Fingersmith

Fingersmith 

How is the representation of sexuality constructed in the clip?

Camera - 

• Close up - being each other in the mirror
• The woman constantly looks at the servant
• Look at the servant from the woman who is painting point of view
• Him ---> Her ---> Him --->Her --->Servant

Mise en Scene - 

• Paint dripping onto dress (Lusting)
• Helping her get changed
• Trying on different dresses

Editing - 

• Woman have most screen time throughout the clip
• All the dissolve effects dissolve into the woman
• Straight cuts to male 
• Slow pace 

Sound - 

• Non Diegetic voiceover "She looks so beautiful".
• "I had to keep telling myself  over and over again what she was going to do to me"
• "She changed my uncles books for me"
• Emotional music into sinister music when man realises she fancies the servant. 

Answer to Question

The representation of sexuality is constructed in this clip with the use of camera angles from the opening scene where we are shown two upper class woman who appear to be trying on dresses, at first this seems normal until we realise that the woman who is holding the dress is in fact the others servant. Following this the non diegetic voiceover from the woman referred to as Miss reveals her feelings for the servant at a early stage in the clip "She looks so beautiful". It is unlikely for the normal upper class woman to compliment her servants therefore this diologue immediately brings to our attention the affection Miss has for her servant. Furthermore the way in which the two are positioned with one behind the other bringing the servant to the front which is again different to what we expect to see. Miss is always looking at her servant in a way which shows affection because of this we question her desires and perhaps the fact that she is homosexual.

The clip then progresses with the character sitting in what appears to be a library with what sounds like violin and piano music playing softly in the background while Miss explains how "she changed my uncles books for me". This soft violin and piano music acts as a sound bridge into the next scene where Miss is almost stroking her servant while they are in bed, the character Miss lusts after her servant almost having to force herself not to touch the servant. The editing of the slow dissolve from the library into the bedroom slows the pace of the transition and helps to emphasise her feeling for the servant allowing us the audience to realise her sexual desires for the other woman. Long shot is used to show the whole of the bed and both of them fully therefore making the scene more intimate further emphasising the desires of the character Miss both of the characters are positioned in the centre of the frame therefore forcing us the audience to look at them because they are the most important characters. 

The clip progresses again into another scene of the character Miss again using the dissolve effect to slow the pace