As before, you must use plenty of detailed examples from the film to support the points that you make - below are a number of useful clips from The Descent for you to make reference to, focusing on aspects of mise-en-scene, such as props and costume, which emphasise the changing representations of women.
There are also a number of clips that you can use when making the crucial points about the final girl character type.
Study these clips closely, making any extra notes that you feel will enhance the points you make in your essay - just remember that you should point out that the stereotypical representations of women that you found in Dracula (such as vulnerable victim/damsel-in-distress, sex object, duplicitous/deceitful/untrustworthy, domesticated) have largely been replaced with more positive representations of women as strong, brave, independent and resourceful.
In this part of the essay (the second half, after you have discussed Dracula), you may like to start with a paragraph that acts as an overview of the changes in representation of women in films like The Descent (also mentioning other British Horror films such as Mum and Dad, Eden Lake, Triangle and Donkey Punch) - outlining the fact that the stereotypical representations that you found in Dracula have been replaced with less stereotypical representations. You may want to briefly mention aspects of mise-en-scene and the introduction of the final girl character type in this connecting paragraph, alongside the ways in which films like The Descent appeal to a broader audience (one that has moved away from the perceived audience for horror movies - adolescent males) BEFORE writing lengthier, separate paragraphs on costumes/props and the final girl.
In the paragraph about costumes and props, you must discuss the fact that throughout the film the women are shown wearing costumes that DO NOT sexualise or objectify them - instead, they are shown wearing more functional clothes (and using more functional props) that are suitable for the masculine pursuits that they are undertaking - such as white water rafting and caving.
In the paragraph about the final girl character type, you must outline the traits that are common to this type of character and give examples of each of these from the film - remember that you should suggest that Sarah fits the character type of the final girl almost perfectly, before discussing each of the following traits in detail: boyish attributes, strong and independent, intelligent and resourceful, brave, serious. Again, some of the clips below will outline this more clearly, and will support the notes we have discussed in the handout that I gave you.
Look carefully at each of the following clips (and the notes that accompany them) and remember that you will need to give detailed examples of scenes that emphasise the changing representations of gender (such as costume props and anything related to the final girl character type).
The opening scene of The Descent is a useful one to discuss with regards to the representation of women - you can use it to support points about the costumes that the women wear in the film (here, the outfits are functional and appropriate for the activity that they are engaged in, rather than sexualising/objectifying them) and if you want to discuss the ways that the women are seen as brave and adventurous rather than weak and vulnerable.
The scene shows them white water rafting - an extreme sport that may be more commonly associated with men. The amplified sound effects of the women whooping, which starts the scene, indicates that they are skilled and in control - enjoying the experience. The idea that they are brave and skilled is supported by various shots of them navigating through crashing torrents of water - their figure behaviour here establishes them as different from the more vulnerable women we witnessed in Dracula, and creates certain expectations about how they will behave later in the narrative when they are put in danger. The rapid editing and canted angles shows how dangerous the activity is. The scene also sets up the idea that Juno and Sarah's husband are having an affair - an important plot point that is not clarified until later in the narrative.
The scene in the hospital shows Sarah as fragile and vulnerable - a more typical representation of women within the horror genre. Contra-zooms and canted angles are used to unsettle the audience (useful if you want to discuss techniques that the director uses that are associated with the horror genre) and we see Sarah in a distressed state as she realises that both her husband and young daughter are dead.
You do not need to discuss this scene in detail - BUT you may find it useful to mention when discussing the change in Sarah as a character as the film progresses, outlining her transformation from an archetypal vulnerable victim (understandable, considering what she has been through) to the warrior-like final girl that we witness as the narrative progresses.
It is crucial that you discuss the costumes that the women wear in The Descent, and contrast these with the costumes the women wear in Dracula (and within the genre generally). Remember, that one of the stereotypical representations of women within the horror genre is as a sex object, and this is usually promoted through the mise-en-scene of costume which is used to accentuate the female figure or to show off flesh. By now, you will have made comments to this effect in your discussion of Dracula and it is vital that you say that the costumes the women wear in The Descent DO NOT present the women as sex objects - they are NOT used to encourage the objectification of the women.
In this scene, as Sarah and Beth arrive at the isolated log cabin ahead of their caving trip, they are wearing heavy sweaters and jeans rather than costumes that emphasise their figures. The high angle shots, sinister non-diegetic music, loose framing, animal skulls and the isolated setting are all typical aspects of film form that audiences will associate with the genre - what is significantly different, however, is the costumes that the women wear - jeans, jumpers, jackets and scarves. You must strongly make the point that these costumes do not sexualise the women at all.
The clip above, inside the log cabin, reinforces the sense of togetherness or unity of the women BUT also shows them all wearing costumes that do not present the women as sex objects.
Often in the horror genre there are scenes that are included for no real narrative purpose and seem to be there simply to show women gratuitously - countless scenes in horror films have women undress simply so that they can be objectified by either male characters or a predominantly male audience. Here, the women have changed out of their functional jeans and sweaters into unflattering pyjamas and dressing gowns. This kind of scene would have been the perfect opportunity for the director to present the women as sex objects through costume, dressing them in skimpy nightwear such as negligees or having the women wander around in their bras and knickers. Marshall, in fact, does the opposite - reinforcing that this is not a film wear the women are sexualised and objectified, and highlighting the changing representations of women within the genre.
This is emphasised as Beth enters the sitting room wearing black flowery pyjamas, that hang off her rather than clinging to her figure. The dialogue even draws attention to just how unflattering and unsexy her costume is - Beth claims the pyjamas were a Christmas present as the other girls howl with laughter at her.
The beginning of the scene is also useful if you want to discuss one of the traits of the final girl character. Some of the girls are shown outside - they are clearly drunk and they are smoking what appears to be pot (hiding it from Juno when she appears to remind them they have an early start). The final girl character in horror films isn't interested in superficial pleasures such as drinking and partying, and is instead presented as more serious and focused: noticeably, Sarah, the final girl, is absent - this represents her as more serious and focused than the others.
This scene begins with sinister non-diegetic music, mise-en-scene and certain camera shots that are typical of the horror genre (high angle extreme long shots of the isolated setting, slow zooms, loose framing of the cars on the road) BUT it is most useful in reinforcing the fact that the women are adventurous. They drive at pace towards their destination, their journey taking them off road - Sarah is shown as skilled and fearless as she confidently navigates her way across the dangerous terrain (the thrill of the drive reinforced through the use of tightly framed shots inside the vehicles, fast tracking shots, rapid editing and point of view shots).
In this scene, the costumes that the women wear and the props that they use are not stereotypically feminine. The outfits worn (including beanie hats, waterproof jackets and trousers, heavy sweaters) are not used to objectify the women or present them as sex objects - once again, they are functional and have masculine connotations (associated with extreme sports - as are the props of helmets, ropes and caving equipment).
Once more, the non-diegetic music is dramatic and sinister (pointing forward to the horrors the women will experience once trapped in the cave) and Marshall uses a range of shots that we would associate with the horror genre such as high angles and extreme long shots (that show the women loosely framed, and therefore vulnerable, tiny against the vast and imposing landscape).
As the women enter the cave, we are reminded of their skill and bravery (attributes associated with the final girl character type). Once again the costumes (this time, functional caving outfits, including unflattering helmets that help de-sexualise the women) and the props (ropes, carabiners, harnesses, torches) are more commonly associated with men and help reinforce the changing representations of gender.
Don't feel that you have to keep repeating these points in your essay - rather make the point once BUT give lots of examples (describing the scenes in detail) from a number of different points in the movie.
The notes that I have already given you on the final girl character type are pretty comprehensive - you must learn them and discuss the attributes of the final girl in relation to Sarah in The Descent in detail. This discussion should form the bulk of the second part of the second half of your essay and must be supported with concrete examples from the film.
Remember - you should have a mini paragraph on each of the following attributes, with at least one detailed, well explained, example from the film:
- BOYISH ATTRIBUTES
- STRONG AND INDEPENDENT
- INTELLIGENT AND RESOURCEFUL
- BRAVE
- SERIOUS
You should focus on The Descent (remember that the syllabus states that you should discuss a minimum of two films, and you will already have discussed the representation of women in Dracula) BUT you may like to briefly mention examples of the final girl character type from other British Horror films (see separate post, which briefly discusses the appearance of this character type in Mum and Dad, Eden Lake, Triangle and Donkey Punch). Just remember that any discussion of these other films should be brief and that you are much better off discussing The Descent in detail!
One of the characteristics of the final girl is that she is the first to realise that something is wrong. Conventionally, she will bring her concerns to the others and they will ignore her. Ultimately she will be proved right and a number of the other characters will die as a result of failing to heed her concerns.
In the scene above, we witness Sarah hearing the noises of the crawlers (something that confirms her suspicions that the women are not alone in the cave). Frequently, she catches a glimpse of something in the cave with them, or senses the presence of some thing other than her fellow cavers, yet her concerns are repeatedly ignored (the other women put her 'paranoid' behaviour down to Sarah's struggle to come to terms with the tragic deaths of both her husband and daughter at the beginning of the film). In the distance she sees the crouching figure of a crawler. When she frantically mentions it to Juno she dismisses it with the words 'there's nothing there' - the implication that it is a figment of Sarah's anxious imagination.
Once the crawlers attack, the girls become separated from each other (making them more vulnerable to being picked off one by one - as is typical in narratives from the horror genre). Sarah shows intelligence and resourcefulness a number of times in the later stages of the film and the clip above should be discussed in detail to support the points you make about this attribute of the final girl.
Hiding from the crawlers, Sarah turns on the video camera so that she can see what is happening around her (scanning the area through the night vision feature on the camcorder). Holly (who is the first to die) has had her broken leg splinted with the handle of an axe and Sarah takes the handle from her leg (showing bravery as she does so) and uses it to make a torch so that she can navigate her way around the pitch black cave system. She displays resourcefulness by cutting items of Holly's clothing and wrapping them around the axe handle (covering the rags with fuel she has found in an abandoned jerry can left by previous cavers). Quickly thinking on her feet, Sarah lights the fuel-soaked rags by creating a spark by bashing her carabiner against the rocks. Despite the obvious distress removing the splint from Holly's leg causes her, Sarah shows bravery by overcoming her fear and quickly and quietly constructing the makeshift torch.
One trait that is repeatedly shown by the final girl is bravery. In the scene above, Sarah puts her best friend Beth out of her misery, despite the fact that it is incredibly distressing for her to do so. Typically in the horror genre, the final girl sees the rest of her friends die BUT continues to pursue the monster despite the fact that the odds of her survival are unlikely. She tries to save Beth, but once it becomes apparent that she will not be able to do so she shows bravery and strength by killing her (using a rock to swiftly crush her skull and put her out of her misery).
Once she has killed Beth, Sarah is attacked by a crawler and shows her new-found strength by fighting it off and stamping it to death. Almost immediately another crawler attacks Sarah and she displays both bravery and resourcefulness by hiding by submerging herself in what appears to be a lake of blood. When she is spotted by the crawler, Sarah shows strength by holding her off, and resourcefulness by grabbing the tooth of an animal that is on the rocks and stabbing it through the crawler's eye.
As she crawls out of the lake of blood and onto the rock, Sarah displays a further act of resourcefulness and intelligence as another crawler approaches. Realising that the crawlers are blind, Sarah lies still on the rock whilst the crawler crawls over the top of her - managing to stay motionless and silent while the crawler literally sits on top of her. As the crawler moves off, Sarah carefully picks up a weapon, killing the crawler with it as it turns to face her. This scene shows just how far Sarah has transformed from the fragile and vulnerable woman we saw in the hospital at the beginning of the film.
You may want to use other clips from the film to support the points you make about the changing representations of women in the film and the final girl character - feel free to do so BUT there are more than enough examples above.
Once you have discussed costume and the final girl in relation to The Descent, you can conclude with a short statement that outlines just how far the representation of women has changed in the horror genre in the fifty years or so between Dracula and The Descent.
No comments:
Post a Comment