Explore how gender has been represented in the theatrical posters to Morbius and Kiss Of The Vampire (15 marks)
Knee-jerk reaction
One poster presents a highly sexualised and suggestive representation of women, while the other omits them entirely
Plan
Anchorage
Fangs
Objectification
Sexuality
Font size
Jarred Leto
Duality
Binary opposition
Colour
Red
Crème white
Intertextuality
Male dominance
Hegemonically attractive
Font
Start Hall representation
Van Zoonen
Gauntlet
Identity
1963
Hammer Films
Horror specialisation
Bats
Conventional
Unconventional?
Genre
Generic fluidity - where a genre changes over time
Introduction
DAC - definition, argument, context
Representation refers to re-presentation of a certain group, an event or an issue by the producer of a media product to show their ideology, and, more importantly, to force the audience to agree with this ideology. Gender refers to cultural expectations surrounding men and women, and the roles that they assume in society. In this essay, I shall argue how differently KOTV and Morbius represent gender in their posters, with the key difference being the complete omission of women in Morbius. Kiss Of The Vampire is a conventional vampire film produced by Hammer in 1963, while Morbius is an unconventional vampire hybrid film, produced by Marvel in 2022.
Content
The representation of men in KITV and in Morbius vary massively. For example, in Morbius, the MES of the bared fangs is symbolic of intimidation and aggression. Furthermore, the use of red for the performers eyes is highly connotative of the devil and themes of blasphemy. This is rounded off through the use chiaroscuro lighting, which suggests the line between good and evil and how it has been crossed. However, in KOTV, men are represented as being more human and identifiable. For example, one of the men in KOTV is being portrayed as both vulnerable and weak, through the MES of his vulnerable body placed under a physically strong and aggressive woman. This representation of men is potentially highly controversial for its time, given the rise of women's liberation as an ideology.