Bathroom+Scene

Back to Heavenly Creatures:HEAVENLY CREATURES - YEAR 13 VISUAL TEXT //Excellent for close analysis, especially of the use of lighting.// The bathing scenes were inspired by real events; Pauline made frequent reference in her diaries to bathing with Juliet. **The first bathtub scene**   in natural light – all white, clean, bright - porcelain, tile, paint.   Pauline is on the left – the 'sinister' side - Juliet facing on the right.   they are still   the voice-over is Pauline’s poem, "The Ones That I Worship".   there is a close-up of Pauline's brown eyes, and of Juliet's blue-grey eyes.   Dr H’s suspicions grow **The second bathtub scene**   by flickering candlelight; the tones are orange and red.   the sound is 'live' and immediate and harsh, the way sound is when it reflects from water   Pauline has just withdrawn from school and enrolled at Digby's.      She is upset: "I think I'm going crazy."   Juliet is in control: "No you're not, Gina. It's everyone else who's bonkers!"   the escape to Hollywood is hatched.   with Henry Hulme, we hear the girls “taking photographs."  **The third bathtub scene**      by moonlight, blue and cold through the windows.      the girls look pale, cold, like corpses.      only their heads are visible above the still, milky water – symbolically cut off      it is almost silent, but the sound is again live and harsh; we hear a tap dripping slowly, loudly      Juliet is in tears and Pauline is dark, dangerous and bitter: "We don't want to go to too much trouble."      all Juliet can muster is a weak and small "yes."  To heighten the accelerating sense of 'otherworldliness', the scene was shot under blue lighting with additional ultraviolet lighting (UV light) commonly referred to as 'black lighting'. There is also a link with death - under blue lights, the girls look cold and dead, especially their dark lips (probably heightened by having red-toned lipstick, which would just appear black). Blue light is scattered much more strongly by colloidal (milky) solutions than is green or red light, so the girls' soapy bath water was much more opaque under blue light. = Pauline alone in bath at home =   different in texture and intent   she is writing   is this a search for privacy – hard to get in the Rieper home – or merely an example of her selfishness?   highlights the difficulty of one bathroom for 8 or 9 people