Make-up Exploration 

Dixie Crouch

Make-up for Media and Performance

Level 5

How the theory of projection is used to represent evil through villainous characters in film.

 

Amanda Stephenson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS

List of Contents

Introduction

Men as Evil

Women as Evil

Non-human as Evil

Conclusion

Bibliography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In film evil is represented through characters and their motives. Often when creating these characters the director will use the theory of projection to make them become other to the audience, the viewer recognizes qualities of man, considered undesirable, that it refuses to recognize within him or herself and make them fear the character. The techniques in film that help portray this include casting, acting and make-up however camera shots and sound also play a part. There are some certain characteristics that each villain shares as a group, but depending on the gender, species and motive of the villain there can be distinctive differences to create otherness and fear within a character.

 

Man as Evil : James Bond Series. You only live Twice (Gilbert, 1967), Casino Royale (Campbell, 2006) and Skyfall, (Mendes, 2012)

 

When discussing male villains in film, the antagonists in the James Bond series cannot be avoided. One particular trait that the majority of them have in common is a physical deformity. In an article entitled 50 years of James Bond: Nationalism, violence and sex, Ian Norden states that “The obsessive avenger, he is almost always an adult male who in the name of revenge relentlessly pursues those he holds responsible for his disablement.” (Norden, 2007) the writer used the backstory of the character to create a physical characteristic that would be considered fearsome by the audience. Then in turn the make-up department and special FX teams help create these disablements on screen

 

According to philosophy there is a deeper meaning for the link of the portrayal of disablement and evil. The source of Freud’s ‘The uncanny’ theory is tied to the idea of being robbed of one's eyes. The idea behind this is that the fear of losing a boy’s eyes is equal to fear of castration. Villains from the James bond series such as Ernst ‘Stavros Blofeld’, as portrayed by Donald Pleasence in You Only Live Twice (Gilbert, 1967)

 and ‘Le Chiffre,’ as portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen in Casino Royale (Campbell, 2006), both have physical scars on their eyes and therefore when they are viewed on screen the idea is that the audience is like the boy and when they see the deformities in the eyes of the villain they become unconsciously uncomfortable. The design of the characters brings together both Aristotle’s and Kant’s theories on evil. The concept that man can choose to be villainous when put in a position of power is shown through the acting and writing, and the idea that the deformation of nature, through physical disablement of the body, represents evil is portrayed using make-up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the climax in Casino Royale (Campbell, 2006), the antagonist Le Chiffre plays poker against James Bond, both players go ‘all in’ in the game, and it is the tensest moment of the film. During this scene we see Le Chiffre become increasingly more uncomfortable, as this happens, his left eye starts to bleed. The theory of abjection was identified by Julia Kristeva it is defined as “an object that disturbs social reason being cast out”(Macey, 2001), blood is a great example of the abject, when it leaves the body it becomes other to us, something unfamiliar out of its place. this gives a feeling of uneasiness within the audience. Within this scene the feeling is heightened because of the location of the blood, and the abnormality of a bleeding eye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the film Skyfall, (Mendes, 2012) Javier Bardem plays Raoul Silva, the main antagonist who wants to enact revenge on M and James Bond, the protagonists of the series. Throughout the duration of the film he has an uncanny look to his character, in his daily life Javier Bardem has dark hair and skin, so when he appears in the film with blonde hair and blonde eyebrows, it relates back to colour theory and ethnicity.  This gives the audience a sense of otherness, as this is someone they do not recognize and cannot sympathize with. In addition to this the actor is wearing dentures that push out his mouth and change the shape of his face. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a similar tactic as seen in Casino Royale (Campbell, 2006), during the pivotal scene in the film where Silva reveals his motive for revenge the character his full deformity is revealed to the audience. However because of the extent of the deformity, it becomes fearsome, monstrous and more than just unnerving. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woman as Evil: Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (Meyer, 1965)

 

The characterization of women as evil is often represented through the exploitation of the body. “The fear of Women as physical bodies is older than Judeo-Christian tradition.” (Noddings, 1991). This is portrayed clearly in the Film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (Meyer, 1965), the three main villains, Billie, Rosie and Varla are thrill-seeking go-go dancers who spend their time racing cars, scheming to steal from an old millionaire and murdering innocent citizens that cross their path. The leader of the group is Varla is the most villainous in her behaviour, taking control of the hostage situation, controlling the other girls’ behaviour and killing people with her bare hands, Varla is portrayed as the epitome of female sexuality. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Casting is the primary key to representing female sexuality, the character Varla is portrayed by Tura Satana, before acting in Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! She was a gogo-dancer herself and during the film shows off her breast enlargements. The director Russ Meyer stated that she was just as much a part of the film making process as he was, improvising lines and adding in martial arts.

 

Moreover the costume in the film aids the representation of the theory; the girls are immodestly dressed seemingly boasting her feminine physique. Even in the script one of the characters discusses the costume. “You girls a bunch of nudists or are you just short of clothes?” The appearance of feminine flesh especially to the male audience can be intimidating because of the idea of female dominance and self-esteem castrating men.

 

Sartre’s theory about the female sexuality being the castration of men is perfectly represented in the film through quotes, for example a male character tells Varla “You’re a beautiful animal… and I’m weak, and I want you.” The opening sequence of the film openly admits the link between violence, evil and the provocative, the opening lines read “While violence cloaks itself in a plethora of disguises, its favourite mantle still remains sex.” Sex is used in the film in two ways, it lures in the audience and it also intimidates them.

 

In the scene where the girls murder their first male victim Varla and him wrestle in the dusty ground for some time before she eventually kills him. During this scene the two actors roll around on top of each other, grabbing each other by the hair and throat. This action is reminiscent of sexual behaviour, which is a direct representation of the theoretical concept. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nel Noddings in her book writes “Woman has been regarded, in Tertullian’s words, as the ‘Devil’s Gateway.’”(Noddings, 1991 Pg, 35), It gives the impression that all women are evil in some way, just through the fact they are women. This is represented in the film by the last female character, Linda, who is written as one of the victims of the go-go girl gang. Although she is not an antagonist in the film, it is because of her actions that the gang kills her boyfriend.

It seems that none of the female characters in the film have any redeeming qualities, they either are murderous villainesses or weak. These link to Carl Jung’s archetypes of women, and the decency of the female characters in the film reflect what Noddings writes in her book Women and Evil which is that Aristotle’s most damaging charge against female nature is a fundamental weakness in morality. (Nodding, 1991, Pg 11).

 

 

 

Non-Human as Evil: Creature from the Black Lagoon (Arnold, 1954). 

 

 

Non-human characters often in film also portray evil; classic monster films from the 1930s to the 1960s ranging from Frankenstein (Whale, 1931), Dracula (Browning, 1931) and The Wolf-Man (Waggner, 1941) are examples of where non-human creatures are the villains in the story. The term ‘monster’ in itself gives an impression of a villain. One of the greatest monsters created for film is the Gill-man in Creature from the Black Lagoon (Arnold, 1954). The secret to a successful evil monster is to create a sense of familiarity in them, and many of the aforementioned creatures have human like qualities in their design. A reason these designs are so successful at provoking fear into an audience is the relation to Freud’s theory of the uncanny. That something unknown and unfamiliar is not always the most frightening, but what strikes fear into us is something familiar yet other to us. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The design of the Gill-man monster suit in ‘Creature from the black lagoon’ is a perfect example of how special effects and makeup in film parallel psychology. The creature can walk on two legs like a man and has recognizable limbs, however his hands are webbed, and the suit is covered in scales. The design of the monster is based on a sea-bishop a mythical creature that is half man, half fish. The deformation of both creatures’ anatomy creates unfamiliarity and therefore uneasiness within the audience.