Thursday, 2 October 2014

Kill Bill - Representation of the Bride in the Two Different Scenes

In the first scene, the bride is presented as inferior to the man who is burying her alive, automatically making it seem like he has the higher status. The low-angle shot of the man looking down at the bride shows how inferior the bride is as it is showing how she is forced to look up at him. These shots are from the bride’s own perspective, and so, they show us exactly what she would be seeing in the situation. There is a low angle shot when the man gives the bride an ultimatum which clearly shows how he is in control of the situation, and portrays the bride as helpless. The constant close-ups of the bride’s eyes illustrate her fear as she is going to die. The audience sees close-ups of the bride’s face while she is inside the coffin which helps us see the panic she is expressing as present her as scared but claustrophobic. The close-ups of the nails being hammered into the coffin show that for the bride, there is no escape as she is being ‘locked’ inside the box. There are no shots of the coffin other than near her hands and face, showing just how small the coffin is but also represents how little hope she has as it is like the box is closing in on her and squashing any sense of optimism she has.
    The funereal, non-diegetic music gives the impression that the bride is going to die and shows how she is almost going to her own funeral. This makes her seem weak because there is nothing she can do to prevent this situation. The non-diegetic whistling contributes to the funeral-like setting and is eerie, making the audience think that the bride’s end is near. The synchronous sound of the woman panting and her heavy breathing each time mud is poured on to the coffin or she is lowered presents the bride as scared, in particular in when the screen is completely black, the audience have to rely on this sound to tell them how the bride is feeling. Additionally, the sound of her grunting and the synchronous sound of her banging on the top of the roof present the bride as desperate but also show that she has no luck as eventually, this stops, showing how she has lost all hope. Furthermore, the faint sound of the car driving away shows that no-one is around to help her and represents the fact that the she is now her only help.
    The lighting is very dim and minimal while she is in the coffin, again showing how little hope she has as it is like she can’t see ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’ as her life may end. This also makes the scene more horrific as the colours used in this scene are black and white only.
    In the second scene, the bride is presented in a different way. The high angle shot of the coffin makes it look bigger and so do the panning shots of her body in the coffin. This portrays that bride as once again having hope and being more positive. Moreover, the close-ups of her hands and boots show us that she now has a plan about how to escape.  The close-ups of her eyes no longer show her fear but instead, they show the brides determination to escape as the focus in her eyes is clear.  Although this shows how the bride is being shown in a different light, the audience is reminded that she is in the exact same situation as before through the use of a crane shot over the grave yard and the pan over the mud, reminding the audience of the bride being buried below this.  When the bride finally escapes, the close-up of the mud when her hand reaches up portrays the bride as almost zombie like because she is almost being brought back to life.
     The synchronous, diegetic sound of the bride punching the roof of the coffin is steady, presenting the bride as calm and as though she has a plan in comparison to earlier where she was just punching in desperation.  The non-diegetic music is more uplifting, showing that the bride is now the hero suggesting she will succeed in what she is doing. The music also picks up in tempo the closer the bride is to escaping, and it reaches its climax as she reaches the top which foreshadows the fact that she will escape.  The music also gets more peaceful, fluid and is more calming, reflecting the fact that the bride is calm, collected and knows she is doing.  When she finally escapes, she gasps for breath for a few seconds, showing how she was being suffocated underground, however, after this there is silence with the diegetic sound of crickets in the background which suggest that her struggle is not over as this contrasts to the fast, heavy breathing in the first scene and the sounds she made while attempting to escape earlier in this scene. The deigetic shuffling as the bride tries to escape is synchronous to her movements, showing how she is in control of the situation. It is also slow and steady which suggests that she is calm and is calculating her next move carefully.

    Light is used more in this scene as the bride uses the torch she has to light up the coffin. This shows how once again she can ‘see the light’ and is more optimistic. The use of more lighting and the fact that this scene uses colour show the bride as more heroic, stronger and more determined in her escape. The bride shine the torch on her face which really allows the audience to see the determination in her eyes.

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