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