This should take up roughly the first half of your essay (after the introduction) and you must emphasise that women are presented in a number of ways in Terence Fisher's 1958 horror movie, and that none of these representations are particularly positive.
Women are often portrayed in the following ways in horror films (and all of these representations are present in Dracula):
- Vulnerable victim/damsel-in-distress
- Sex object/lustful
- Domesticated
- Duplicitous/untrustworthy
The clips below, taken from Dracula, all highlight the differing ways that women were presented in the film and you must make sure that you discuss a number of these scenes in detail. Watch the clips and make your own notes on elements of mise-en-scene (such as costume and figure behaviour) and make sure that you use them as examples to back up your points in your essay. Remember, this is a Film Studies essay NOT a Sociology essay - you must reinforce your arguments with detailed examples from the films you have studied!
The instant that Harker meets the unnamed female victim in Dracula's castle, the audience are made aware of her duality - she may appear, from her facial expressions and figure behaviour, to be a vulnerable damsel-in-distress BUT the fact that we see her shadow cast across the floor before we see her, implies that she may not be what she seems - hinting that there is a dark and deceitful side to her personality. The fact that she begs Harker, a man, for his help in rescuing her, reinforces gender stereotypes regarding heroic masculinity and weak femininity - she needs a man to save her as she is incapable of doing it herself (contrast this with the resourceful, brave and independent final girl character of Sarah in The Descent).
As the camera tilts up the women, we see her in medium long shot - enabling us to see her figure behaviour but also her costume. Holding her hands loosely by her side, her stance is submissive, suggesting her vulnerability. The negligee she wears reveals her bare shoulders and arms, as well as her cleavage - whilst this costume may not be particularly revealing to a modern audience, the woman is clearly being objectified and portrayed as a sex object. Remember, that in 1958 this costume would have been particularly revealing (Dracula was sold to audiences as much on sex as it was on horror and violence) and whilst modern audiences are familiar with outfits in horror films that sexualise women much more, you should talk about this costume in terms of how it makes the woman appear to be a sex object.
Closer shots, such as medium shots and medium close ups, repeatedly emphasise the woman's cleavage and the high angle from which she is shot reinforce notions of her vulnerability (as does her figure behaviour, as she moves towards Harker and desperately pleads for his help).
In the second clip featuring the unnamed woman and Harker in Dracula's castle, the director hints at the woman's deceitful, sinister and dangerous side through the use of creepy non-diegetic music, that plays as Harker enters the great hall (she shuts the door behind him as he enters the room, as the music builds to a crescendo). Again, the shots of her (first, side on, followed by a medium close up) accentuate her figure and, in particular her breasts and cleavage - once more objectifying her for both Harker and the (predominantly male) audience, representing her as a sex object.
The camera tracks her as she runs desperately towards Harker, again pleading for his help; once more she is presented as being vulnerable and in need of saving (relying on a man to rescue her). During a lengthy two shot of Harker and the unnamed woman, she is shown in medium close up, a distance of shot that again sexualises/objectifies her by drawing the audience's attention to her cleavage. Again, the director uses high angle shots of her to emphasise her vulnerabilty - reinforced by the high-pitched desperate tone of voice as she pleads for Harker's assistance. The woman becomes more and more hysterical, grabbing Harker as she begs for help - at this point she is being represented as the archetypal damsel-in-distress. As the scene ends, however, we see a different representation of the woman - as deceitful, untrustworthy and duplicitous. As she clings desperately to Harker, thanking him for agreeing to help her escape Dracula, the director cuts to a close up of her face (over Harker's shoulder) - this enables the audience to see her facial expression change from timid, fearful and desperate to sinister and evil (the tone of the non-diegetic music changes to reflect her deceit). A look of lust covers her face as she bites Harker.
As the scene concludes and Dracula returns, the woman is again shot from a high angle and is once more represented as vulnerable, particularly compared to the strength that Dracula shows (he throws her to the floor like a rag doll, before easily picking her up and carrying her out of the room).
Stereotypical representations of women often found in older horror films include servants and housewives, domesticated and subservient to the male characters. Mina is represented in this way later in the film, as is Inga, the barmaid, in this scene. As she enters the inn, she is seen putting on her apron - immediately identifying her as a domesticated servant. During the conversation between Van Helsing and the Innkeeper, Inga is in the background, subservient to the men. When she speaks to Van Helsing, confirming helpfully that she remembers seeing Harker, she is instantly put in her place by the Innkeeper who demands that she "hold her tongue". Immediately, her figure behaviour and facial expression changes and she pretends not to remember seeing Harker - her change in demeanor reflects the male Innkeeper's power and her respective submissiveness. She instantly scurries back into the kitchen when ordered to prepare a meal by the Innkeeper - reinforcing masculine dominance.
As the scene ends, Inga secretively defies her boss by giving Van Helsing Harker's diary, which she has hidden beneath the napkin - this could be read as a moment of defiant courage OR as another example of a woman being deceitful.
When the audience are first introduced to Lucy, Harker's fiancee, she is instantly presented as vulnerable - she lies, ill, in her bed - we don't know it yet BUT she has become yet another victim of Count Dracula. The non-diegetic music that accompanies the early moments of the scene is sad and melancholic, reinforcing the representation of Lucy as a vulnerable damsel-in-distress. As Holmwood and his wife, Mina, leave the room, the non-diegetic music changes to a more sinister tone - revealing Lucy's duplicitous and deceitful nature; it seems that she was desperate for Holmwood and Mina to leave so that she can welcome Dracula into her bedroom.
As she rises from the bed, the medium close up of Lucy allows us to see the change in her facial expression as she looks longingly towards the French doors where she knows Dracula will appear. She throws her covers off and almost glides towards the door, secretively listening for Holmwood and Mina and locking the door - actions that again show her as duplicitous and deceitful. As she removes her crucifix, she is shown in medium close up and we can see her lustful facial expression - we get a sense of her sexual longing for Dracula's return. The camera pans, tracking her movements - she moves as if in a trance, under Dracula's control (again, a representation of women as weak and controlled by men). Lucy lays down on the bed, in a submissive position, as if welcoming Dracula for a sexual encounter. We see her look towards the door again (as the music heightens), followed by a point of view shot. When the director cuts back to a close up of Lucy, her facial expression shows fear and vulnerability - as she strokes her neck, it becomes apparent to the audience that she has been bitten by Dracula, and that she is now totally under his control.
In this scene, as Dracula dramatically appears at Lucy's doorway, the medium close up of her shows her breathing heavily - lustfully waiting for her encounter with Dracula; her facial expressions are a mixture of trepidation and sexual longing - both representations in keeping with the presentation of women in horror films from this era. As Dracula moves, he is dominant and powerful - Lucy's vulnerability is again reinforced by high angle shots of her on the bed. She twitches fearfully as Dracula envelopes her with his cloak.
In this scene, we see Lucy represented as deceitful and duplicitous - ordering Gerda (the maid - another representation of domesticity) to remove the garlic from her room and to open the windows, so that Dracula is free to visit her again. Medium close ups of Lucy looking towards the window (again, in a submissive position on the bed) show her facial expressions - a mixture of fear and sexual longing. You could use the scene to reinforce points that you have made about Lucy (and the representation of women throughout the film as being untrustworthy) BUT also to mention how Gerda is another stereotypical representation of women - both domesticated and incompetent (her decision to remove the garlic flowers and open her windows leads to Lucy's death).
Up until this point in the film, Mina Holmwood has been presented as the archetypal dutiful wife, a picture of obedient domesticity. In the notes, we discussed duality as a typical convention of the Gothic Horror sub-genre - the change in Mina from a reserved subservient wife to a sexually charged and lustful mistress of Dracula, is a perfect example of this.
The opening medium close up of Mina enables the audience to see the lust in her eyes, and the fact that she holds her collar up around her neck, as if to hide the bite marks on her neck, is an indication of her deceit. Her tone of voice has changed considerably from the earlier scenes, where her delivery was much more prim and reserved. The way that she wantonly flicks her head as she talks, further reinforces the change in her, and the glazed look in her eye suggests that she has experienced a level of sexual fulfillment previously alien to her.
Interestingly, as this scene begins Mina is dressed in black - the colour of the costume can be read as a representation of her descent towards evil now that she is under Dracula's control. The opening medium shot of Mina shows her in a domestic situation, sewing, as her husband and Van Helsing discuss business. As the men talk in the foreground, we can see Mina in the background trying to listen in to their conversation - when she asks the men what they are discussing, Holmwood patronisingly dismisses her, telling his wife that "we will be with you in a minute, darling".
As the scene progresses we see examples of both Mina's vulnerability and her deceitfulness. Holmwood asks her to take a crucifix for protection and her reluctant, nervous figure behaviour shows that she has something to hide - the fact that she is under Dracula's spell is revealed as the cross burns a mark into her hand.
Mina's deceitfulness is shown in this scene as she waits for Dracula to visit her. Her husband and van Helsing keep guard outside the house, in an attempt to protect her from Dracula - though she has deceived both men by allowing Dracula sanctuary in the basement of the house. Whilst they wait for Dracula outside, Mina is shown prowling around the house (again, her movements suggest a mixture of fearful vulnerability and sexual longing).
Her outfit is intended to portray her as a sex object (remember, for a contemporary audience, her nightgown may not seem particularly revealing BUT, at the time, it would have seemed more risque) - her hair is down and she has applied bright red lipstick. These elements of mise-en-scene are intended to present her to the audience as lustful and wanton. Close ups of Mina's face, as Dracula appears in the hallway below, again show a mixture of fear and lust, as does her figure behaviour as she backs away from Dracula towards the bed (a prop that reinforces her portrayal as lustful). Low angle shots of Dracula show his masculine dominance whilst high angle shots of Mina reinforce representations of her feminine vulnerability, as she submissively lies back on the bed.
This short scene, as Mina is thrown into the grave by Dracula, reinforces both his strength and her weakness and vulnerability - the message is clear: she is not powerful enough to resist or fight him, and she needs a masculine hero to rescue her from her fate. Her fragility is shown as Dracula easily picks her up and dumps her into the grave and her vulnerability is emphasised by the high angle shots, her figure behaviour and her screams.
As the film reaches its climax Mina is saved by the heroic actions of Van Helsing. Without the intervention of a masculine hero it is almost certain that she would die. The final shot of Mina shows her in Holmwood's arms, with her husband's coat draped around her shoulders - she is being protected by a more dominant, masculine figure.
Remember - you do not have to use all of the examples above NOR do you need to go into quite as much detail BUT it is important that you give examples from the film to clearly support the points you make.
Keep an eye on the blog for a similar post on the differing ways that women are presented in The Descent.
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ReplyDeleteVery helpful thank you Alex
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