Kiss of the Vampire Flashcards
What wave of feminism was occurring during 1963?
Second wave feminism
Why was their frustration in this era?
Due to the limited roles
- during the second wave of feminism there was a renegotiation of women’s rights and roles
What were the 1960s for women?
The beginning of women’s sexual liberation
What happened in 1963?
Equal pay legislation
What happened in 1967?
Contraceptive pill
What happened in 1969?
Divorce reform Act
Who was KOTV produced by?
Hammer Film Productions
What is Hammer Film Productions?
A British film production company known best for its gothic, “Hammer Horror” films
Iconography used
- Bats (Semantic code)
- Fangs
- Blood/biting (Proairetic code)
- Vampires
Significance of vampires
The struggle of insatiable animal urges
Metaphorical meaning behind vampirism
- Homophobia
- STDs
- Sexual predators
- Addiction
- Social exclusion
“In Eastman colour”
Modern setting of an old story (Dracula)
Typography
- Sans serif - gothic
- Blood dripping - fang
- Wooden texture - church, coffin, stake
Dress codes (blonde woman)
- Tight dress
- High heels
- Blonde
- Promiscuous
Women as sexualised beings, objectification for the male gaze (Laura Mulvey)
Mise en scene
- Dark colour pallet
- Fog, night, full moon
- Gothic castle
Reinforces dark and scary conventions
“Kiss of the vampire”
Romantic narrative
Symbolic code - Male victims submissive sacrifice juxtaposed against the sexual allure of the female characters
- Horror, darkness and fear
Male victim
- Neck visibly shown - vulnerable
- Progressive, changing representation - vulnerable to women (second wave feminism)
Theorists
- Steve Neale - genre
- Levi Strauss
- Van Zoonen - feminism
-Gauntlett - Levi Strauss - binary oppositions
- Stuart Hall - Stereotyping
Binary Oppositions
Men/ Women
Day/ Night
Good/ Evil
Life/ Death
Weak/ Strong
Vampires/ Victims
Bite/ Kiss
Steve Neale
Genre
Difference = Romance, connoted power of the female antagonist
Repetition = Horror symbolism/ iconography
Gauntlett
- Narrowly defined beauty standard of thin, white and youthful
- Attempting to provide women with a more empowered sense of sexual identity
Stuart Hall - stereotyping
Blonde woman reduced to a few characteristics, reflects inequalities of power in patriarchal film industry
Stuart Hall - inequalities of power
Reflects patriarchal unease around women’s sexual liberation
