Mr. Bates' Role in Downton Abbey:

Downton Abbey is a television series set between 1912 and 1925 that follows the family, residents and servants of the estate Downton Abbey. Historical, social and cultural developments that occurred during this time period are evident within the series, affecting the characters and their actions. Season one, episode one of Downton Abbey features a character (Mr. Bates) who reflects aspects of the era in which this series is set and highlights certain characters’ personalities and prejudices. Mr. Bates uses a cane due to a physical impairment in his leg that he obtained from the war. In this episode, Mr. Bates arrives at the estate in order to work. Before he has even started working, the other servants say that he won’t be able to do the work. Although they do not explicitly state that he won’t be able to work due to his disability, it is implied by their tone and the way in which they divert their eyes to his injured leg or cane. This reflects attitudes that existed towards people with a disability during the time period in which Downton Abbey is set. As the episode progresses, Mr. Bates is the topic of conversation among each of the characters at some stage. There are various reactions to Mr. Bates and his disability, the majority of which are negative and highlight certain characters’ traits. 

The way in which Anna (a fellow servant) and Robert (the Earl of the estate) discuss and interact with Mr. Bates indicates that they represent the positive side of humanity. They may also be viewed as figures of modernity in that views of people with a disability have changed since the setting of Downton Abbey. When Mr. Bates first arrives, he is greeted by Anna and some other servants. The other servants look somewhat shocked that a person with a disability has entered the house. This is evident in their facial expressions and body language as they turn away from him and do not smile or act polite towards him. Thus, these servants do not believe that people with disabilities are capable of doing the work required. In a later scene, this attitude is confirmed as they say that he won’t last long due to being “lame”. 

However, Anna in this initial meeting does not turn away from Mr. Bates, smiles at him warmly and interacts with him. Hence, she appears in this scene to portray a more accepting and modern way of thinking and behaving in relation to Mr. Bates and, therefore, people with disabilities. Robert has similar positive interactions with Mr. Bates throughout the episode. This includes a scene where Mr. Bates is helping Robert get dressed and Mr. Bates drops something on the ground. At first, Robert goes to pick the item up, however, when Mr. Bates assures him that he is capable of doing it, Robert allows Mr. Bates to pick it up. This simple gesture shows that Robert believes Mr. Bates is able to do things despite his disability. Hence, both Anna and Robert highlight new ways of thinking and talking about people with disabilities that would not have been as prominent during the time period in which Downton Abbey is set. This indicates the type of characters they are and allows the audience to connect with them as they treat Mr. Bates with fairness.

A part from Robert and Anna, the other characters within this episode dismiss Mr. Bates as incapable due to his disability. In fact, Robert has a conversation with each character about Mr. Bates and his inability (according to them) to fulfil the work required of him. In each of these conversations, the characters tell Robert that Mr. Bates is slow and in their view incapable. Robert in each of these conversations dismisses these ideas but he does eventually decide that Mr. Bates won’t be able to continue working there. However, Robert’s sense of empathy and humanity shines through when he stops Mr. Bates from leaving and says “get inside and we won’t say another word about this.” Thus, Robert ignores the persistent nature of the other characters who want Mr. Bates to leave due to his supposed inability to work because of his disability. 

Mr. Bates, therefore, is an important character as he highlights other characters’ discrimination (or lack thereof) towards people with disabilities. Along with this, Mr. Bates’ character outlines the setting and time period of Downton Abbey. This is reflected in character’s negative reactions to him and his disability that would not occur as prominently in contemporary society. 

References:

Season 1, Episode 1, Downton Abbey 2010, television program, NBC Universal, United Kingdom, September 26 2010.

What do masks reveal in Halloween (1978 and 2007)?

Masks are often a feature in horror films to conceal the identity of the killer and add a frightening element to their appearance. Both the 1978 and 2007 versions of Halloween have the killer (Michael Myers) wearing a mask. However, each film uses the mask for slightly different purposes, with the 2007 remake directed by Rob Zombie using masks to reveal aspects of Myers personality and inner psyche. In the original Halloween (1978) directed by John Carpenter, there is less emphasis on masks as they are used to scare the audience and conceal Myers face. The mask also does this in the 2007 remake of Halloween but there is a back story and other features of masks throughout the film. Although the mask that Myers wears as an adult is the same in each film, there are slight differences between the two including how they look and how Myers obtains them.

In the original Halloween, at the beginning Myers is a child and wears a clown mask when he kills his sister. It is the night of Halloween when this occurs, thus, Myers mask here is part of his Halloween costume. This is evident as there is a shot of him standing in a clown costume, including the mask. The clown mask in this shot is not used again at any stage in the film. In comparison, the remake features Myers wearing a clown mask as a child in a number of scenes. Although in Carpenter’s movie there is a clear reason as to why Myers is wearing the clown mask, there is not much of an explanation in Zombie’s film other than he likes to wear it. In the opening sequence his step-father attempts to take it off which someone advises him against. Although this is not as explicit as the reason in Carpenter’s film, overall Zombie’s Halloween offers more information on Myers turbulent childhood. Therefore, this provides some explanation as to why he goes on to commit such heinous acts of violence. This background knowledge of Myers in Zombie’s film could reflect how, in recent times, people crave answers to everything. Myers refusal to take his clown mask off mirrors a later scene in the film. When he is an adult in a mental institution and one of the security guards tries to take his homemade mask off, another security guard advises him not to. By seeing this earlier in the film with the clown mask, the audience begins to understand Myers disposition and issues of identity that are mirrored in this later scene.

The mask Myers wears as an adult is the same in each film. It is a white/grey, human-looking face with black/brown hair. However, how he obtains it varies between the films. In the 1978 version, Myers steals the mask from a local shop in town, thus, it is relatively new looking. In the 2007 movie, Myers finds the mask under floorboards in his childhood home, hence it looks aged with the addition of cracks, dirt and marks. There is also a scene in Zombie’s film in which Myers uses this mask as a child to kill his sister. Myers gets the mask from his sister’s room as her boyfriend wore it when they had sex together. As Myers first wears the mask as a child, this is a hint to the fact that this is what he will eventually become. In Carpenter’s movie, the mask is used to make Myer look frightening and conceal his identity. However, Zombie’s remake and use of masks reveal aspects of Myers identity (or confusion of identity), personality and possible reasons for being a serial killer. For instance, the one time when Myers shows an ounce of humanity as an adult is when he sits in front of his younger sister (Laurie), takes off his mask and hands her a photo of the two of them when they were younger. In this scene, his face is revealed, highlighting that he is in fact a human and not just a soulless mask.

The use of masks in both Halloween films make for a fascinating analysis of various horror themes, characterisation and setting. Masks are not only there to scare an audience; they can be used in a range of ways which they are in both films but in particular in Zombie’s remake. Zombie explores the killer’s relationship with masks and how he came to be obsessed with them. In many horror films (including the original Halloween) this idea is not explored closely which makes it an intriguing addition to the remake. 

References:

Halloween 1978, DVD, Compass International Pictures, United States of America, directed by John Carpenter.

Halloween 2007, DVD, Dimension Films, United States of America, directed by Rob Zombie. 

What do buildings tell us in Psycho?

Psycho begins with a panning shot of high-rise buildings that appear to be the CBD of the location as they are all quite close together and mountains can be seen in the background. This opening sequence seems somewhat insignificant, however, it is important for a number of reasons. In particular, when this scene is compared with the initial shots of Norman Bates’ house and the Bates Motel, there are elements that infer certain things. These inferences include foreshadowing of events, how one feels whilst watching, exact and ambiguous settings.

As the camera pans across the tops of the buildings there are some titles that appear on the screen, including the exact location (Phoenix, Arizona), date (Friday, December the eleventh) and time (two forty-three pm). This is an explicit indication of precisely where the CBD is and the date, day and time in which this scene is taking place. Interestingly, titles indicating these factors are not shown again in the rest of the film. There are other signs throughout the film that specify location but they are all part of the props and set, not added by editors afterwards as these titles would have been. For instance, there are various close up shots of number plates on cars that include the locations of said cars. The car Marion trades in has a number plate with “Arizona” on it and the new car she gets says “California”. Thus, these are indicators of place that are used within the story through set and props.

In contrast to this, when Marion first pulls up to the Bates Motel, there are no titles suggesting time, place, day or date. Instead of these, there is the simple neon sign that says “Bates Motel, Vacancy”. At first this sign is blurry and cannot be read but it slowly comes into focus as Marion gets closer. By not including the precise location and other details that are seen at the very start of the film, there is a certain sense of unease about this place right from the first moments of seeing it. There is now an ambiguity to exactly where she is and this creates a sense of isolation and eeriness that was not felt in the opening shots.

The buildings themselves create particular feelings and foreshadow what is to come. In the shots of the CBD, the buildings all look quite similar and are relatively modern and plain, in other words they are seemingly normal. Along with this, they are all rectangle or square in shape, emphasising the idea of normalcy. With this comes a sense of “nothing to see here, just another day”. However, as Psycho is such a highly referenced and well known film within society, including its genre as a horror film, there is the feeling throughout this scene that it is almost too normal and that this will not last long.

In comparison, the Bates Motel and Norman’s house appear to be the opposite of plainness and normality. There are no other buildings that surround them (unlike the shots of the CBD) highlighting how isolated the buildings and characters are at this point. The motel itself appears rather quaint and small, with lights on indicating homeliness and warmth. However, Norman’s house next to it creates a sense of someone watching and looming over the motel. The house looks quite gothic in shape and size with large windows and neither square nor rectangle shaped rooves, as opposed to the buildings in the CBD. Although there are lights on in Norman’s house, it does not exude the same warmth and welcoming feeling that the Motel does. Once Norman’s house can be seen in the background of the shot with the Motel in the foreground, the homeliness disappears as there is a not-quite-right feeling about this large, old, omnipresent house.

By comparing the first scene with that of Marion arriving at the Bates Motel, there are elements that are different. There are also aspects of each of these scenes that foreshadow certain events to come and portray a particular feeling to the audience. Each of these scenes provide context, location (or lack thereof) and a sense of uneasiness, even in the normal city landscape (it is almost too normal). Hence, the buildings within these two scenes of Psycho create a sense of what is to come and highlight to the audience the locations of these sequences. 

References:

Psycho 1960, DVD, Universal Studios, California, United States of America, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. 

One Image: Sexism, Character Development, Foreshadowing and Historical/Social Context

One image in particular stood out for me whilst viewing the Mad Men pilot. This image was towards the beginning of the episode and I believe it foreshadowed what was to follow in the rest of the episode. The image is that of Peggy standing in the elevator with Paul, Ken and Harry standing behind her. These three men are all staring at Peggy whilst she isn’t paying attention to any of them, her gaze forward and into the distance. It is almost as if she is looking as far away from the men as she possibly can, her eyes showing a mixture of being unimpressed and pleased with what the men are saying about her.

I believe this particular shot is important and relevant to the rest of the episode for a number of reasons. Firstly, the men leering at Peggy is an indication of the time period in which Mad Men is set. As it is set in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s, this was a time in which women were repressed and, typically, were not the income earners for the household. During this time, women were limited to certain types of jobs in the workforce, such as reception work. This is later revealed to be the kind of work that Peggy does. In this shot, Paul, Ken and Harry are all wearing suits, indicating both their job and class status. This is also a sign of the time period in which Mad Men is set, as men in those times would only have done certain types of jobs i.e. not those which are “typically female”.

As the men are all taller than Peggy, this is another indication of their power and status in relation to her. It could be presumed that because they appear to be towering over her that they are of higher status and power than her. This has obvious parallels with the era Mad Men is set in. Not only does it appear that the men are towering over her due to their height difference and possible camera angle to create this illusion, the three men’s gazes appear to be looking down on Peggy. This further emphasises the idea of them being above her both literally and figuratively.

Even though Peggy can clearly hear them as she is standing in close quarters with them (as is the case when people are in elevators together), they make suggestive comments about and towards her. One of the men states “I’m enjoying the view”, in which Peggy reacts by almost rolling her eyes to the other side of the elevator, as far from the men as possible. This is another explicit indication of the setting of Mad Men and the cultural and social indicators of the late 1950’s/early 1960’s.

Not only is this image important in creating a sense of the setting of Mad Men, including how men treated women at this time and the inequalities between men and women, it also allows for some initial character development. Peggy, despite looking away from the men, also appears somewhat pleased with this attention as she does not tell them to stop or openly appear disgusted. This foreshadows the fact that later in the episode Peggy goes to the doctors for the contraceptive pill. At the end of the episode she allows Pete Campbell (who is drunk and clearly wants sex) into her house. By introducing this aspect of Peggy’s character early on in the elevator, this allows the audience to make assumptions about her and how she may develop throughout the show.

As well as this shot indicating parts of Peggy’s character, it also highlights aspects of Paul, Harry and Ken’s characters. They appear to act as a unit and the audience may get the sense that they are a bit of a “boys club”. In other scenes in the pilot of Mad Men, these three men rarely appear alone, always together and acting typically “manly”. By leering at Peggy in this way, they are fulfilling what they believe men should do. Because the three men do this as a unit, this indicates their togetherness and, perhaps, that they are influencing one another.  

The image of Peggy in the elevator with these three men standing behind her, talking about and leering at her, clearly highlights the time period of Mad Men. It also begins to foreshadow the character’s identities and relationships with one another, thus, I think it is an important shot to include in the pilot. 

References:

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Mad Men 2007, television episode, AMC, United States of America, 19 July.