Changing Representation Of Sexuality And Gender In Regards To The Haunting(1963) and The Haunting(1999)

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The Haunting Sexuality & Gender

The two versions of 'The Haunting' are both different and each signals the values of contemporary society (or what was contemporary at the time of release).

Robert Wise's 16 version of the film, 'The Haunting', showed a different representation of women than in Jan DeBont's 1 remake. This is due to the changing attitudes towards sexuality and gender of contemporary society.

In Wise's version, the main character, 'Eleanor' or 'Nell' (Julie Harris), is very frail and is shown as a believably naïve and emotional spinster. Whereas, in contemporary society, it would not be acceptable to portray a woman in this way. So, Jan DeBont had to change the character's personalities to adapt to the change in societal values. Hence, why the 1 version of the film shows 'Nell' (Lili Taylor) as a young, attractive and determined woman.

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However, the character of 'Theodora' in the 16 version (Claire Bloom) is shown as confident and wealthy. This could be Wise's attempt at showing that at the time values were changing and that women were starting to stand up against traditional principles. Also, from the extract I watched, it seemed as if 'Theo' was not exploited as a sex object. Also, I noticed subtle hints of homosexuality/lesbianism through her dialogue. For example, when 'Nell' and 'Theo' first meet, 'Theo' smiles at 'Nell' and says,

"we shall be like sisters"

as if implying a sexual tone to her voice. It seems in the 16 version Wise is trying to imply a change in sexual attitudes but keeping a low profile as not to offend the more traditional viewers of the film.

This is certainly not the case in DeBont's 1 remake, in which, when 'Theo' (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and 'Nell' first meet, 'Theo' immediately starts talking about both her boyfriend and girlfriend immediately showing us she is bi-sexual. This is because it is not a 'frowned against' issue in today's society; whereas, in 16 it would still be very much opposed against, although just starting to become more open.

The last of the characters in the extracts was 'Mrs Dudley'. When compared, these two characters from 16 and 1 are very much the same a dominant woman who seemingly knows about (and secretly fears) the house. The only differences I can seem to find is that the 16 character (Rosalie Crutchley) is not as important in setting the scene and also appears to have a nice side to her (which we can see when she smiles at 'Nell'). The 1 character (Marian Seldes) does not have this. She is much more the dominant character and is not fazed by 'Nell' or 'Theo'. This could possibly show the recent lack of respect for authority in modern society. We can see this when 'Theo' does not appear to be listening to 'Mrs Dudley' in the 1 remake.

The audience for the first version of the film in 16, I believe would have been mostly women. This is because of the two female leads dominating the movie. However, the 1 version seemed to attract both a large male and female audience. I think that this was because there was more put into the film for the male audience. For example, Catherine Zeta-Jones was exploited as a sex object in the 1 version; the special effects could also have influenced more of a male audience.

The changing values of society meant that when DeBont remade the original in 1 he had to not just make changes to the characters but the setting and props as well. Society does not get as scared as easily anymore. So when I looked at the sets I noticed that the original 'Hill House' was just a large, clean, house with low ceilings and teak furniture. This is not the type of setting that would put the chills up contemporary society. This is why the sets and props have changed in the 1 remake. The house is still a large mansion but its interior has carved faces and gargoyles scattered throughout the building. The fireplace, bedrooms and dining rooms are all huge and extravagant. Although 'Mrs Dudley' is a cleaner, the place is still dusty giving the contemporary audience a spooky feel.

There are assumptions made about the sexuality of the characters in both films and in both, 'Nell' comes under that issue. Although in the 16, we believe very slightly that 'Theo' may be homosexual (through her dialogue and facial expressions aimed at Nell), it's clearly the case in the 1 version (in which 'Theo' proudly announces her bi-sexuality). But the assumptions that are made come from 'Nell's' reactions to this. In the original 16 version, 'Nell' befriends 'Theo' on first sight without knowing anything about her. So in this version it is only very subtle. However, in this 1 version of the film, 'Nell' reacts differently as 'Theo' changes, 'Nell' turns away but watches her undressing in the mirrors reflection this could be hinting lesbianism. Also, what I notice was that when 'Theo' asked 'Nell' if she had a boyfriend, 'Nell' was straight-faced, but when asked if she had a girlfriend, 'Nell' smiles to herself before turning and replying 'No'. This again points toward 'Nell' being lesbian. The closeness of the friendship also signifies lesbianism as 'Nell' does seem interested in 'Theo' but not in any of the men (which we see as the movie progresses).

The narrative in the 16 version was mainly from 'Nell's' P.O.V. This was also emphasised by Wise's use of an interior monologue. Whereas in the modern version, we notice that it is more omniscient. We don't get the interior monologue although we do get 'Nell' talking out loud to herself (sort of an exterior monologue). I think this is because the majority of contemporary society prefers to know as much about what is going on all round rather than just from what is happening in one place (however there are exceptions).

Finally, the two extracts are different because of the change in sexuality and gender issues from 6 to 1. What was frowned upon in 16 is not as big an issue anymore. Society is more open to different attitudes and roles and this can be shown through film.

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