 |
|
3.1.14 Foreshadowing and allusion.
** Does Jackson use these devices in
"Heavenly Creatures?"
The film is absolutely rife with foreshadowing and allusion, beginning with the
whole narrative of the Prologue. Jackson uses foreshadowing, especially, as a means of
building up dramatic tension to an unbearable level. It might almost be shorter to list
things which aren't... Some examples are presented in this section. Since the reader must
be an afficionado, some of the details of the connections are omitted or left as
exercises. Contributions to this section are welcomed.
** The Prologue.
See 3.1.3 for an extended listing and discussion of foreshadowing and allusion in
the archival footage in the Prologue, 3.1.17.1 for a more complete description of the
"flight scene" and 3.1.16.13 for a detailed analysis of the "ship
scenes." Brief reminders of things which pop up again and again: Archival footage:
daffodils, gay and golden, Rutherford, Christchurch gardens. Flight Scene: smashing
through the wooded underbrush, screaming, legs and shoes and stockings and feet and
running, mud, overcoats, "Mummy," "Help us!", spattered blood and
gore. First Ship Scene: legs and running, wooden decking, bright print summer dresses,
"Mummy," streamers, an elegant woman in white, a man in an overcoat and hat, the
sound of the wind.
** The title sequence at school.
The title sequence is chock-a-block with foreshadowing and allusion, too. See
3.1.19 for a discussion of the music under the titles, "Just A Closer Walk With
Thee," and all the references contained in this piece. Things to watch for later in
the film: a six-pointed star, stockings, legs and feet, brown oxfords and sandals, school
satchels, bicycles, brown gloves, "sit-tuh!" and distain of other commands.
** What is the significance of Pauline's
stockings?
We see Pauline hooking up her stocking to her garter belt in the opening sequence
under the titles. At the end of the film, Pauline constructs the murder weapon from one of
her stockings. So, apart from telling us a lot about Pauline, and having her flash her
thigh gratuitously in an allusion to the scandalous and salacious reputation of the case,
this little scene is also a wonderful, almost throwaway, foreshadowing of the murder. It
is just one example of an object or theme that appears in two forms in the film, first as
something innocent and every-day, and second as its dark and sinister doppelganger.
** Others, in no particular order:
* Horses, first drawn in Pauline's French notebook, are in practically every scene
and somewhere on every set. Horses figured very prominently in the real case (see
3.1.16.9). * The girls are thrown together by Art. They never abandon their singleminded
pursuit of the Arts from that moment on. * Running and crashing through foliage appears in
the Prologue, repeatedly in the role-playing games at Ilam, in the "Donkey
Serenade" scene, but before the murder... there is a gentle walk through the
woodland. There is running and screaming in the Prologue and in the flight from 'It.'
There is running and laughing, running for joy, running, running, running. The girls even
run past a poster for "Jamaica Run." See 3.1.16.1. * Juliet reaches out to shake
Honora's hand when she "meets the Riepers" and Honora hesitates. Later, as
Honora collapses, dying, in Victoria Park, she reaches out for Juliet's hand and Juliet
reaches out... and takes the brick from Pauline. Inbetween, disembodied hands reach out
for many things in "Heavenly Creatures." See 3.1.16.2. * Juliet and Pauline
stand side by side, hand in hand, for the first time at Port Levy and for the last time in
the quiet sunset on the grounds of Ilam as unicorns graze peacefully nearby. And many
times inbetween. See 3.1.16.2. * The shrine at Ilam is made of bricks, and a half-brick
reappears at the end, of course (see 3.1.16.3). * We learn of Juliet's contracting TB when
she coughs up and spatters blood onto her schoolbook. There is blood in the Prologue, of
course, and blood in the final scene. Somehow, there is a terrifying difference between
this blood, real blood, and the buckets of blood featured in paintings and Borovnian
fantasies. * Pauline hears of Juliet's diagnosis over the phone. There will be many more
phone calls, sad and upsetting and even treacherous, before the end of the film. There
were some extraordinary phone calls in real life, too. See 3.1.16.7 and 7.3. * Pauline
wears a silver bracelet at Port Levy, when she first experiences the Fourth World, and she
wears it again on the "Loveliest Night of the Year" and on the day of the
murder. * "I got meself a pair of socks." Twice. And Wendy got a pair of
stockings for Christmas 1953. Pauline wears 'sockettes', not stockings, on the day of the
murder. That's from trial testimony. * Honora brings Juliet fruit in the sanatorium and on
the morning of the murder Juliet brings Honora... "Fruit." * The first time we
see Honora and Pauline hanging up the wash, Pauline declares "We are so brilliantly
clever!" The second time, she says "...Mother will be dead. How odd, yet how
pleasing." Pauline does a lot of laundry in the film. * Juliet appears in a
gold-lam‚ gown on "The Loveliest Night of the Year" and obvious reference
to 'gay and golden' in the Prologue. * Juliet's coat with the prominent V-shaped lapels is
mirrored by Diello's dramatic costume, with its prominent V- shape. Gradually, as the film
progresses, Pauline comes to see Juliet as her real-life saviour as Diello had been Gina's
saviour on so many occasions. Charles has a flying-V lapel design, too.
The whole final day of the murder is bursting with references to the foreshadowing that came throughout the film and with ironic allusions to the real case. Some of my personal highlights: * Birds in the soundtrack. See 3.1.16.10 for more on birds. * The reverential tone of "I am about to rise." * Henry Hulme in Ilam's drive: "Thought I'd lost you." This one is particularly cruel if you know the real-life story. * Juliet sits on Pauline's bed in exactly the same pose as the real Juliet's portrait on the wall behind her head. * Juliet's hand reaches out and grasps the branch during the long walk through Victoria Park, and the sound breaks through for a moment and is lost. See 3.1.16.2 for more on hands. * Juliet is scrubbing her hands as if she were washing away the blood, all through Victoria Park. See 3.1.15 and 3.1.16.12. * Honora reaches out for the pink stone in an exact copy of Nicholas' motion. Both are near wooden bridges. See 3.1.16.6 for more on bridges and planking. * Honora was wearing her 'good' clothes--the same outfit she wore to visit Juliet in the sanatorium and to see Dr Bennett.
