CONTEXT MOOD BOARD
S4:E1 --- SCENE SYNOPSIS:
in the episode, it starts off with the headmaster of the school emerging from a plastic bag. Next, Emma Peel and John Stead off by going by train to a small town called Little Baisley. On the train they meet another man called Mother and they all go to the town together. When they get to the town they go to the pub where they all have a drink and Emma Peel and John Stead go to their rooms whereas Mother goes to find his brother. When Mother goes to the blacksmiths he gets attacked and eventually murdered. The Avengers then get curious and go snooping around the town to find it is empty. The Avengers find out too much information and are attacked. They found out that people are taking over the town and impersonating the locals. The Avengers Kill all the imposters.
CHARACTER PROFILES:
REPRESENTATIONS IN THE AVENGERS
ENGLAND:
wearing suits
drinking tea
having a pub
classic British bloodhounds
bowler hat
picnic basket
GENDER:
Emma wears a tight leather suit and miniskirt
men wear suits
Emma as a sidekick not main part
women seen as lesser - fighting scene she has 'easier targets'
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEN AND NOW:
black and white
fighting scenes more realistic
plots more developed and believable
better quality shots / cameras
CGI
greenscreens are better
sound quality is better
wearing suits
drinking tea
having a pub
classic British bloodhounds
bowler hat
picnic basket
GENDER:
Emma wears a tight leather suit and miniskirt
men wear suits
Emma as a sidekick not main part
women seen as lesser - fighting scene she has 'easier targets'
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEN AND NOW:
black and white
fighting scenes more realistic
plots more developed and believable
better quality shots / cameras
CGI
greenscreens are better
sound quality is better
THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL CONTEXT ON THE AVENGERS:
Emma Peel is indicative of the change that previous gender inequalities had on television programmes and the increased public role women had in 1960s Britain. Explain How.
Previously in media, women were overly controlled and restricted in what they wear. Emma Peels leather catsuit suggests that women were cast more for the enjoyment of men and for the male gaze. However, the fact that emma peele is wearing it suggest she has more freedom in what she wears and is wearing it to highlight her sexuality. Moreover in the scene, there are many close ups of Emma Peel which again could highlight the importance/relevancy of the male gaze at the time. John Steed and Emma Peele are shown to be equal in the amount of time they spend on screen (both having around about the same screen time) but, in the fight scenes John Steed fights all the men and military personnel while emma fights only the women. in this episode, a progression in gender equality can be seen but there are still quite a lot of inequalities.
What does the absence of any LGBT characters reveal about social attitudes? what was the legal position towards homosexuality at the time?
Firstly, the lack of LGBT highlights the apparent homophobia and lack of acceptance towards homosexuals at the time. The lack of LGBT characters shows that at the time people were not very accepting of LGBT people. however the fact that there is no negative comments or behaviour towards LGBT people suggests that people were becoming more accepting of them. the episode shows how society were slowly becoming more accepting but was not totally compliant and fine with LGBT members of society.
How is the underdevelopment of multiculturalism in 1960s Britain reflected in The Avengers?
in the episode, there are no black or colored people and the level of multiculturalism is limited. This reflects how people felt about other people from different ethnic origins in Britain. it shows how British people were quite racist in the way that they acted and excluded many of these people from jobs and opportunities just because of their colour. furthermore, The town is meant to be a depiction of an old English town. the lack of colored people also highlights the lack of cultural diversity of England in the 1960s.
At this time there was a perceived "generation gap" between the traditional wartime generation and the radical youth. how is this reflected through the representation of Steed and Peel?
at the time, the older generation were perceived to be more knowledgable and wise and they were seen as 'better'. this is because they had lived through the war and experienced life. the younger generation were seen to be 'lesser', dumb and unwise. John steed is shown to be older as when he is at the old airfield he has a flashback and hear sounds. John also speaks about flying and crashing a plane in the war. The younger generation are portrayed as lesser in the film as a gang of 5 of them fall to John Steed with a metal bowler hat and suggested to be dumber than the older generation. This highlights the huge youth gap in society at the time.
How did the social anxieties of the time, specifically in regards to the Cold War and related espionage influence the production of this episode.
The cold war and related espionage influenced the episode heavily and the whole plot of it revolved around peoples fears of a communist invasion. in the episode a group of Russian military kill everyone in a town and slowly take it over by replacing them with themselves. At the time this would be quite apparent and would be a problem many people would have feared especially with the term "reds under the bed". "Reds under the bed" was used during the cold war with reference to the feared presence and influence of communist sympathisers. at the time there was a lot of tension between the Americas and Britain with Russia
Explain how media language is used to make the viewer sympathise for the townspeople rather than the Russians
Whenever the Russian imposters are on the screen, sinister music plays. moreover, the fact that bloodhounds are used creates sympathy for the townsfolk as they die a horrible and painful death. moreover, because Emma Peel and John Steed dominate screen time gives the impression that something malicious and mysterious is happening in the background. Also the audience is lead to sympathise towards the townsfolk because the Russians kill the townsfolk (including the children).
Previously in media, women were overly controlled and restricted in what they wear. Emma Peels leather catsuit suggests that women were cast more for the enjoyment of men and for the male gaze. However, the fact that emma peele is wearing it suggest she has more freedom in what she wears and is wearing it to highlight her sexuality. Moreover in the scene, there are many close ups of Emma Peel which again could highlight the importance/relevancy of the male gaze at the time. John Steed and Emma Peele are shown to be equal in the amount of time they spend on screen (both having around about the same screen time) but, in the fight scenes John Steed fights all the men and military personnel while emma fights only the women. in this episode, a progression in gender equality can be seen but there are still quite a lot of inequalities.
What does the absence of any LGBT characters reveal about social attitudes? what was the legal position towards homosexuality at the time?
Firstly, the lack of LGBT highlights the apparent homophobia and lack of acceptance towards homosexuals at the time. The lack of LGBT characters shows that at the time people were not very accepting of LGBT people. however the fact that there is no negative comments or behaviour towards LGBT people suggests that people were becoming more accepting of them. the episode shows how society were slowly becoming more accepting but was not totally compliant and fine with LGBT members of society.
How is the underdevelopment of multiculturalism in 1960s Britain reflected in The Avengers?
in the episode, there are no black or colored people and the level of multiculturalism is limited. This reflects how people felt about other people from different ethnic origins in Britain. it shows how British people were quite racist in the way that they acted and excluded many of these people from jobs and opportunities just because of their colour. furthermore, The town is meant to be a depiction of an old English town. the lack of colored people also highlights the lack of cultural diversity of England in the 1960s.
At this time there was a perceived "generation gap" between the traditional wartime generation and the radical youth. how is this reflected through the representation of Steed and Peel?
at the time, the older generation were perceived to be more knowledgable and wise and they were seen as 'better'. this is because they had lived through the war and experienced life. the younger generation were seen to be 'lesser', dumb and unwise. John steed is shown to be older as when he is at the old airfield he has a flashback and hear sounds. John also speaks about flying and crashing a plane in the war. The younger generation are portrayed as lesser in the film as a gang of 5 of them fall to John Steed with a metal bowler hat and suggested to be dumber than the older generation. This highlights the huge youth gap in society at the time.
How did the social anxieties of the time, specifically in regards to the Cold War and related espionage influence the production of this episode.
The cold war and related espionage influenced the episode heavily and the whole plot of it revolved around peoples fears of a communist invasion. in the episode a group of Russian military kill everyone in a town and slowly take it over by replacing them with themselves. At the time this would be quite apparent and would be a problem many people would have feared especially with the term "reds under the bed". "Reds under the bed" was used during the cold war with reference to the feared presence and influence of communist sympathisers. at the time there was a lot of tension between the Americas and Britain with Russia
Explain how media language is used to make the viewer sympathise for the townspeople rather than the Russians
Whenever the Russian imposters are on the screen, sinister music plays. moreover, the fact that bloodhounds are used creates sympathy for the townsfolk as they die a horrible and painful death. moreover, because Emma Peel and John Steed dominate screen time gives the impression that something malicious and mysterious is happening in the background. Also the audience is lead to sympathise towards the townsfolk because the Russians kill the townsfolk (including the children).