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Roseanne Themes
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My Family Themes
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Narrative Or what story lines are dedicated to which characters…
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Narrative Or what story lines are dedicated to which characters…
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Characters
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Characters
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Other elements to consider:
Activities each character is seen doing
Roseanne making the bed / Dan eating potato chips out of a packet / Ben talking romantically to the car / Nick and the chainsaw / Michael and the bra on the teddy / Darlene answering all telephone calls / Susan cooking for the family / Abi and the cake
Props the characters are seen with
Ben: oil, gloves / Nick and the car-jar / Dan and the fishing pole / Roseanne and the candle; or are referred to e.g. Ben and the collection of broken lawn mower parts / Dan and the wood yard.
Also very important is the dialogue the characters get to say
Susan, ‘it’s junk!’ Ben, ‘it’s not.’ Ben, ‘Jasmine.’ Nick, ‘Leroy.’ Michael, ‘and then I don’t remember anything at all.’ Susan, ‘I told you it wouldn’t work.’ Ben, ‘Michelle Pfeiffer’s love toy.’
How does humour have gender connotations?
| ‘Michelle Pfeiffer’s love toy.’
‘You can’t park there.’ ‘Oil on your collar.’ ‘I told you it wouldn’t work.’ ‘But you’re terrible at poker!’ ‘You should see the car.’ |
verbal – one liners / double entendres / extended metaphors |
| Lipstick messages on the forehead
Ben covered in oil Michael and the bra and knickers Michael’s excuse to leave the garage |
visual |
| Susan with the take-away and large glass of wine
Car does start after petrol put in – then stops The different ways that Nick says the same thing to the car |
reversal of expectations |
| Abi finding Michael in her room
Abi’s clumsiness resulting in blowing up the garage Not going to Dorset |
predictability of male humiliation
character predictability predictability of plot – nothing changes |
And finally how camera angles and editing are used to privilege, marginalise or make a point of emphasis.