KOTV (1963) REP

Question 1

human man denotation

Answer 1

gesture - kneeling, neck exposed,

costume codes - typical trousers/shirt yet dishevelled,

Question 2

what does human man represent?

Answer 2

gesture shows his vulnerability and passiveness juxtaposing belief of men being strong
instils men’s fear of women overpowering them which relates to audience and horror genre (women gaining more independence in 60s and men’s fear regarding that)

Question 3

human woman denotation

Answer 3

gesture - limp, passed out, vulnerable, held up by male vampire
costume codes - sexualised dress

Question 4

what does the human woman represent?

Answer 4

stereotypical representation of women - vulnerable/weak/dependent
relates back to expected behaviour and views in the 60s (more like 40s-50s)
traditional role of victim/princess (Propp)
familiar and safe representation of women for male audience in 60s

Question 5

vampire man denotation

Answer 5

costume codes - dark clothes (villain)
gesture - holding up female victim (power) yet also arm raised protecting himself from female vamp
facial exp - fearful

Question 6

what does the vampire man represent?

Answer 6

holding onto female victim, typical male role holding onto male stereotype and desperation to maintain power (power changing in 60s)
scared of female vampire - weaker contrasts popular belief of male dominance advocates more freedom and power for women being something to fear

Question 7

female vampire denotation

Answer 7

gesture - arm raised to attack male vamp, other hand holds male victim down (signifies her power)
costume codes - still sexualised (low cut dress)
facial exp - angry, teeth bared, violent

Question 8

what does the female vampire represent?

Answer 8

shown as most powerful/dominant character juxtaposing male beliefs
women becoming more liberal and independent equals more violence
by making her main villain not hero, suggests hate towards new laws and change advocating 60s fear of women’s lib

Question 9

Hall’s representation theory

Answer 9

stereotyping of each character (women still sexualised) but subverts male stereotypes (not most powerful)
stereotyping occurs when there are inequalities of power - men vs women and the western patriarchal society - 60s women gaining power, fearful for many men

Question 10

David Gauntlett’s identity theory

Answer 10

narrow + straightforward reps - shows women in power as bad/evil and highlights belief that women should be passive, the ideal qualities of women are the human woman and men the vampire
challenge - context - ideas of men and women changing in 60s however other characters show more diverse

Question 11

Van Zoonen’s Feminist theory

Answer 11

audiences develop understanding of gender/roles through discourse, meaning varies depending on cultural/historical context
gender roles beginning to change in the 60s as discourse was changing to women’s liberation grew.
male vamp holding female victim need to stop new change to gender cultural norm