Harris, Editing in Croupier (1998)

"The Truth"
Marion Nell (played by Gina McKee-left) and Jack Manfried (played by Clive Owen-right).  

In Mike Hodges' second installment of a trilogy, Croupier (1998) tells the story about an aspiring writer named Jack Manfried (played by Clive Owen). However, Jack is suffering from writer's block and reluctantly takes a job as a croupier at the request of his father. While Jack is working at the casino, he goes by the name of his alter ego, Jake, and submerges himself into the world of gambling and deception. During his time at the casino, Jack/Jake is able to overcome his writer's block and becomes entangled in a casino heist.

Throughout the film, editor Les Healey constructs the scenes in a parallel fashion. In the first fifty-eight minutes, the audience is introduced to Jack's current lifestyle and predicament. Then, the climax of the film begins when Jake takes a friend, Jani De Villiers (played by Alex Kingston), to a party that his editor, Giles Cremorne (played by Nick Reding), is hosting. While staying at the house, Jani reveals to Jake about her current predicament and needs his help to get out of it. The remaining thirty-three minutes of the film tends to parallel the previous scenes, such as the dialogue between Marion Nell (played by Gina McKee), who is Jack's girlfriend, and Jack.

In the first half of the film, Jack tells his girlfriend, Marion, that he took a job as a croupier.Gradually, Marion notices subtle differences in her boyfriend and eventually says,"I want to live with a writer, not a croupier." In the photograph above (the next scene), Jack tries to apologize to Marion, but is later met with disappointment because of their conflicting schedules. Despite the dyed hair, Jack, the writer, is still present at this scene. The audience can see the remnants of the writer with his signature black hat and coat. To enhance the importance of this scene, cinematographer Michael Garfath shot this scene in a low angle, which gave an emphasis on the dominance between the two characters. Since the photo shows the characters being dominant figures, costume designer, Caroline Harris, does an exquisite job of representing the current emotions of the characters. In the picture, both characters are wearing a black coat, which can symbolize their growing discontent for each other. In contrast, their under shirts are different. While Marion is wearing a teal undershirt, which symbolizes calm and sophistication, Jack is wearing a white undershirt, which symbolizes his coldness towards her. In addition to the camera technique and color, the lighting is also important.

The lighting that was used in the picture above was available lighting. However, it is important to notice that the lighting is so bright, there are no shadows lurking anywhere. Therefore, the viewer can make the assertion that the lighting can symbolize the truthfulness of the characters motives. Hence, in this scene, Jack wants to make amends with Marion and asks her for a cocktail when she gets off. When Marion replies with her answer, Jack realizes that he can no longer meet her because he has to go to work at that time. Hence, Marion's response to the situation is, "This is our life now, isn't?" In this scene, both characters are neutral and neither one showing any disappointment. Unlike the previous scene, the lighting that was used was a low contrast because the viewer can see shadows lurking in the background. The shadows were used to create the feeling of secrecy between Marion and Jack, plus the presence of the alter ego, Jake, in the room. Overall, this picture does a great job to illustrate the deterioration of Marion and Jack's relationship.

"The Break Up"
Marion Nell (played by Gina McKee-left) and Jack Manfried (played by Clive Owen) 

In the later half of the film, editor Les Healey shows the audience how Jack's alter ego, Jake, begins to take over Jack's life completely. After the climax of the film, Jake submerges himself in aiding a friend who happens to be scamming him. Even though Jack is slowly being overtaken by Jake, Marion reminds him by giving a book charm. When Jack shows Marion his thanks, she makes the remark, "I can't wait for you to dye your hair blonde again." Despite the criminal activity her boyfriend is currently   involved in, Marion remains aloof until she erases a message from Jani. Therefore her boyfriend's suspicious activity is finally confirmed when Marion finds the cash under the sink. Therefore, this specific picture definitely shows how Jake has completely taken over Jack. It is important to remember that the main characteristic that separates Jake from Jack is deception. The audience could assume that Jack was truthful and possibly honest, which is the total opposite of Jake. In the photograph above, called "The Break Up," the audience can not see the remnants of the writer, Jack, but instead the full fledged Jake. Besides Jake's deception in the later half of the film, Marion mirrors her own comment that was made in the first half by saying, "I don't want to live with a criminal."