Kiss of The Vampire

• Roland barthes semantic codes


  suspense is created through the engima surrounding the connoted relationship between the vampires emphaised by the kiss of the title and the fate of their two victims

  barthes semantic codes can be applied to the images of the bats , their conventional association with vampirism and horror in general
• symbolic codes


  of horror, darkness, and fear are widely reinforced through signifiers such as the moon and male victims' 'submissive sacrifice' gesture codes
• what is structalism do with kiss of the vampire ?


  the idea that texts are constructed through the use of binary oppostions could be applied to the opposing representations of the vmpires and victims romantci connotations of kiss and thr title stereotypical of vampire film genre
• the vampire seem uncharacteristicly


  scared in gesture codes with his arms thrown across his body in a defensive gesture perhaps protecting himself from the female vampire
• liebset Van zoonen theory

  by assuming the co antogonsit role the female vampire is perhaps contributing to socail change by representing women in non traditional roles though the passive women doesn't rienforce this
• david Guanlets theory of identity


  perhaps the female vampire acts a role model for women struggling against male oppresion or desperate to be seen as equals of men whatever the narrative or enviroment
• what is the product context ?

  it was produced by hammer film

  distributed by J Arthur rank and universal

  kotv was intended to be the second sequal to the 1958's Dracula , film makes no reference to stokers character

  perhaps distance itself from the unfavourable comparison to Christophher lee dracula

  hammer haqd 1963 success with toher horror filns mummy and frankestien distrubuters universal also so early success in this film genre
• what was 1963


  early stages of beatlemania the so called swinging sixities

  the assination of JFK and soviet union luanching the first women into space
• what is the cultural context ?

  1960's audiences can be assumed to be the famaliar with the codes and conventions of monster movie film poster such as it's compostion , font and representation
• media language


  capitilsed serif font creates connotations linked to the vampire film genre with the wooden styling ( referencing the vampire coffinor stake needed to kill him

  the use of the painted main image is highly conventional of films of period links to the poster to Christopher lee dracula the fact that it is in colour anchored by the text in eastman colour connotes that it is an modern telling of an older story

  the gloomy grey , black , brown colour pallete rienforces the fim's dark scary conventions while red highlights draws attention for the atttacking of the bats , the vampire and the blood are all signfiers of the genre

  covnetionally the stars are listed with highly paid male actors first and in order of fame , clifford evans having starred in hammer 1961 hit curse of the werewolf
• what is the political and social context ?

  1960's seen as the start of the women's sexual liberation aided by the events such as the introduction of the contraceptive pill in 1960

  more women then ever entering paid workforce

  sixities feminsits were paying for equal rights + more euality for men and women in the workplace

  In America equal pay legisation passed in 1963

  older stereoetypes of women as passive + weak , victims
• what is sturat hall theory of representation

  the images of the castle , vampires and bats , the cape and dripping blood form part of the shared conceptual road map that gives meaning to the world of the poster

  the audience is actively encoruaged to decode this famaliar generic icongraphy
• The women on the left gesture codes

  her floppy body langauge , closed eyes makes herr seem vulnerable and victimised
• seuxalisation


  skin tight silky dress exposes the upper chest and represents her in a sexualised way

  the other women dress if forefitting and tight around the bust area
• why were they been sexualised ?


  In the 1960's it become more common to sexualise people in media products
• 1960's was time of new


  divorce laws ,meant women were less restircted to being housewifes and mothers increasingly seuxalised as a result in the media
• traditionally women were represented as

  damsel in distresses needing recusing by a hero character
• what did feminists demand ?


  change to the way that they were treated in society and the way they were seen in the media
• how does it represent women

  represents them in fairly old fashioned , objectified ways , victimsed manners if looking at the women on the left in partciularlry manner

  might have been done to appeal to a male target audience
• KOTV was produced


  by hammer film productions therefore might be more likely to represent women in a mainstream way (feminism was still new and seen as alternative
• The man represented


  as powerful due to him carrying the women with only one hand

  his teeth makes his dangerous and aggresive as do black and red colours

  reflects the patirahcla idea and men as domiant and powerful
• man on the right represented as

  submissive and vulnerable
• these representation of men seeming weaker, victimsied reflects


  the shift in gender roles and gender expecations that was happening in the 1960's
• the female vampire on the left is represented as

  aggresive and powerful due to the body postioning above the man who is kneeling , her bared teeth and raised arm

  poirtetic code that she is going to bite his neck as his neck is back
• representing the women as the aggresor and potential is what for the period ?

  would of been uncoventional prior to the 1960's but the 1960's it could be seen as reflecting the shift in society that was happening in terms of femensim
• what do balance of character suggest ?

  and their poster might suggest a new trend equality
• Gender isn't represented in an


  old fashion binary way the poster
• what is on the credit block and what does it suggest ?


  however credit block suggests due to there only being one female name that women were seen as less important behind the scenes
• both women wear


  pale dresses made of light material

  dress codes serves to rienforce their feminity by highlighting the curves of their body and revealing the flesh of the upper chest and arms
• the women left


  stereotypical passive victim of the monster

  power is highlighted by just holding him with one arm
• baring her teeth with her arm raised almost like a

  fist as she been bitten by bat

  the second women's gesture code are more aggresive , submssive pose of her male victim on his knees with his head back and throat represent in a non domiant stereotypically way
• 'The kiss' - the title is ambiguous, it could be interpreted as 'the vampires kiss', or 'the kiss between two lovers'. This creates suspense.
• There are many shots of shadows throughout the film which create tension and fear.
• The film was released at a time when horror films were becoming popular again, following Hammer’s success with Dracula (1958).