Does Serenity fetishise River???
POSTED BY: wytchcroft
UPDATED: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 05:21
VIEWED: 15343
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Gee, I guess I'm just oblivious. I mean, I can see you guys' point, but even in retrospect, I don't think River's increased sex appeal diminished her character any. I thought in many ways, her pain was more apparent in the film than the series. But I guess that's just me.
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"This is my timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there's stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at 30 paces, whether you want it to or not, actually, so I've learned to stay away from hens. It's not pretty when they blow."
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Deeply Kidding that was a great reply - i've struggled to put my finger on the sense of difference in the BDM - beyond what characters do or say - i find i use phrases like 'harder', colder, more bluey looking stead of brown.
those pics show exactly that!:)
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Thanks, Wytchcroft. I can't always articulate my thoughts with words, so I appreciate the feedback. I've been mulling over the differences betwn series & BDM for some time, and the change in physical appearance of the actors really struck me. This idea of River as fetish figure got me to pause & figure out what it was that I saw.
I love the phrases you used: "'harder', colder, more bluey looking stead of brown." I didn't even realize I put that into the picture until you pointed it out, but that was a big visual theme differentiating the BDM from the series, which is a common theme in futuristic sci-fi : colder harder future (although I don't know about more bluey!!)
All in all, liked River in the series, liked her in the BDM, even if she was a somewhat different character. I think the movie format was just another way for Joss to tell yet another fantastic story.
I'd rather be a smartass than a dumbass...
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yes i am a great fan of river of myself - but i think it's a good idea to step back now and again and look at these things...
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Quote:
Originally posted by deepgirl187:
Gee, I guess I'm just oblivious. I mean, I can see you guys' point, but even in retrospect, I don't think River's increased sex appeal diminished her character any. I thought in many ways, her pain was more apparent in the film than the series. But I guess that's just me.
Well, we certainly watched her cry more and watched her do more, but she seemed sort of blank to me. Like a glittery canvas. Nothing to hold onto to, lots of projection surface. A fetish, really.
Her face tended to be in control, wearing a sort of superior, all-knowing expression when she wasn't currenly having a break-down. There was very little of that curiosity of the series, or a calm, conscious observance of something. It was all either ethereally focused and calm or.. hysteric.
I was missing that middle ground where her personality used to be. Like picking berries in "Safe" and pretending to poison Simon. Or drawing dolls in "Ariel". Squinting into the sun in "Safe", again. Messing with Book's bible in "Jaynestown"... Those moments were River to me. They made her madness and her brilliance in "Objects in Space" truly fascinating to me.
"I swallowed a bug" is a very lonely moment in the movie, there.
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and the goggles on the mule:)
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Quote:
Originally posted by wytchcroft:
and the goggles on the mule:)
Yes, those, too! :D Loved the goggles!
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Now here I was going to say that I thought Nathan was less pretty in the movie than the seies - the lighting always made his face look harsh and lined and older. But then deeplykidding goes and posts that picture... *guh* 
Yeah, good pictures. Clearly everyone got sexy'd up in the BDM! But I agree with Wytchcroft - the lighting was more blue, a harsh blue-white, often from above to make actors look very angular, instead of the warm, soft, even glow of lighting in the series. I like the BDM lighting much less, but I guess Joss did what he had to do for the big screen.
Ditto with River. I don't like her near as much in the movie, but what can you do? There's not enough screentime to show her lovely little moments.
I'm sad that we never got to see the development of the little girl side of her. I have a hard time seeing the sex appeal of the River in the movie as something non-fetish/creepy, because I can't get past the 14 year old emotional state she had in the series. I never saw her realize and grow into her own sexuality, so I can't see her as empowered or self-aware of all that, no matter how hot she looks beating up Reavers. Hmm... I guess that's why I find River pairings creepy... I just can't see her as owning her own sex appeal.
Good thread, wytchcroft!
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Couldn't River's change in characterization also be reflective of the situation the crew has found themselves in? It's obvious they've went through some hard times since Firefly. Maybe it was just a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to show the adversity they'd faced.
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"This is my timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there's stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at 30 paces, whether you want it to or not, actually, so I've learned to stay away from hens. It's not pretty when they blow."
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Quote:I'm intrigued, but need more info. I mean: "We've had hard times, I think I'll wear sexy dresses with clingy fabrics and do cool things with my hair now" is probably not what you mean...
Originally posted by deepgirl187:
Couldn't River's change in characterization also be reflective of the situation the crew has found themselves in? It's obvious they've went through some hard times since Firefly. Maybe it was just a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to show the adversity they'd faced.
So, which characterization changes?
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hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left
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