Hustle clip analysis

Throughout the Hustle clip the gender representation constructed justifies Laura Mulvey’s (1964) theory that men have more power and objectify the females.

We immediately see the gender representation through the two women in the shop, one of them being rank higher up the social classes (women wearing the blond wig) and the other much lower down the system; this also show binary opposition between the two.  The higher class female fits into the theory that women are housewives, easy and have a physical attraction about them. The fact that she is wearing a blond wig immediately puts her above the other women as she will get the male gaze and women aspire to be like her (voyeuristic).

However this all changes when she loses her ring. We have already got the sense that the ring is what gets the scene moving as the audience are put at eye level with the ring and there is a close up. This also is another connotation that she is rich. The music changes from background shop music through the use of Foley sound, to fast up pace music to convey panic to the audience, however the music is quite comical to show that it is not a serious matter.

The use of wipe transition to go from the blonde female in the shop to the male, does not only convey that there is two narratives going on at the same time but it also plays a big role on the representation of genders in TV dramas. From the panic of the last scene because of the women losing her ring with the upbeat non diagetic sound, it all cuts out when we wipe to the males scene. This does not only stereotype women typically shopping whilst the man is at work, but also shows that what the man has to say is more important therefore leaving the audience thinking that he is the more dominant one and can deal with more important situations in life. This also is backed up with the fact that the woman says “my husband is going to kill me”

We can also see difference in gender representations though the shop assistant and the blonde man. Before when the shop assistant was talking to the poorer lady the camera angle was at his height, showing that he has more ‘authority’ and is more ‘rich’. However this time the shop assistant is on the floor looking for the ring and the camera pans up to a high angle shot looking down on the shop assistant. This immediately connotes that the blonde man has more authority. The shop assistant does not play the typical man but plays the very stereotypical homosexual man, therefore the blonde man has more power over him as the shop assistant is playing more of a women’s role.

The direct address from both men and women in the scene make the gender representation of both of them equally important therefore not supporting Laura Mulvey’s theory. However by breaking the forth wall and engaging with the audience (something that is not very common in TV dramas) supports Alfred Hitchcock’s theory; the audience know what’s going on but the characters don’t.

In all it is definite that the men in this sequence have more superiority then the women from the camera angles, sound, editing and to some extent the mis en scene. The women wearing the blonde wig is a there to be a typical stereotype of a blond women and to degree can be seen in the male gaze as voyeuristic and fetishtic.

Both representations create a sense of verisimilitude in which a TV drama should do this.