Opening Sequences

The Lake House - Representation (Gender)

The Lake house is a romantic story of a man and woman that fall in love through letters but are sadly unable to meet as they are in different times. The opening sequence is very effective in introducing characters and representing gender. It both agrees with and opposes gender stereotypes.

The first piece of music used is sung by a man which reinforces the idea of men being dominant and strong. However, the lyrics of "I can't seem to make you mine" counteract this idea as the stereotype of men and women in romantic films are that the woman falls in love with the man, and yet the lyric seems to suggest that it is in fact the man pursuing the woman. It also links in with the story in that Keanu Reeves is living in the past and so can't seem to meet up with Sandra Bullock.

Camera framing is also used to portray gender stereotypes, for example, the first image you see of the leading female is an extreme close up of her eyes, this type of shot is used to show emotion and so helps to affirm the stereotype of woman being very emotional. This is backed up by the close up later on of another woman showing how she feels about the main male character, Alex. Also during the opening sequence there are no close ups of any men which again confirms the idea that women are emotional whereas men are not.

The mise-en-scene of the opening sequence also helps to support gender stereotypes, for example, the character Alex drives an old-looking blue truck which is quite a masculine vehicle, this helps to portray men as being strong and tough. Also, on the building site there are only men working in big boots and hardhats which shows masculinity, and is a large difference to the ditsy girl struggling to walk around in a skirt and heels. Conversely, in the first few shots of the opening sequence the main female, Kate, is wearing a bright red coat which is an extremely bold colour, signifying her independence and strength. This helps to hinder that stereotype and also draws attention to the fact that Kate is unlike most girls; she is special.

Another point is that all of the authority figures in the hospital which Kate goes to are woman and literally the only interaction with male characters in that scene is a frail old man, this helps to show woman as being strong and powerful. Which again goes against the whole damsel in distress stereotype which is commonly portrayed in romantic films.

Overall, this opening sequence seeks to challenge the gender stereotypes, especially of woman, and it shows one woman as what you would typically expect of a girl just to help reinforce that idea that the main character is different to all the other girls.