Representation (D83)

Question 1

Representation of women
(media language/ theorists)

Answer 1

1. Empowered female drives the narratives.Potential oppositional reading- despotic/severe.

2 . Annett confronts Ingrid. 2 named characters talking to each other about a male protagonist is typical of shows that fail the Bechtel- Wallace test.
3. Annett: Proppian Princess/ only anchor to the narrative is Martin. Symbolic of Martins personal connection.
4. Character opposition between Ingrid/ Lenora. Stylistic oppositions in customes/ framing.

Question 2

Representations of women (context)

Answer 2

• East Germany: Promotion of female equality. Women in the Soviet Union were given equal rights in regards to wages, first country to legalise abortion.

• West Germany: The military is represented as rigidly patriarchal.

Question 3

Representation of West Germany
(Media Lang/theorists)

Answer 3

Branding of WG as a cool, foreign, economically robust and exotic nation.

1. The supermarket scene framed with mid shot/ tracking the brightly coloured shop with rows of products signifying the consumerist culture of the west/overwhelming amount of options. Postmodernism- mix of low culture and high culture (homage to 60s pop art). Rejection of boundaries between high/low art.
2. Rich/Luxury: use of signifiers like brand names, chandelier connotes wealth. Long shots- emphasise the spacious environment. Strauss/stylistic oppositions.

Question 4

Representation of West Germany
(theorists)

Answer 4

Postmodernisms- Rejection of boundaries between high/low art.

Strauss- stylistic oppositions. Media producers encode products using juxtaposed stylistic presentations. To create conflict/compelling narratives.

Question 5

Representation of West Germany
(Context)

Answer 5

Truman Plan
Truman pledged to fund countries that resisted communism and maintained their support of West Germany.

Disequilibrium caused by Regans speech- liberal critic of American republican politics.

Question 6

Representation of the East
(media language/ theorists)

Answer 6

1. Sense of community:
   -Martin discusses the selflessness of socialism/ the “collective good”.
   - Walter lights up Lenora’s cigarette the same time as his.. Then the camera shifts to Lenora as she smokes the cig as they plan together. Collective culture
2. Poor/Scarce: The coffee Lenora caries around is an enigma code but later becomes a symbolic code signifying the scarcity of commercial products.
3. Ideologue
   -Lenora’s patriotism inhibits her empathy. Emphasis on ideological conformity and control.
   - Symbolic code of chess- power, regulation and order.

Question 7

Representation of Women theorist

Answer 7

1. Zoonen objectified representations are created by positioning women as passive/secondary/led by a stronger male presence.
2. Butler: gender is constructed through repetition and ritual. Ingrid engages in gender performativity through her costume, domestic activity. Lenora offers moments of subversion as she engages in typically male behaviour and associated with male spaces.
3. Barthes: women are relationship oriented.

Question 8

Representation of East Germany (theorists)

Answer 8

Hall- media stereotypes reflect social attitudes. One can gain an informative picture of those routinely stereotyped.

Question 9

Representation of East Germany (context)

Answer 9

Cold war- rise of anticommunist propaganda and stereotypes.

Question 10

Representation of reality (media Lang/ theorists)

Answer 10

• Bricolage: using old and new texts ago construct new meanings. Title sequence shows archived footage and new footage to simulate an 80s feel. Creating a sense of hyper reality.
• homage to the 80s, allowing audiences pleasure from nostalgia/ relatability for those who lived in that era.

Question 11

Representations of reality (context)

Answer 11

Portrays daily life in the GDR but also doesn’t shy away from discussing Regans’s aggressive rhetoric/ policies or the concerns of NATO generals about his polices.

Question 12

Representation of Lenora

Answer 12

1. Authoritative
   Opening scene: Harsh lighting/exterior shot of Lenora’s office block connoting her institutional power. Stylish dress. High angle shots/close ups: intimidating dominance. Cigarettes- Lenora seizes male power
2. Proppain villain: Barges into her sisters home with 2 male agents- threat of male/physical power. Manipulates Martin.
3. Ideologue : staunch supporter of East German regime. Willing to sacrifice family to further the aims of her country.

Question 13

Representation of Lenora (theorists)

Answer 13

Hall- counter typical representation inverses the premise of female passivity and powerlessness dominate in mainstream representations.