education

1. Gilbert,Grace
In thisscene Indianaisgreetedbyaknightwhohas protectedthe grail,theirconversationis
disruptedbyDonovanandElsa,as theycome in searchingforthe grail.
The directorhas usednon-diegeticasynchronoussoundtoshow the contrastbetweenthe menand
women.Forexample, whenDonovanandElsafirstenter,the space isdominatedbyDonovanand
whilstthisishappeningthe musical soundtrackhasa harshtone and a highpitch.It adds suspense
to the scene and a sense of discomfort. Furthermore,the harshtone suggeststhatDonovan isthe
untrustworthy character, buthe has the power.Whenitcuts to Elsa saying‘letme choose’the
soundsuddenlybecomessofterandlighter,whichlessensthe suspense makingthe scene easierto
watch italsoallowsthe feminine aspectof the characterto be conveyedtothe viewers.The use of
differentsoundtonesoneach character createsa clearcontrast as the harshersoundis usually
associatedwithsomeonewhohasthe power,andinthis case, itis Donovan.Howeverlateroninthe
scene,whenwe foundoutElsahas givenDonovanthe wronggrail there isuse of a smash cut onto
Elsa andthe soundturnsintoa harsh tone.Thisshowsthe viewersthatthere hasbeenashiftin
power,whichcontradictsthe stereotypical view onwomen.
Additionally,the cameraworkshowsthe difference betweenmenandwomen. Onthe male
characters there isuse of sharp, darklighting.WhenDonovansays‘it’s more beautiful thanIever
imagined’the hard-lightcastsadark shadow on the rightside of hisface,thisimplieshisdark
intentionsandhintsathisevil side.Inthe backgroundElsahasa warm yellow softlightonherthat
softensherfeatures andmakesherlook innocenthoweveryellow lightisoftenassociatedwith
betrayal anddeceit,thismightforeshadowwhatcouldhappen.Also,it conveyspowerasthe dark
lightisoftenassociatedwithpowerandevilnesswhichrepresentsthe characterDonovan. Indiana
has a brownlightwitha warm tone onhim, the brownlightsymbolisesstabilityandendurance
whichrepresentsthe character’sintentions. Furthermore,low anglesare usedonthe male
characters whichmake themappearas dominantandpowerful aswe are lookingupat them, an
example of thiswouldbe whenElsalooksoveratIndianaafterchoosingacup for Donovantodrink
out of.There isa lowangle onIndianaaccompaniedwithashallow focus,thismakeshimappear
heroicand powerful.Anotherexample of thiswouldbe whenDonovanhasfirstdrankfromthe cup
and he says ‘what’shappeningtome?’the directorusesa highangle atfirstwhichshowsthe power
he has, howeverashe slowlystartstodie the camera moveswithhimashe stepsdownwhich
symbolisesthathe islosingpower.Thiscontrastswiththe highanglesusedonElsato make her
appearweakerandvulnerable,anexample of thiswouldbe whenDonovansays‘What’shappening
to me?’and the directorusesthe highangle accompaniedwithanoverthe shouldershotfrom
Donovan’spointof view,thismakesElsaappearweak,howeveritthencutstoan overthe shoulder
shotfrom Elsa’spointof view,thismakesthe viewersside withElsaandhave sympathyforhereven
thoughshe knewhe wasgoingto die. ThisportraysElsa as a conflictedcharacteras she has good
intentions, butitresultsinherkillingsomeone.
Usingthe differentelementstoMise-en-scene createsacontrast betweenthe male andfemale
characters.An example of thiswouldbe the characterscostumes.Forexample, Indianaisdressedin
the coloursbrown.The brown representsadowntoearthcharacter who isstable andreliable,
howeverthisiscontradictedbyacontrastingof the material thatisusedinIndiana’sclothing.The
leatherandthe cow boyhat is oftensymbolicof charactersthat are adventuress, heroicand
attractive.andin the scene,ElsareliesonIndianatosave herwhen she isbeingstrangledby
Donovan.

2. Elsa’scostume ismade up from the colourswhite andblack,the colourwhite represents and
accentuates the purityandprotection traitsthatare often seenasthe stereotypical view of women.
In addition, Elsaisinthisscene a pure character whoiswillingtoprotectpeople, forinstance she
protectsIndiana’sfatherasshe handsthe character of Donavanthe wrong grail whichresultsinthe
deathof Donavan.However, the colourblacksymbolisespower,deathandevilnessinacharacter
thissupportsmypreviouspointof Elsabeinga conflicted character. Similarly, Donovanwearsagrey
casual suitwithblack boots, the costume suggeststhatthe character isa respectable middle-aged
man whichcontradictsthe menacingandchillingpersonalityof the character.
The scene that isbeingdiscussedissetina dimly litundergroundcave thatholdsnumerousgrails
that are beingprotectedbyanagingknight.These grailscouldbe seenasbeing‘trophies’ thatneed
to be foughtfor andwon.This once againsuggestsa male dominatedspace particularly withregard
to the storyline whichshowsarace to succeedinfindingthe HolyGrail.Itis definitelyamale centred
scene as all the characters bar one are female.Several malecharactersappearlateronin the scene
dressedinNazi uniformwhichagainsetsthe scene aspredominatelymale orientated.Suchas
strength,menace andchallenge. There appearstobe little suggestionof genderwithinthe setting
thishas beenachievedwiththe pointsmade earlier.
Editing
Duringthe cuts in the scene the musicwascontinuous,thisuse of rhythmicediting allowsfor
differentshotstorun smoothlyalongside the soundtrack whilstkeepingthe viewersinterestinthe
scene. The use of thiseditingtechniquefocusesonthe leadingmale characters thusallowingfor
bothto be inshot yetinseparate partsof the scene,thisenables the viewersto see and feel the
animosityandconflictbetweenthe twoleadingmen.Furthermore,there isuse of shotreverse shot
editingbetweenElsaandDonovan inthe shotinwhich Donovanisdying.Whenthe shotsswitch
betweenthe pointsof viewthe charactersare positionedsothatthe viewerisable tosee the view
of eachcharacter and howfromDonovan’spointof view Elsalooksvulnerable andfromElsa’spoint
of viewDonovanlookspowerfulandevil evenwhendying.This couldbe perceivedto represent
moderndayviewsonwomenbeingweakandvulnerable andthe menbeingpowerful.The eye line
match usedjustbefore Elsapicksthe grail at thispointinthe scene appearstoshow Donavanand
Elsa workingtogether.Simultaneouslythe eye line matchbetween Indianaandthe Knight suggests
that there isa relationshipbetweenDonovanandElsaandonce againhighlightsthe relationshipsin
the scene.Forexample,atthispointinthe scene itappearsthat Donovanand Elsaare working
together.Inaddition,Elsacouldbe perceivedtobe usingherfemininitytopersuadeDonovanto
trust her.
The use of a smashcut is usedwhen realisingElsapickedthe wronggrail onpurpose,itis
accompaniedwithamediumclose up as well asa harshtone of music.The viewers couldperceive
heras violentorheroicamidst the realisationthatElsais notthe badperson she made out to be
earlieroninthe film. Inaddition, asmashcut is usedonIndianawhenhe realiseswhatElsa’splanis.