Brian Gilbert uses a straight-forward framing to tell the story of Tom and Viv Eliot. He allows us to interact in their worlds without his camera dictating exactly what he wants us to feel, he saves that for specific moments in the film, such as the blurred staircase shot as the camera peers through to Viv and Berty dancing in Tom and Viv's apartment. The image makes us wonder is their relationship is above board or not. Another specific example is when Tom is riding the elevator down from the radio station. He is behind two layers of steel cage as he goes down. He's symbolically trapped, and going down without Viv and even when the cages are removed he remains trapped within his body.
Gilbert also uses a cut from Viv's parents to Tom and Viv on their honeymoon. It's an ocean of sorrow on either side as her parents have learned that Viv has eloped and Tom has learned of Viv's medical conditions which she withheld from him before marriage.
Gilbert also uses the place and time of the story to his advantage. He allows the landscapes and city to tell the story of when we are watching, such as the opening of the car being driven by the soldiers during WWI. And, he uses the embellished decor of the times, and of the wealth of Viv's family to create composition in the frame. Such as the doctor being framed by the molding on the walls in his office.
Finally, Gilbert's camera stays steady to allow for Viv to be the object of movement throughout the story. That she becomes the out of control subject the eye focuses on while everyone else remains physically reserved. Thus, when we discover she has been well for years in the asylum it is almost haunting to see what they have done to her.
