John Hart

Very few films can tell a comprehensible and intriguing story in under an hour and a half. Adam’s Rib may be a short film, but it succeeds in getting straight to the point by immediately setting up the characters and environment in which they exist from the beginning of the film. The movie is successful in that it never drags and manages to stay focused with its use of mise-en-scéne as well as carefully setup camera angles. All of which are unique to each of the main characters as the audience weaves in and out of all of their lives. The plot stays interesting from start to finish by introducing each character as an individual entity, shows the dynamic individuals interacting, and provides a sense of growth and character shift between the women by the end.

The story of Adam’s Rib centers on four related women spread across several generations, which represent differing ideals in a contemporary Russia. The first half of the film is very careful to point out the ways in which the women are different from one another in the space they inhabit. The last half reveals the fact that all of the women depend on one another and have more in common then they initially realized.

The characters Nina and Lida are portrayed the most distinctly in the film by use of camera shots. Emphasis is used in showing how each character is an individual in the beginning of the film. The camera is utilized very well in showing the uneasiness and stress that Nina possesses. Much of the film Nina is constantly in front of a mirror making sure that she is as presentable as possible. It suggests that she is self-conscious and attempting to keep up the idea that she retains stability in her life. Her façade is revealed to the viewer through the use of the camera. Segments of the story that are focused on her have the camera slightly bouncing and moving around. This not only means that a tripod was not used but it is manifesting Nina’s feelings of uneasiness, especially the scene in which Evgeny comes over in the morning.

Lida is another character that is illustrated a particular way using the camera. For the first half of the movie Lida receives several close-ups, which seems to suggest to the audience to pay attention to the way she looks. She happens to look not much older than her little sister with her hair pulled back and also appears very preoccupied. Her appearance can be attributed to her dreams of running away with her lover. The scene where Lida is with her lover is shot interestingly in two ways. The first way is a shot from a hallway looking into the bedroom and the lover is laying on his back, smoking, and staring out into the hallway. The second shot is a dutch angle which frames the top halves of Lida and her lover in bed. He is looking at the ceiling and not really paying attention to her while she cuddles up beside him. Both of these shots are deliberately pointing out to the audience what Lida cannot see, which is that everything is not as wonderful as it seems. It also foreshadows something problematic will arise for her later in the film.

One other important aspect of the film has to do with character growth and shifting. The first half of the film presents Nastiya as the rebellious, independent, and stubborn youth, who has everyone doing everything for her. Nina is desperately trying to hold her family and her senses together. Nastiya’s pregnancy not only comes as a personal shock but as a realization as well. This realization acts as a turning point in which the young girl understands it is time to grow up and begin helping the family as opposed to tearing it apart. Her character’s growth and shift can most notably be seen as Nastiya tells her mom to turn the television for the grandmother to see and Nina simply responds, "Yes daughter."

Adam’s Rib is not just a story about a family of women and their hardships. It is a look into the lives of individuals and how they coexist with their differing personalities and behaviors. The film also analyzes the interaction of these individuals and how this leads to their personal development. The characters’ progression is documented through the use of cinematography and easily comparable between the first and second half of the film.