switching seamlessly with the aid of atmosphere established in the first phrase. For this phrase, the viewer sees and hears only within Sam's proximity. When his captors leave, the very long shot of the door at the far end of the chamber lingers onscreen, accompanied only by silence and faint speech, creating a strong sense of suspense.
Next, Jack enters the scene, and we are torn from Sam's POV to follow him with a seamless reverse-angle shot. Gilliam continues using close-ups, juxtaposed with the vast emptiness of the chamber, to underline Jack as a character and make the viewer consider his thoughts and motives. Now that the viewer has strong familiarity with both charater's points of view, tension is established as a result of their inevitable confrontation.
After briefly returning to Sam's face, the camera cuts to a medium shot of Jack, then positions itself with a much more objective POV with a steady two-shot of Jack and Sam. The camera stays in this position for almost a full minute, once again relying totally on the narrative drama onscreen to drive the tension and suspense.
At the end of this scene, Gilliam returns to reverse-angle cutting between close-ups to emphasize his characters and their actions as isolated and individual (suspenseful music begins to play in the background): Sam's face, Jack's mask, Sam's face again, Jack's torture tool, and finally, Jack's impending approach before he is abruptly shot. This quick cutting on action creates a sense of profound panic and anticipation for what might be about to happen; yet it is seamless because the viewer, heavily entrenched in the narrative, follows the action from every angle on tinterhooks.
The overall editing structure of this portion of the scene is this: it begins with a subjective and emotive camera, gradually changing into a more objective and voyeuristic POV, then finally switching back to subjective storytelling. This structure works as a means to tell the story by establishing each character individually, letting them have their conflict, and ending with powerful excitement.
Video (the scene described above refers to time boundaries 0:00 - 2:23):
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