WEBVTT 00:00:04.335 --> 00:00:09.067 In my last video I took a look at Suzanne Collins' dynamic young protagonist Katniss Everdeen and 00:00:09.067 --> 00:00:12.709 deconstructed her character in relation to gender, violence and feminism 00:00:12.709 --> 00:00:15.875 over the course of the first novel in the Hunger Games trilogy. 00:00:15.875 --> 00:00:18.475 If you haven’t seen it yet, go ahead and check it out. 00:00:18.475 --> 00:00:21.911 The Hunger Games movie adaptation directed by Gary Ross 00:00:21.911 --> 00:00:25.661 and starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, was released in March 2012. 00:00:25.661 --> 00:00:31.329 The film broke records at the box office proving yet again, that women can lead successful blockbuster films. 00:00:31.329 --> 00:00:33.226 Take note Hollywood. 00:00:33.226 --> 00:00:35.276 I had two big concerns going into the movie. 00:00:35.276 --> 00:00:37.377 First, that the violence would be glamorized, 00:00:37.377 --> 00:00:42.360 especially considering the medium of cinema tends to sensationalize explicit violence and gore. 00:00:42.360 --> 00:00:47.246 I was pleasantly surprised that the filmmakers strategically chose to limit the depictions of violence 00:00:47.246 --> 00:00:50.145 and largely avoided celebrating the bloodshed. 00:00:50.145 --> 00:00:53.960 My second concern was that Katniss’ character would be sexualized on screen, 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:58.001 thankfully the filmmakers very intentionally chose not to sexualize her at all, 00:00:58.001 --> 00:01:00.263 even in a scene when she’s taking a bath. 00:01:00.263 --> 00:01:02.782 This is a truly remarkable accomplishment given a 00:01:02.782 --> 00:01:08.225 Hollywood system that insists on sexualizing practically all their female leads on and off screen. 00:01:08.225 --> 00:01:11.091 Obviously, whenever a novel is turned into a film there 00:01:11.091 --> 00:01:14.531 will be notable differences because of time constraints and other factors. 00:01:14.531 --> 00:01:16.800 Let’s take a look at just a few of those differences. 00:01:16.800 --> 00:01:21.352 If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie yet (spoilers) fair warning. 00:01:21.352 --> 00:01:25.451 While reading the book we are inhabiting Katniss’ mind, via first person narrative. 00:01:25.451 --> 00:01:29.856 we're following her inner dialogue so we know her fears, desires, and needs, 00:01:29.856 --> 00:01:32.470 in a much more intimate way then the film can deliver. 00:01:32.470 --> 00:01:37.505 This isn’t necessarily a flaw in the movie but I did feel like the horror of the Hunger Games, 00:01:37.505 --> 00:01:42.088 and the debilitating fear and anxiety that the tributes would feel didn’t come across quite as well. 00:01:42.088 --> 00:01:46.421 However, on screen we are given some hints and clues into the complex feelings of Katniss 00:01:46.421 --> 00:01:48.606 via Jennifer Lawrence’s incredible acting 00:01:48.606 --> 00:01:53.816 and because the camera was able to linger long enough for her non verbal expressions to come through. 00:01:53.816 --> 00:01:56.989 A less skilled actor wouldn’t have been able to pull this off. 00:01:56.989 --> 00:02:04.942 Although I did really enjoy the movie there are a few major shortcomings worth mentioning in the film adaptation. 00:02:04.942 --> 00:02:08.641 While I was impressed with the overall look and feel of the wealthy Capitol city, 00:02:08.641 --> 00:02:12.840 it was disturbing that the art directors chose to have effeminate and apparently queer men 00:02:12.840 --> 00:02:18.791 exist only as part of the decadent, superficial and rather sociopathic ruling class society. 00:02:18.791 --> 00:02:22.091 The decision to portray genderbending as somehow exclusively 00:02:22.091 --> 00:02:25.558 the product of uber high fashion elitism is deeply problematic. 00:02:25.558 --> 00:02:30.275 In the first novel, it is made clear that Katniss (and presumably the other tributes) are 00:02:30.275 --> 00:02:35.291 hyper aware that their every move and action is being watched and scrutinized by the arena audience, 00:02:35.291 --> 00:02:37.891 much like the reality TV shows of today. 00:02:37.891 --> 00:02:41.529 So in addition to trying to survive, the tributes are performing and acting 00:02:41.529 --> 00:02:44.630 as a way to gain sympathy and gifts from sponsors. 00:02:44.630 --> 00:02:49.190 Strangely, this performative layer is not emphasized or prioritized in the movie, 00:02:49.190 --> 00:02:50.943 at least while they are inside the arena. 00:02:50.943 --> 00:02:54.742 So for instance, in the book it’s made clear that Katniss is faking her affection for Peeta 00:02:54.742 --> 00:02:57.270 in order to solicit medical supplies while, in the movie 00:02:57.270 --> 00:03:02.439 its more ambiguous and we are lead to believe that she may be genuine in her feelings for him. 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:07.275 Later, what’s interesting about the novel is that Katniss has difficulty separating the performative aspects 00:03:07.275 --> 00:03:11.275 of her relationship with Peeta for any genuine affections they might feel for one another, 00:03:11.275 --> 00:03:13.191 underneath all the pretense. 00:03:13.191 --> 00:03:16.274 Secondly, when I watched this film in a packed theater on opening night, 00:03:16.274 --> 00:03:21.907 I experienced this horrible moment of cognitive dissonance in the scene where Thresh brutally murders Clove, 00:03:21.907 --> 00:03:24.626 the young, female tribute from district 2. 00:03:24.626 --> 00:03:25.892 Here is the problem, 00:03:25.892 --> 00:03:31.125 we as the audience in the real world are watching a story in which, a fictional capitol audience in turn 00:03:31.125 --> 00:03:35.309 is watching and deriving pleasure from the death of children. 00:03:35.309 --> 00:03:40.850 So understandably, you and I are supposed to be horrified by the whole media spectacle of the Hunger Games. 00:03:40.850 --> 00:03:44.868 But when Clove’s head is bashed in and her lifeless body is thrown to the ground, 00:03:44.868 --> 00:03:50.913 the real life audience in the theater I was in actually cheered and gained satisfaction from her death. 00:03:50.913 --> 00:03:53.184 Ironically, we are encouraged by the filmmakers, 00:03:53.184 --> 00:03:57.801 through the construction of this scene to behave in the same way that the Capitol audience does. 00:03:57.801 --> 00:04:00.954 Disturbingly, the filmmakers intend us to enjoy Clove’s murder 00:04:00.954 --> 00:04:05.870 and see it as justified because they have set her up as a dehumanized and ruthless figure. 00:04:05.870 --> 00:04:11.520 This is an utter failure on the part of the filmmakers to be consistent about portraying the horror of the death of children. 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:16.021 If the filmmakers are trying to make any statement at all about the reprehensible nature of the hunger games, 00:04:16.021 --> 00:04:20.312 they need to be consistent in the way they portray all deaths as horrific. 00:04:20.312 --> 00:04:24.122 The fact that Clove’s death wasn’t portrayed as appalling, is a major failing. 00:04:24.122 --> 00:04:28.069 Interestingly, even when Cato, the main villain in the arena is killed, 00:04:28.069 --> 00:04:31.636 we weren’t meant to celebrate his death, and I’ll go into that in just a second. 00:04:31.636 --> 00:04:35.187 Although, Jennifer Lawrence does a phenomenal job in the role of Katniss, 00:04:35.187 --> 00:04:38.069 we should take a moment to talk about race and casting in the film. 00:04:38.069 --> 00:04:42.669 In the book Collins clearly describes Katniss as having olive skinned and straight black hair, 00:04:42.669 --> 00:04:45.470 so you’d think that the casting call would reflect that, 00:04:45.470 --> 00:04:48.419 asking for actors with olive skin and straight black hair. 00:04:48.419 --> 00:04:52.171 But, in fact, the casting call specified that only Caucasian actors 00:04:52.171 --> 00:04:54.920 would be allowed to audition for the role of Katniss. 00:04:54.920 --> 00:05:00.087 Unfortunately, this is not just an issue with just one film or one casting department in one studio, 00:05:00.087 --> 00:05:03.238 this is a problem across the board, everywhere in Hollywood. 00:05:03.238 --> 00:05:09.005 And one of the major consequences of this type of systemic whitewashing is that the stories of women of color 00:05:09.005 --> 00:05:14.421 rarely make it on to the big screen and actors of color aren’t even allowed to audition for most leading roles. 00:05:14.421 --> 00:05:19.171 For more information on challenging white washing in Hollywood check out the Racebending website. 00:05:19.171 --> 00:05:23.708 I do want to point out a couple things that I think the movie did better than the original novel. 00:05:23.708 --> 00:05:29.305 First, the film’s format allows us to see multiple events happening simultaneously in different locations. 00:05:29.305 --> 00:05:35.489 So when Katniss shows compassion for the fallen Rue and then signal’s her solidarity with Rue’s District 11, 00:05:35.489 --> 00:05:39.624 we are shown a cutaway of the spontaneous uprising in that district. 00:05:39.624 --> 00:05:44.573 This is missing from the book but ends up being one of the most powerful and effective moments in the movie. 00:05:44.573 --> 00:05:48.673 While I think one of the major failings of the book and the movie was that there was no attempt, 00:05:48.673 --> 00:05:54.226 not even a little bit, to humanize the career tributes including Cato, Clove, Glimmer and Marvel. 00:05:54.226 --> 00:05:57.590 In the movie especially, they are portrayed as completely sadistic, 00:05:57.590 --> 00:06:02.443 inhuman monsters who take pleasure in killing to an exaggerated and unbelievable degree. 00:06:02.443 --> 00:06:06.309 However, the film version treats Cato slightly differently towards the end. 00:06:06.309 --> 00:06:10.094 In the scene where the three remaining players are trapped on top of the cornucopia, 00:06:10.094 --> 00:06:14.659 an emotionally distraught Cato, laments the fact that all he knows about life is killing. 00:06:14.659 --> 00:06:19.546 He realizes that he isn’t going to emerge victorious and we see his carefully constructed, 00:06:19.546 --> 00:06:26.001 entitled reality fall to pieces. We are given a glimpse into the human being underneath the learned savagery. 00:06:26.001 --> 00:06:29.953 During this interaction, Cato turns towards the sky taunting the game makers and the capitol, 00:06:29.953 --> 00:06:34.235 saying are we giving you a good show in a desperate and unhinged voice. 00:06:34.235 --> 00:06:36.836 This is a critical humanizing moment that illustrates 00:06:36.836 --> 00:06:42.086 the twisted brutality of the games and its emotional impact on even the most ruthless players. 00:06:42.086 --> 00:06:46.617 This stands in stark contrast to the novel where Cato is dehumanized from beginning to end. 00:06:46.617 --> 00:06:49.701 I’m really glad the film made this change, but I wish they had also humanized 00:06:49.701 --> 00:06:52.351 the other career tributes, at least a little bit. 00:06:52.351 --> 00:06:57.168 So in conclusion, I still highly recommend reading the first book and going to see the film. 00:06:57.168 --> 00:07:01.786 I think overall, and especially in comparison to the rest of what Hollywood has to offer, Katniss 00:07:01.786 --> 00:07:05.735 is one of the best young female characters I’ve seen on screen in a long time. 00:07:05.735 --> 00:07:09.885 Disappointingly, over the course of the next two books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, 00:07:09.885 --> 00:07:13.935 Katniss’ character growth not only stops but actually regresses in many ways. 00:07:13.935 --> 00:07:18.101 I’ll go into details about the failings of Books 2 and 3 in a future video, 00:07:18.101 --> 00:07:22.852 but for now I’ll just say, if you haven’t read the two books already, I wouldn’t bother. 00:07:22.852 --> 00:07:30.288 If you liked this video and want to see more in depth analysis of female characters in pop culture, 00:07:30.288 --> 00:07:33.069 please support me and my work by donating today. 00:07:33.069 --> 99:59:59.999 You can visit feministfrequency.com/donate