G321 Task 3 - Thriller Scene Analysis - "The Others" (2 of 3)

"The Others" G321 Thriller Scene Analysis: The Piano Scene

"How are women represented in the scene? Consider the stereotypical representations of the thriller genre such as the femme fatale and the victim."

"The Others" is a thriller/horror/drama film directed by Alejandro Amenabar, and was released on 10th August 2001 (USA). The film had an estimated budget of $17M and by February 2002 the most recent figure for box office returns was $209M worldwide. It was produced by Cruise/Wagner Productions, Sociedad General de Cine and Las Produccienes del Escorpion S.L. It's target audience would be more geared towards older viewers or those more interested in dramas and mystery films. The audience received it well, with a variation of reviews on IMDb, from 8/10's with comments such as "Subtle, genuinely creepy and... SUBTLE" to 10/10's simply exclaiming "Chilling!"

The scene commences with a woman [Nicole Kidman], curled up into a ball on the floor, sobbing into her arms. Although the audience is unaware as to why (just from this scene), it immediately portrays her as a vulnerable character, which women are typically portrayed as in thriller films. We can barely hear her say, "John, where are you?" in the opening few seconds, showing fear and a longing for re-assurance, further enhancing this notion of vulnerability and weakness. However, she then appears to stop crying, and glance up, showing shock and fear, as we hear a piano begin to fade in. At this point we are unaware as to whether this is the soundtrack or if it is in the scene. However, as the woman frantically scans the room, we assume the piano is in the scene, and is the cause of the woman's fear at this stage.

The scene goes dark and at 0:32 we see the woman emerge in a night gown holding a candle. Firstly this helps to give an idea of time period for the scene, but more importantly it portrays the woman as lost. Contrasted against the darkness, she may appear quite confident and powerful in a normal setting, challenging typical representations, yet her costume means she is represented as the typical "weak" woman in the scene. The candle light here adds to this effect as it dimly lights her in the scene, creating an eerie atmosphere, and we cannot see if there is anything in the darkness in the scene, leading to the audience developing concern for the woman. Sound is also used to create effect here, with the main sound coming from the piano for which we assume the woman is searching for and the creaking of the floorboards and staircase, which is one very conventional of thrillers, and two aids the notion of fear for the woman's well-being with the growing suspense. As the scene changes we hear the heavy breathing of the woman, conveying her fear and vulnerability on a more personal basis.


Once again, the representation in the scene flips, as at 1:08 we see the woman to be carrying a large gun. Her stance in this still would suggest power, calmness and control over the situation, yet prior to this she seemed frantic and nervous. This would be associated with the typical power connoted with weaponry. This challenges typical representations, and this fluctuation between control and vulnerability adds to the confusion created by the mysterious piano in the scene.

At this stage, the piano grows louder, enhancing the mystery and hence suspense, as the woman enters a room where we presume from this development in the music, the piano is located. As the woman reaches for the door handle we hear her breathing again, flipping the representation back around again; she is once again portrayed as vulnerable. The sound now completely cuts and the piano stops playing, as we hear the door slowly creak open. This use of sound, or lack of it, also helps to represent the character, this could show her as confused, shocked, or even delusional - was the piano playing at all? We see the character as a victim, typical of stereotypical representations.

As she strides into the room holding the gun firmly, she challenges conventions. Going by stereotypes, surely the potentially dangerous task of investigating a mysterious, perhaps paranormal happening should be the responsibility of a man, not a woman? Although it challenges this notion, it actually enhances the vulnerability aspect as the audience does not expect her to be in that situation - she seems nervous holding the gun, not authoritative. When the door closes behind her, the scene changes to a close up of her face to further convey confusion to the audience.

The music begins to pick up again from this point and the woman frantically dashes to the piano to close everything up, to stop the piano playing, showing a lack of control and fear, conforming to the fact that it is stereotypically expected for a woman to not be in control in such a predicament. By contrast, when she locks the piano and turns away, she seems powerful, as the key has the connotation of stopping something by force, i.e. the noise will be stopped. She returns to her stance holding the gun to further show that she has in fact contained the situation - this challenges the representation again.


In the next scene though, the doubt as to how the scene actually portrays her is confirmed. Up to this point there is a succinct alternation in conforming and challenging the vulnerability associated with women and whether or not she is a victim or not. As she opens and closes the door, she appears very confused. Then, so suddenly it causes the audience to jump, the door slams in her face, almost comically, sending her reeling backwards. This violent act against the woman immediately shows how she is a victim to the strange goings-on in her house, the confusion caused by them and hence her vulnerability - as she falls, she drops the gun, connoting a loss of power and control. The sound picks up and the door handle shakes, and she jumps to the door. She screams, "Mrs. Mills!!", showing her fear, and this conforms to the stereotypical representation as she seeks help. Another, older woman, presumably Mrs. Mills, comes bounding down the staircase, saying "What's wrong madam?" Being the second woman in the scene, she is immediately portrayed as weaker due to her age and hence strength, she seems very frail. After obtaining a key, they dash back to the piano room, the speed further displaying their fear, as the woman mumbles, shocked, "Oh my God" as she finds the piano, that she locked, to have re-opened. Similarly to the dropping of the gun, this would connote a lack of strength as whatever she is up against had the power to break the lock, showing the strength of the anonymous villain in the scene.

Overall, the piano scene in "The Others" displays signs of challenging the stereotypical portrayal of women in thrillers as inferior, yet overall the main character [Nicole Kidman] is seen to be a victim in the scene, with the narrative presenting her as immensely vulnerable and lacking in strength. She shows signs of power and control through using objects that have connotations with this, yet without them she is presented as alone and weak. The concept of the "femme fatale" is not relevant in this scene.