The Bridge Flashcards
Narrative
Elements of a flexi-narrative and enigmas
Various disruptions over the course of the series maintain suspense and interest
Audience is in a privileged spectator position where they know more than the characters do
Binary oppositions such as good and evil drive the narrative and how they are resolved
Typical plot situations of the crime genre eg discovery of body
As this is the first episode some narratives will carry over into the rest of the series, setting up enigmas eg who killed Helle Anker
Stock characters
Usually involves hierarchy with a boss, detective, sidekick etc
Other characters eg criminal and victim
Often the pairing of characters are binary opposites which contributes to tensions in narrative eg Saga and Hanne
Setting and location
Settings typical of genre such such as police station
Iconic settings specific to show such as the bridge between Sweden and Denmark
Todorov- Narratology
Equilibrium- Martin in jail, Saga focused on work, Pettersen and Lillian are married
Disruption- Discovery of Helle Anker’s body, enigma codes established as there is an attempt to find the killer
Series of interweaving story arcs are established
No resolution yet, instead there is a cliffhanger with an explosion and Hanne is injured and introduction of Henrik as Saga’s partner
Audience if placed in priveledged spectator position
Film noir conventions
Dark, pessimistic tone and mood
Chiaroscuro lighting and shadows establishes enigmas codes and bleak, melancholic aesthetic
Flawed anti-hero with a dark past
Themes of corruption, greed etc
Complex narrative
Moral decline and ambiguity
Iconography eg rain, trench coats
Steve Neale- Genre theory
Example of nordic noir sub-genre demonstrating that genres overlap and borrow
Demonstrates typical elements of crime drama genre but also demonstrates differences illustrating dynamic nature of genre
Codes of clothing
Saga’s version of the same outfit and colour scheme contribute to the enigma surrounding her character and behaviour
Clothing worn by other detective is informal and functional, does not denote hierarchy unlike UK police force
Gesture and expression
Frequently uses close up shots of characters to show facial expressions of anxiety and seriousness, reflecting dark themes of Nordic noir
Saga’s passive expression rarely changes, contributing to enigma surrounding her character
Iconography and setting
Settings establish realism and nordic noir sub-genre
Vast Nordic landscape creates sense of isolation and alienation
Iconic image of Oresund bridge regularly featured
Settings create sense of entrapment such as corridors and dimly lit areas eg warehouse crime scene
Technical codes
Close ups advance relationships and establihs tensions, one shows Saga’s side profile and establishes enigmatic character
Tracking shots introduce Saga and Hanne, constructed as powerful women with a job to do, involes auience as part of investigative process by follwoing them
Establishing shots such as that of the bridge represent change in setting
Film noir technique of shooting through windows, as if audience is looking in on scene
Post-production editing creates desaturated colour palette contributing to dark, melancholic feel
Audio codes (music)
Haunting track used in credit sequence foreshadows slow pace and creates expectation of programmes
Tense music has intertextual references to horror genre building expectations of macabre tone
Audio codes (diegetic sound)
Clicking of crime scene investigator’s cameras establishes generic realism
Sound of cans at Morten’s cabin is unsettling, is action code for explosion that follows and is then juxtaposed with silence
Audio codes (dialogue)
Conventional dialogue related to police force and investigation
Saga’s clipped and forced dialogue contributes to character
How is a feminist discourse constructed
Women are not matginalised; they are central to narrative
Not sexualised
Not portrayed in domestic role
Challenges/ subverts typical social norms related to gender behaviour
Representation of women/ femininity (Saga)
Saga breaks away from typical representations as a ‘flawed’ detective of film noir
Some of Saga’s representations are more masculine, suggesting this is how she survives a patriarchal society eg masculine stance and walk connoting power
She is neurodivergent and struggles socially, therefore representing another under/mis-represented group positively
Passive facial expression and very literal dialogue adds to this representation, could be perceived as insensitive
