- To present/depict
- The word that suggests something was there already and has been represented by media
- That which stands in for something else
- The way in which meaning is given to the things which are depicted that stand in for something
What is Representation?
- Representation is portraying something in a specific way. When represententing a person, media texts often focus on age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class and status, disability and regional identity.
What is Stereotyping?
- Portrayal of people/places through a few obvious characteristics
Typical Male Representation
Men in thriller films are often portrayed as the protagonist: the strong hero who protects the women and save the day by solving the enigma which the audience find out usually at the start or middle of the film. A males physique helps to show them as a hero, as the big, built body shows strength and power. It is common for men to be independent, not having the rely on anyone, being a 'lone-hero'. Men tend to take a more active role and less emotion role in comparison to women, they are usually team leader.An example is Matt Damon in Bourne Identity as he is muscly and strong which helps portray the fact that he is the hero. Also he is shown as the team leader as he has control over the female. Males also can represent an antagonist in thriller films which is a villain. There is sometimes a story behind why the male wants to do/be evil, due to previous situations which may include the protagonist. An example of an antagonist is Anthony Perkins who plays Norman Bates in Psycho. In our film the man is the antagonist as he has abducted, raped and tried to kill an innocent girl. The man in our film portrays the antagonist as he looks very intimidating as he has a bald head and has stern facial expressions.
Typical Female RepresentationThe females in thriller films are very significant because they have no stereotypical role in the genre. In some films they portray cold hearted and emotionless characters, for example Angelina Jolie is portrayed as cold hearted and emotionless in the film 'Mr and Mrs Smith' because she is a trained assassin. She also acts how a male would act, using guns and explosives.
Females in thrillers can also be portrayed as the damsel in distress, who needs to be saved by the protagonist which is usually a male because the idea of a patriarchal society can be reflected in the representation of women in thriller as they are shown as being highly dependent on men.
It is common for older women to have sexual appeal or to be mothers, where as younger women tend to have a sense of innocence and purity. No matter what role a women plays in a Thriller, she is always portrayed as beautiful and in shape, rather than ruffed up and dirty, as males are sometimes portrayed. This emphasises the male gaze, this will attract the male audience.
Women in thrillers can also be portrayed as the victim as they are considered innocent and powerless compared to men who are usually the antagonist as they have dominance over women. In our film the teenage girl is the victim as she has been abducted, raped and almost killed by a man (the antagonist.) In our scene she is waiting to be interviewed in the police station and she comes across very timid and innocent as she is is shaking and looking around nervously. Also after what has happened to her she cannot walk properly which shows her powerlessness compared to the man.
History of Thriller Genre
1920's and 30's
Alfred Hitchcock promoted the thriller genre by creating the silent film called 'The Lodger' which was based on the Jack the Ripper murders. His next thriller was 'Blackmail' in 1929, the first sound film in Britain Hitchcock released 15 features between 1925 and 1935 but only six were thriller films. These were the two above plus 'Murder!', 'Number Seventeen', 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' and 'The 39 Steps'. From 1935 on, however, most of his films were thriller
Fritz Lang released a spy-thriller film called 'Spies' in 1928. This film anticipated the James Bond films of the future. The German film 'M',directed by Fritz Lang was released in 1931. It was about criminal deviant who preys on children and was based on the life of serial killer Peter Kurten
1940's
In the 1940's Hitchcock directed 'Foreign Correspondent' (1940), 'Rebecca' (1940), 'Suspicion' (1941) 'Saboteur' (1942) and 'Shadow of a Doubt' (1943), which was Hitchcock's favourite and was based upon the real case of a 1920s serial killer 'The Merry Widow Murderer'. 'Rebecca' won Best Picture, unusual for a psychological thriller film.
In 1944 George Cukor created a psycological thriller called 'Gaslight.' This was when people started making sub-genres. The film is about a husband plotting to make his wife go insane to gain inheritance.
In 'Sorry, Wrong Number', released in 1948, a woman overheard a murder plot on the phone – against herself. 'The Third Man' (1949), told the story of a writer in post-World War II Vienna who found out that his old friend a black marketeer, was not dead after all.
1950's
Director Michael Powell' released 'Peeping Tom' in 1960. It was released just after Hitchcock released 'Psycho', also in 1960. After Hitchcock's classic films of the 1950s, he produced the shocking and engrossing thriller 'Psycho' about a woman who steals money from her work place and runs away to a motel where she is murdered by the owner.
The decade started with Rob Reiner's 'Misery' (1990), based on the book by Stephen King. Other obsession thrillers of the 90's include 'Sleeping with the Enemy' (1991), Curtis Hanson's 'The Hand That Rocks the Cradle' (1992), 'Unlawful Entry' (1992), Barbet Schroeder's 'Single White Female' (1992), Harold Becker's 'Malice' (1993), and Anthony Minghella's psychological thriller 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' (1999),
It is common for older women to have sexual appeal or to be mothers, where as younger women tend to have a sense of innocence and purity. No matter what role a women plays in a Thriller, she is always portrayed as beautiful and in shape, rather than ruffed up and dirty, as males are sometimes portrayed. This emphasises the male gaze, this will attract the male audience.
Women in thrillers can also be portrayed as the victim as they are considered innocent and powerless compared to men who are usually the antagonist as they have dominance over women. In our film the teenage girl is the victim as she has been abducted, raped and almost killed by a man (the antagonist.) In our scene she is waiting to be interviewed in the police station and she comes across very timid and innocent as she is is shaking and looking around nervously. Also after what has happened to her she cannot walk properly which shows her powerlessness compared to the man.
History of Thriller Genre
1920's and 30's
Alfred Hitchcock promoted the thriller genre by creating the silent film called 'The Lodger' which was based on the Jack the Ripper murders. His next thriller was 'Blackmail' in 1929, the first sound film in Britain Hitchcock released 15 features between 1925 and 1935 but only six were thriller films. These were the two above plus 'Murder!', 'Number Seventeen', 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' and 'The 39 Steps'. From 1935 on, however, most of his films were thriller
Fritz Lang released a spy-thriller film called 'Spies' in 1928. This film anticipated the James Bond films of the future. The German film 'M',directed by Fritz Lang was released in 1931. It was about criminal deviant who preys on children and was based on the life of serial killer Peter Kurten
British directors, such as Walter Forde, Victor Saville, George A. Cooper and Michael Powell made more thrillers in the same time period. Walter Forde made nine, Victor Saville made seven, Cooper and Powell both made six.
In the 1940's Hitchcock directed 'Foreign Correspondent' (1940), 'Rebecca' (1940), 'Suspicion' (1941) 'Saboteur' (1942) and 'Shadow of a Doubt' (1943), which was Hitchcock's favourite and was based upon the real case of a 1920s serial killer 'The Merry Widow Murderer'. 'Rebecca' won Best Picture, unusual for a psychological thriller film.In 1944 George Cukor created a psycological thriller called 'Gaslight.' This was when people started making sub-genres. The film is about a husband plotting to make his wife go insane to gain inheritance.
In 'Sorry, Wrong Number', released in 1948, a woman overheard a murder plot on the phone – against herself. 'The Third Man' (1949), told the story of a writer in post-World War II Vienna who found out that his old friend a black marketeer, was not dead after all.
1950's
In the 1950s, Hitchcock added technicolor to his thrillers. His classic thriller releases of the 50's were 'Strangers on a Train' (1951), 'Dial M For Murder' (1954), 'Rear Window' (1954), 'To Catch a Thief' (1955), 'Vertigo' (1958), and North by Northwest.
Non-Hitchcock thriller of the 1950s include the film-nourish 'Niagara' (1953) starring Marilyn Monroe as the trashy femme fatale who schemes to kill her unstable husband, 'Kiss Me Deadly' (1955) , 'The Night of the Hunter' (1955), and 'Touch of Evil' (1958.)
1960's
Director Michael Powell' released 'Peeping Tom' in 1960. It was released just after Hitchcock released 'Psycho', also in 1960. After Hitchcock's classic films of the 1950s, he produced the shocking and engrossing thriller 'Psycho' about a woman who steals money from her work place and runs away to a motel where she is murdered by the owner.
Other thrillers released in the 60's include 'J. Lee Thompson's Cape Fear' (1962) 'Charade' (1963) and Roman Polanski's first film in English 'Repulsion' (1965). Another famous thriller was 'Wait Until Dark' released in 1967, starring Audrey Hepburn.
The 007 films inspired other spy thriller films like 'The Ipcress File' (1965), 'Funeral in Berlin' (1967) and 'Billion Dollar Brain' (1967).
1970's and 80's
The decade saw a violent start in the thriller genre, with Hitchcock's 'Frenzy' (1972) being given an R rating for its vicious and explicit strangulation scene. Also 'Don't Look Now' (1973) which is about a couple grieving the drowning death of their daughter. One of the first films about a fan being disturbingly obsessed with their idol was Clint Eastwood's 'Play Misty for Me', released in 1971.
Francis Ford Coppola created a character study/spy thriller, 'The Conversation' in 1974, a bugging-device expert uncovered a covert murder while he himself was being spied upon. Directed by Irvin Kershner 'The Eyes of Laura Mars', another stalker themed thriller released in 1978.
Brian De Palma usually had themes of guilt, paranoia and obsession in his films. Similar plot elements include killing off a main character early on, switching points of view, and dream-like sequences. His films include, the psycho-thriller 'Sisters' (1973), 'Obsession' (1976), 'Dressed to Kill' (1980), the assassination thriller 'Blow Out' (1981) and 'Body Double' (1984.)
Spy and conspiracy thriller films were scattered throughout the two decades. Don Siegel's 'The Black Windmill' (1974), Alan Pakula's 'The Parallax View' (1974) 'Capricorn One' (1978), Sam Peckinpah's final film 'The Osterman Weekend' (1983), 'Defence of the Realm' (1985), John Mackenzie's spy thriller 'The Fourth Protocol' (1987.)
The decade ended with Phillip Noyce's 'Dead Calm' (1989), a psychological thriller with Nicole Kidman, who must fight for her life on a yacht against a crazed castaway. This thriller had elements of obsession and trapped protagonists who must find a way to escape the villain which influenced a number of thrillers in the early 90's.
1990's
The decade started with Rob Reiner's 'Misery' (1990), based on the book by Stephen King. Other obsession thrillers of the 90's include 'Sleeping with the Enemy' (1991), Curtis Hanson's 'The Hand That Rocks the Cradle' (1992), 'Unlawful Entry' (1992), Barbet Schroeder's 'Single White Female' (1992), Harold Becker's 'Malice' (1993), and Anthony Minghella's psychological thriller 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' (1999),
Despite the fact that the obsession theme was very common in this decade, there was another popular theme of the thriller genre – detectives/FBI agents hunting down a serial killer. The most famous was Jonathan Demme's Best Picture-winning 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991). That and David Fincher's 'Seven' (1995) are both about the hunting down of a serial killer.
2000's to present
There are a number of recent thrillers that maintain the aspects of the horror genre; having more goreviolence, brutality and terror. The recent thrillers which took this approach include 'Eden Lake' (2008), 'The Last House on the Left' (2009), 'P2' (2007), 'Captivity' (2007), 'Vacancy' (2007) and 'Funny Games' (2008). Even action scenes have gotten more elaborate in thriller films within the past 10 years, especially in spy thrillers. Thrillers such as 'Joy Ride' (2001), 'Unknown' (2011), 'Hostage' (2005), 'Cellular' (2006), 'A History of Violence' (2005) and 'Firewall' (2006) were borderline-action.
No comments:
Post a Comment