Fingersmith  

 

Camera: The close up shots of the two women throughout the extract emphasise the desire that they have for one another. As Maud - the lady,  has flared nostrils and lips. This represents lesbian relationships as lustful and delicate.

 

The shot of the man positioned between the two women shows that he is an obstacle and he is keeping them apart. This is shown through his positioning in the frame and the positioning if the camera. This thereby represents heterosexual males as difficult and a drawback in their forbidden relationship.

 

Sound:  The dialogue of the extract shows that the heterosexual male is manipulative and sociopathic. This is shown as he says " she'd laugh in your face if she knew; if I told her" after he discovers Maud's love for the maid. The fact that he insinuates that he will tell the maid indicates that he is attempting to blackmail Maud. This thereby shows heterosexual males to be manipulative. This also represents heterosexual males as dominant and in power as he has Maud (a lesbian female) in his scope.

 

In the extract lesbian women are represented as caring and kind. We know this through the use of sound in this case dialogue as Maud says: "wake her, she'll burn" to the male which seems to be opposing her and threatening to wake the maid up. This is seen as an act of kindness as she doesn't want the gentleman to wake her up.

 

Mise en Scene: The mise en scene of the extract represents heterosexual males as intimidating and violent. This is shown through the body language of the male in the extract. He exhibits anger through his body language as he grabs the defenceless maid by the throat while he pushes her up against a tree. The fact that her is attacking a defenceless maid represents his as not only violent and threatening but cowardly at the same time as he takes advantage of the fact that no one is around to protect her.

 

Another way mise en scene is used to represent sexuality is through facial expression. Through the facial expression of the Maud you may induce that she is scared of what she feels for the other women. She almost conveys a sense of guilt whilst staring at the maid. This represents lesbian women as vulnerable, and in this case afraid of her emotions towards the other women since it was very much frowned upon at the time.

 

Editing: The editing technique in this extract represent sexuality through eye line matches. For example, when Maud is painting a picture of her maid there is a eye line match with Maud and the maids breast. This indicates sexual attraction between Maud and the maid. Which subtly tells the audience her sexual orientation.

 

Another way in which editing is used in the extract to represent sexuality is through the sharp quick and violent cuts which are used when the heterosexual male enters the scene. The fact that when he appears in the extract the editing is a lot sharper and uses techniques such as match on action speaks volumes about the different way they are represented. This is different to the cuts when both the females are in the scene as the edits consist of fades and dissolve cuts - which are much more artistic, delicate cuts. This thereby represents the heterosexual male as more aggressive and the lesbian females as elegant and calm.