Mise-en-scene Character Study of the Magneto in X-Men: First Class

The film X-Men: First Class (directed and co-written by Matthew Vaughan) primarily follows the character Erik Lehnsherr (later known as Magneto and played in adult form as the talented Michael Fassbender) as the protagonist. The character’s decisions throughout the film are rooted in his past – a past of oppression and misery in the concentration camps in the Poland of 1944.

The opening scene of the film shows us what life was like for a younger Erik (played in youth by the also talented Bill Milner) and through the use of mise-en-scene, the filmmakers visually represent the characters misery and also the misery of concentration camps during the Second World War. The scene itself shows very little, but is still effective – all the scene shows at first glance is magneto being separated from his family, bending a metal gate and then being knocked unconscious by a soldier.

Both Erik and the characters surrounding him (excluding soldiers) wear well worn, dark clothing and appear pale and dirty through their makeup - implying that the Erik and the other people held in the camp are not cared for and it also highlights their oppression at the hands of Nazi soldiers. The Nazi soldiers themselves are dressed in cleaner, newer clothes and this further highlights the difference between Erik and the people in power. There is a tattoo of a designated number on the arm of another member of camp and this reinforces the sense of ownership pushed onto Erik and the other members of the camp.

There are few props in the opening scene, but those that are utilised are utilised effectively. For example, the wheel barrow and pickaxe used by camp members other than Erik reinforce the sheer subjugation that people inside concentration camps faced. Another prop used is the gun. The gun is used at the end of the scene to subdue Erik and is used to show the powerlessness of the early Magneto and to also foreshadow his eventual transformation into a human weapon later on in the film.

The figure expressions of Erik and surrounding characters show sadness, powerlessness and oppression. This is well juxtaposed to the figure expressions on the soldiers and authoritarian figures as they are shown to be confident and strong in their expressions – further heightening the power imbalance between Erik and soldiers and also further showing the realistic power difference between those inside the concentration camps and those controlling the concentration camps.

Throughout the scene, the characters and setting are shown in low key lighting but this does not emphasise power difference, as many other elements of the scene do, but instead shows horror. Soldiers and people in the camps are both given equally dark lighting – revealing that concentration camps are horrific to all. The low key lighting also can be seen as the foreshadowing of Erik’s concealment from the world during his hunt for Sebastian Shaw.

The last element I wish to cover is setting. The entirety of the scene is shown in a dark camp with rain which gives the audience a sense of oppression and bleakness, a feeling that I’m certain any human would reciprocate if placed in a concentration camp. Another key part of the setting is the metal gate seen towards the end of the beginning scene. The gate is shown as a symbol of power and oppression by the Nazi soldiers as it contains the people inside the concentration camp and reinforces their subjugation with its barbed wire atop itself. The metal gate is also a symbol of power Erik as it is the first showing of his power (which itself is of a controlling nature, although only of magnetic fields) and is the first showing of people fighting against the soldiers and authority figures shown throughout the opening scene.

Erik Lehnsherr’s journey (or descent depending on your outlook on life) towards becoming Magneto is shown gradually throughout X-Men: First Class, but I believe this opening scene in particular is key to setting the direction of both the character and the film tonally.