How Is Gender Represented In Prime Suspect?

In the clip of Prime Suspect, gender is represented in many ways using mise en scene and camera movement.

• One way camera movement is used to show gender is during the scene when the Super is telling his team that their investigation is going to be led by a woman. The camera pans around the room depicting the officer’s reactions, all of which are men. This camera movement coupled with the unhappy reactions from all the men in the room shows us that this is a man’s world and that Helen Mirren’s character will struggle to be taken seriously. Another example of gender through camera movement is after Helen Mirren’s character is told that she has got the job. The clip starts with a shot of the Commander sign on the door, that she then opens from the other side and walks through. As she walks down the corridor, the camera tracks her movement by staying just in front of her for a few seconds before halting and letting her walk past. The fact that she walks through the door labelled Commander depicts females in a good light because she is being associated with a high position. The fact that the camera follows her movement suggests that her career has been set in motion and she is now walking towards her ambitions.

• During the interview with the Super and Jane Tennison at the start of the clip, the first shot is of the boss and this lingers on him. This immediately establishes for the audience that he is in charge and has authority over her. He also looks down at her while she looks up at him to reinforce the idea that he is in a higher position. This is mirrored in the scene after Tennison gets the job when she is giving her female constable orders, this shows how much more at ease she is with other women and that that she can exercise her power over them much easier than over the other men. The only difference between her behaviour towards her officer and the Super’s behaviour towards her is that she is much less aggressive which already sets her apart from him However, during the scene when the Super is telling the team that Tennison is taking over the case, a wide angle is used to take in all the men at the same time which tells us that they are equal and that they are much more comfortable with each other. This is the same during the talk between the Super and the Commander. However, during this scene; as soon as the Commander mentions ‘female murder squad officer’ it switches to close up shots of each officer to show their discomfort at the idea.

• While Tennison is looking at the photos of the victim, it cuts from a shot of her to the shot of the photo that mirrors Tennison’s position exactly. This shows that she is much more empathetic to the victims than the men are. It also suggests that she may feel victimised in this man’s world.

• Mise en scene is also used to represent gender in many ways. For example, she keeps her hair short and wears no make-up in order to appear more masculine so that she will be taken seriously in her job. Also all of the men wear dark suits while she wears white shirts. This sets her apart as a woman and she stands out in the crowd of men. This idea is mirrored in the Commander’s office which is panelled with dark wood; the furniture is all dark as well to reinforce this idea of masculinity.

• Also, right from the start her desk is much more cluttered with files and pieces of paper than any of the men’s which suggests that she takes her job much more seriously than them and emphasizes the stereotype that men are lazy.

• Finally, during the talk between the two men in the Commander’s office, neither one of them actually say Tennison’s name, they merely refer to her as ‘she’. This automatically suggests that they are superior to them and puts a huge gap between them as men and her as a woman.

• In conclusion, gender is represented well and often in this extract in order for the audience to understand how difficult it is for Helen Mirren’s character to function well in this world. It is depicted particularly well through the use of camera movement and proximity between characters.