Kiss of the Vampire (Component 1) Flashcards
What year was Kiss of the Vampire released?
1963
What studio produced Kiss of the Vampire?
Hammer Film
What studio distributed Kiss of the Vampire?
Universal
What was the hays code?
a set of moral guidelines and rules that were meant to make Hollywood pictures “presentable” and “safe” for the public at large, which meant not covering or featuring certain controversial topics, themes, or actions.
What semiotic code is seen in the iconography of the male victim and the female victim kneeling down in the poster for ‘KOTV’?
action code
What is chiaroscuro lighting?
very deep, low key lighting with contrasting high key lighting
What is a macabre tone?
a sense of foreboding
How are binary oppositions created in the kiss of the vampire poster?
one of the women could be seen as “empowering” and the other can be seen as a “victim”, opposite ends of the scale
What is the significance of the universal logo on the poster?
it shows how the movie is now aimed towards a global audience
What context of the time affects the poster?
the fear of women taking men’s jobs after WW2 by use of a female villain
What conventions of the horror genre are shown in the poster?
visual codes of the full moon in the background, blood dripping, fangs
How can we apply Van Zoomen’s theory to Kiss of the Vampire?
women were objectified for voyeuristic pleasure, men’s bodies were seen as a spectacle
Name 2 key theorists linked to Kiss of the Vampire
Stuart Hall
David Gauntlett
Lisbet Van Zoonen
bell hooks
How did Kiss of the Vampre help film posters to evolve for the future
the fact there are only antagonists and victims in the poster , no heros
What was the women’s liberation movement?
the women’s liberation movement was a feminist movement created to eliminate forms of oppression based on gender
How do representations of gender reflect the fear of men had regarding their authority in society?
the male vampire’s fear reflects how men felt as if they were losing their authority in society
Which 2 major historical events may have influenced Kiss of the vampire in 1963?
assassination of JFK
soviet union launched the first woman into space
What does the typography represent?
wooden texture to represent coffin
spikes on words represent both fangs, and wooden stakes
How did Hammer studios ‘reinvent’ the horror genre?
they pushed the limit of censorship and classification
Which pill was freely available to all women in the UK from 1961?
contraceptive pill
Where is Hammer studios from?
Great Britain
Why was Kiss of the Vampire and society becoming more liberal in its ideologies?
Hays code was becoming less prominent in Hollywood
What legislation was passed in 1963?
equal pay legislation
In relation to the ‘why Kiss of the Vampire becoming more liberal in its ideologies’ question 1) what theories can be applied?
Van Zoonen
Why was ‘Eastman Color’ the promoted in advertising?
most films were in black and white at the time so this gave Kiss of the Vampire a unique selling point
What organisation did Betty Friedan establish in 1966 and what did they try to carry out?
National Organization for Women, which campaigned for legal rights and female autonomy
Linking to Van Zoonen, are any of the men in the poster represented as ‘spectacles’?
no, they are victimized and fearful
What’s the significance of the women’s tight and revealing costumes?
although women were getting a more complex representation, film companies didn’t want to completely change and steer away their male target audience
Who was the target audience of Kiss of the Vampire? (consider class, age, gender, ethnicity, hobbies)
C2DE, 18-25, Male, Western, Hammer Studios fans, Vampire movie fans
What kind of character does the iconography of the bat represent the female vampire as?
conflict character/antagonist
How are stereotypes created / challenged?
The woman ‘damsel in distress’ role conforms to stereotypes of women in the 60’s being ‘weaker’, whilst the woman holding the man on the other side challenge stereotypes as it shows a woman in a dominant role and a man in a more submissive role.
How can Gauntlett be linked to KOTV?
It can be suggested that the subversion of female stereotypes act as tools for woman to construct a more liberated identity.
What refers to a selection of consumers that are guaranteed interact with products due to brand loyalty?
Pre-sold audience
