climax Flashcards
key scenes in rising action
living with norma, car scene/shopping, NYE parties
characters in rising action
Joe, norma, (betty), artie, max
reality vs delusion - climax quotes/techniques
Fake crying, bandages: Norma’s exaggerated melodramatic gestures show her manipulative nature. Her need to control Joe becomes clear as she feigns distress to keep him close. Max’s complicity: Max, once a director, now attends to all of Norma’s calls, lying to her about the outside world to perpetuate her illusions. ‘Fake letters’
“I didn’t argue with her. You don’t yell at a sleepwalker.”
Joe is conscious to the fact that norma is trapped in a delusion but chooses not to wake her, he believes it’s the wrong thing to do to bring her to reality.
fame vs ordinary - climax quotes vs techniques
Artie’s NYE Party Lively, crowded room, brightly lit. Everyone has smiles adorning their faces. Diegetic upbeat music. ‘All we earn are buttons and bows’ - content with what they have. Norma’s NYE Party Classical/slow diegetic music Dark lighting Formal attire: Suits and Ballroom dresses The only guests are the band, Norma, Joe and Max.
love - climax quotes/techniques
She’d sit very close to me … Sometimes as we watched she’d clutch my arm or my hand, forgetting she was my employer.”
women vs men, gender roles - climax techniques/quotes
‘Leopard skin’ on Norma’s car: Norma’s predatory instinct is still present even when she is outside the mansion, continuing to dominate Joe’s life. Joe’s acceptance of material gain: “As long as the lady’s paying, why not take the vicuna?” This line highlights Joe’s growing resignation to being kept by Norma, accepting material comforts in exchange for his freedom.
Max’s complicity: Max, once a director, now attends to all of Norma’s calls, lying to her about the outside world to perpetuate her illusions
o “It was I who asked to come back, humiliating as it may seem. I could have gone on with my career, only I found everything unendurable after she divorced me. You see, I was her first husband.”
rich vs poor - climax quotes/techniques
Joe’s acceptance of material gain: “As long as the lady’s paying, why not take the vicuna?” This line highlights Joe’s growing resignation to being kept by Norma, accepting material comforts in exchange for his freedom.
Artie’s NYE Party ‘All we earn are buttons and bows’ Norma’s NYE Party Formal attire: Suits and Ballroom dresses “It’s all taken care of. It’s all been paid
for.” - Norma
control - climax quotes/techniques
‘Leopard skin’ on Norma’s car: Norma’s predatory instinct is still present even when she is outside the mansion, continuing to dominate Joe’s life. Joe’s acceptance of material gain: “As long as the lady’s paying, why not take the vicuna?” This line highlights Joe’s growing resignation to being kept by Norma, accepting material comforts in exchange for his freedom.
Fake crying, bandages: Norma’s exaggerated melodramatic gestures show her manipulative nature. Her need to control Joe becomes clear as she feigns distress to keep him close.
Joes loss of his car, empty the ashtray”. - Norma
