Exam Question: How does the extract from 'Wire in the Blood' construct representations of gender?
Within the extract from Wire in the Blood it is shown that the two main characters, Alex and Tony, defy their gender stereotypes and do not conform to society's ideologies.
The beginning of the extract takes place is a solemn setting that appears to be the scene of a crime. The scene is so dark it appears to have a black and white filter applied. The colours contrast with the non conformity to the portrayal of the characters' biological determinism as the female has taken the leading role and is being authoritative and aggressive. The aggression is shown not only by the discourteous pointing of her finger but also by the scene being shot using a handheld camera which suggests haste and control. The dialogue shows she's aggressive when Tony says to Alex "you weren't questioning them, you were picking a fight!". As the scene continue Alex walks towards the camera and thus the proxemics imply she is of greater importance and status, therefore in a position to be authoritative. Also used to ensure Alex is the center of the audience's attention is not only that she's foregrounded but also the use of a medium-close up shot that blurs the environment around her and only shows her face and shoulders in detail which also draws the audience's attention onto Alex. Alex's appearance is rather conservative as she's wearing a turtleneck with a large coat wrapped around her, the connotations of this is that she gives little consideration for her exterior and is instead more focused on maintaining her role within her career. This subverts the stereotype of females evolving around their appearance as the lack of evident mise en scene allows the audience to focus more on the narrative. Inclusive in the portrayal of Alex being authoritative is the editing which uses straight cuts between shots no longer than ten seconds as she's delegating tasks to her colleagues "Talk to the neighbors, check for reports of domestic abuse..". Alex does not greet her peers and instead uses imperatives to avoid a reply as she seems confident of her position being above the people she's interacting with.
The lead male character, Tony, also opposes his gender stereotype by presenting a caring, submissive demeanor instead of society's ideal expectation for him to be masculine and dominating. Alex tells Tony "I need your input" . As this is discussed Tony continues to distance himself from Alex as an attempt to resist, however, his body still turns to face Alex out of suggested politeness, this shows hows he isn't taking control of the situation and that he is actually hurt by Alex. To express his feelings so openly is not what his gender's social construction suggests he'd do. Alex then replies "Tony...please.". Tony is then convinced and follows her instruction, "Send me the files". This insinuates Tony is easy to convince and is submissive to a woman. The shot reverse shot conversation shows the desperation Alex is portraying. The next scene shows Tony working endlessly trying to find out an incentive behind the crime he's supposedly investigating implying he's noticed how much Alex needs him which further suggests his caring persona. The music behind creates tension as the audience waits in anticipation for Tony to make sense of the situation he's evaluating. The portrayal this has of his gender is that he cares about the justice of the victims involves and that he's attempting to solve a mystery. Big close ups are used to show the depth in which Tony is analyzing the photographs which suggests he wants to work well for Alex as she told him she needs his "input". The mise en scene suggests Tony has just came home from work as he is still dressed in a shirt but has rolled up his sleeves and appears to be more relaxed as well as the cup of coffee he places down at the introduction to the scene suggests Tony calm and in his element. Tony is shown more evidently to be caring when he's "babysitting" Alex's son Ben. Tony asks "So...what happened to the Nanny?" which implies he cares about Alex and is concerned for Ben. Ben and Tony are suggested to have just met because Ben is asking him questions about himself but despite it being a new relationship it seems to include a lot of trust already as Ben confides in Tony that his Mum is "lonely". During the conversation their two heads are laid close to each other implying they're both relaxed.
The behavior of Tony is contrasted with the other males' within the extract who portray men as violent and disloyal. This follows the stereotype society have constructed for their gender. When the bold man in the black jacket, which suggests danger, enters the house he puts on an act of concern, "you can't stay here, it's just not safe" which he then continues to inform them of the existence of damp which is actually used to lure in a resident of the assumed abandoned house who then gets his head smashed against the wall. Not only was betrayal shown by the man injuring someone he was pretending to care about, it's also shown by the lack of movement among the other people in the house who don't move to check on their peer. This, however, can imply the other residents fear the uninvited guest as they'd be in danger by moving closer to him. The scene starts with the diagetic sound of a door being opened along with the shouting of the intruder. This portrays confidence as he's confronting being within their own environment. The people living inside the house appear relaxed and are surrounded by bottles of drink and mess as if they're just squatting. Non-diagetic sound is also heard which expresses the fear that the men within the house can't as they're suggested to be putting on a front to not expose any weakness. The low key lighting paired with the short, quick straight cuts builds up the tension to when the intruder injures one of the men residing in the house.
Within the scene woman are also portrayed as the weaker gender when the man wearing the black coat uses "You ladies still here?" as an offence. The rhetorical question shows he's in charge and that as "ladies" they're below him and must succumb to his authority. The portrayal of gender within the gender doesn't tie to the expected binary opposites and instead shows different sides to each gender.
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