A Handmaids Tale Analysis: Research

 Analysis of 'A Handmaids Tale'

Institutuional Information 

I chose to analyse the 1970’s version of the movie ‘A Handmaids Tale’. It’s based on a popular novel by author Margaret Atwood. The movie intrigues me as it explores feminist, socialist and political issues. This is portrayed by the female antagonist, Offred. I believe that she is a collective representative of the suppressed women living in this dystopian world. Her experiences mimic those of the other women and show how a seemingly normal person, common to our own society, would cope when faced with the rules and expectations forced upon her in this new society. Because of this, the rapport built between the audience and the character is much stronger.

The director ‘Volker Schlondorff’ deliberately included uncomfortable imagery in order to emphasise the negative feelings of the characters. The director has included scenes which are intended to make the audience feel uncomfortable. In one scene, we are shown a still longshot of three people hanging by ropes from a building. The camera often pauses on the most uncomfortable scenes. This prolongs the audience’s exposure to this disturbing imagery and therefore creates the feeling of vulnerability and inclusion to the movie/as though the audience were a character in the movie. The feelings and experiences of the characters can be imitated in this. Furthermore we are given a broader understanding of the character's viewpoint through seeing/being exposed to the same scenes as them.

Furthermore, in order to disorientate the audience, the editor has included jump cuts. These have been used to show flashbacks and can be seen throughout the movie, but most importantly - where Offred reminisces about her previous life. These are very noticeable as they are used to cut together contrasting scenes to establish a clear difference in the two lives that Offred has lived. In some shots we see the film jump from the current day (in context of film), to a few years previous. This discontinuity ultimately, provokes the audience to acknowledge the  progression of the character alongside the change in the societies dynamics. 

The mise-en-scene in 'A Handmaids Tale' is very basic. Despite the dystopian theme, the objects and the rest of the set design that we see in the film aren't futuristic. Whereas an audience may expect sci-fi style probs, we in fact see basic furniture such as: chairs, tables and sleeping bags. However the costume differentiates slightly form our own reality, in that the costume of the women is decided by their social status. For example, the Handmaids wear red, the commanders wives wear blue and the Martha's wear dusty brown/greys. This then visually separates the different characters. 

The main sounds within the film are diegetic. We can hear birds, cars and the sounds of people talking in the background of a majority of the scenes. An example of where diegetic sounds are used is in one of the first scenes where the women are in the large hall, next to their beds. We can hear the sound of heels hitting the floor as the women in charge of the handmaids parole up and down the rows of women. This creates the feeling of anxiety as the silence aside from this sound, emphasises the tension in the room.