Mise en Scene

I decided to write my mise-en-scene analysis on the pilot episode of the HULU Original, The Handmaid's Tale. I chose this episode because the costumes and the props are important for distinguishing between Offred's flashbacks and the present moment. The costumes are also key for understanding the class system in Gilled. The handmaids wear the iconic red dresses and with bonnets that frame their faces. The red symbolizes fertility. The Commanders wear classic black suits to symbolize power. The Commander's wives wear a bluish green to symbolize Virgin Mary. I chose to analyze the Handmaid's Tale because I am interested in Margret Atwood's themes of feminism, complacency, and political manipulation.  From what I can tell, the television series stay faithful to the book, with only minor changes to reflect the current society. 

The episode opens up with Offred's flashback. She, her husband, and child are escaping the to border of Canada. The scene takes place on an empty highway during sometime in the fall. The lighting is low-key to convey a sense of sadness as the family tries to escape the country. The lighting remains low-key as Offred is separated from her husband and child. The scene cuts to future when Offred has been taken by the government and transformed into a handmaid. The director utilizes shallow space to to convey how trapped Offred feels. The shallow depth of field is especially noticeable when her bonnet is on. The viewer can only see her face while the rest of the background is blurred out. This shallow depth of field represent the limited vision that Offred has when she wear the bonnet. The bonnet is a form of control over her since it limits her vision.

The acting becomes crucial when the episodes progresses to the scene where Offred meets the family at her new station. Offred and the Commander's wife have a conversation that sets the tone of the episode from the point forward. The blocking of Offred and Mrs. Waterford is very distant. The wife is standing in the doorway while Offred is sitting on the windowsill. The distance represents the tension between the two characters. Mrs. Waterford's acting reflects a woman who is trying to assert her dominance over the handmaid. Mrs. Waterford's tone is cold when she asks Ovid if she knows the rules. Mrs. Waterford then goes on to talk about how the training the previous handmaid was like training a dog, only "not a very smart one".