Kiss of the vampire

what is the product context

Produced by Hammer Film Productions and
distributed by J. Arthur Rank and Universal

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what is the cultural context

The audience of the 1960s for this advertisement would have been familiar with the conventions and composition of horror movie posters, including the portrayal of the monster and its female victims.

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what is the political and social contexts

The 1960s saw the start of the women's sexual liberation movement with the introduction of the contraceptive pill. More women joined the paid workforce while feminists pushed for equal pay, an end to sexual harassment, and gender equality which could have

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What are the visual codes shown by the female characters?

On the left, she is vulnerable and a damsel in distress- sexualised with lots of flesh and a tight dress.
On the right, she is sexualised and objectified and objectified which could be because horror films have a male audience, meaning if women are sexua

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What are the visual codes shown by the male characters?

The left man appears powerful for carrying the woman and having fangs, but his defensive body language and wide eyes make him appear as a victim. Meanwhile, the right man's submissive pose suggests victimization, highlighting the changing gender roles and

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techniqual codes in KOTV

The capitalised, serif font of the title
creates connotations linked to the vampire
film genre with its ‘wooden’ styling
The use of a ‘painted’ main image is highly
conventional of films of the period and links
to the poster for Christopher Lee’s Dracula

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how can Roland Barthes semiotic theory media(the study of individual signs)be applied

Suspense is created through the enigmas
surrounding the connoted relationship between
the male and female vampires and the Semantic Code could be applied to images of the bats and their conventional association with vampirism and horror in general.

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How can Lévi-Strauss' structural theory be applied

The idea that texts are constructed through
the use of binary oppositions could be
applied to the opposing representations of the
vampires and their victims, and the romantic
connotations of “kiss” opposed in the film’s
title to the stereotypical “vampire

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how representations are constructed

Two women wearing light-coloured dresses highlight their femininity through the curves of their bodies and revealed flesh. The woman on the left has a passive gesture, held by the monster with just one arm. The second woman’s gesture codes are more aggres

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Liesbet Van Zoonen’s feminist theory –

By assuming this ‘co-antagonist’ role, the
the female vampire is perhaps contributing to
social change by representing women in non-traditional roles through
the passive female victim does reinforce these.

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Get Revising

Kiss of the vampire

Other cards in this set

Card 2

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Card 3

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Card 4

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Card 5

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