The Victorian Woman

Great Expectations was set in England during the early to mid 1800s. This period is known as the Victorian era, because of the reign of Queen Victoria - a time period in which great Britain was transformed by industrial, social and cultural developments. Great Britain was experiencing the industrial revolution. 

To understand this project brief furthermore, I have researched the roles and appearance of Victorian women to strengthen my understanding of the characters: Miss Havisham and Estella. 

Available from: www.fineartamerica.com
Last accessed: 29 Jan 2014 

During the reign of Queen Victoria, a women's place was at home. Unless you were well off, as a woman, you were in charge of all the household duties. Women were also seen as the possession of men. A wealthy widow or spinster (Miss Havisham) was a lucky exception, however, remaining single would attract social disapproval and pity. 

Miss Havisham was a very wealthy woman, and she was not restricted by a man: she had plenty of freedom. In contrast, Estella gave her hand to the brutish nobleman Drummle, no different to becoming a slave, but she pushed to make both of their lives hell. 

On the otherhand, women's clothing symbolised their constricted lives. Tight lacing into corsets and multiple layers of skirts impended a woman's freedom of movement. This challenges my perception of Miss Havisham, being single and wealthy; could she have thrown off the corset and presented herself in more flowing material like the Havisham in the Gillian Anderson version, or would she remain restricted and stiff like the Miss Havisham by Helena Bonham? 

Historically, skirts were so wide that many women died engulfed in flames after the material caught fire from an open grate or candle. -Flashback to Miss Havisham's death, was it intentional or was it suicide? 

Victorian women were not supposed to wear make-up, anything obvious on the cheeks and lips and you were a tart. However, they focused more on skin care and the less they did to their face, the more they did to their hair. 

Image available from: http://gibsonglamor.blogspot.co.uk
Last Accessed: 29th Jan 2014

Are you amused at the 'You are thirty? I have noticed that in many early advertisements, they like to point out flaws directly and insult the reader into buying products. Besides that, I have drawn attention to this particular add because of the key words, 'soft velvety whiteness'. Paleness was admired in the Victorian era, women who had a whiter complexion appeared more beautiful and those who were tanned were considered lower working class. Surprisingly, this idea is still relevant to eastern countries like China and Japan.

This idealism of paleness reflects my perception of Estella and Miss Havisham. Estella would be pale, a beautiful, youthful whiteness; which also reflects her cold lack of emotions. Whilst Miss Havisham can still be very beautiful, I see her as ghostly white, a white not full of youthfulness but a decaying white as she shrivels in her wedding dress. 

Available from: www.victoriannonsense.com
Last accessed: 29th Jan 2014

When it came to hair, it was their most prized possession. Women who could afford to style their hair to the latest fashions often had very damaged hair which gave off, from lots of heat styling, a burnt smell, which was then covered up by strong perfumes. You can see in some of the photos above that some of the hair has reduced to a very sheep-like texture. It was very fashionable for a woman to wear her hair in a smooth soft centre parting through to the 1870s. Curly hair was most popular, it was believed to indicate a sweeter, more gentle disposition. However, for women who lacked hair, hairpieces were widely available. 

A woman's hair had an effect on how she was perceived. Curly hair was a sign of a softer nature and has an element of youth, whilst women who wore their hair in straighter styles could have been perceived as more reserved and even unrefined. Hair was also styled according to age, when a girl's hair was long enough to be styled up, it was seen as a blossoming stage for young women. 

Although hair was often seen as a beautiful aspect, it can also be seen as a dangerous tool. Imagine what Rapunzul could have done with her hair if you got on the bad side of her.

Available from: www.yearningforwonderland.com
Last accessed: 29th Jan 2014

Above is a famous painting 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci' (The beautiful lady without mercy.

'I met a lady in the meads,

Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild'

                                                         -John Keats

We can see that from the image and the title of the piece that beautiful hair can be a deadly weapon. Hair can be compared to a spiders web and a poisonous snake; both very sinister images. Estella is beautiful, her hair must also be beautiful, enough to capture her victim and destroy it. I want to develop this idea when I design my image for Estella. 

Havisham Sketch

In chapter 8 of the novel, we are introduced to the infamous Miss Havisham. From the description of Miss Havisham, I picked out main words and phrases that I strike me and create the most impact in the way I percieve and image Miss Havisham in my mind. 

"satin, and lace, and silks - all of white"

"long white veil"

"ought to be white long ago...faded and yellow"

"bridal flowers"

"hair was white"

"...had no brightness but the brightness of her sunken eyes."

"shrunk to skin and bone" 

"Now waxwork and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me." 

This description inspired me to sketch out what I imagined Miss Havisham to be. I have this very beautiful ghostly image of Miss Havisham, almost like the corpse bride by Tim Burton. I wanted to make her face quite angular because of small bony structure, but with softer features, such as the lips and very large porcelain doll eyes. 

BBC GREAT EXPECTATIONS: CHARACTER INTERPRETATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT

The very first time I watched the Helena Bonham and Gillian Anderson productions of Great Expectations, I watched to understand the character roles and plot. 

Now, re-watching both versions again, I am starting to notice and analyse the characters' appearance. Paying more attention to how they are styled and how their styles change as the character progresses and develops throughout the film. 

The first character that we meet is Pip, the protagonist of the story. Lets look at his styling. 

Young Pip

On the left is Pip played by Oscar Kennedy in the Gillian Anderson version and on the right is Toby Irvine also playing Pip in the Helena Bonham version. 

We can see straight away that young Pip is presented differently in the two versions. The Pip on the left is very scruffy, his hair appears greasy and dull, but very natural. His face looks worn and he appears to be a hard working boy: the shadows under his eyes make him look tired and he has dirt on his face. 

On the other hand, the Pip on the right looks much healthier, his blonde hair has a lot more texture, with waves and curls but looks, again, very natural. If you look closely, you can see that his hair has highlights, sunkissed, meaning that he spends much of his time outside: a working class boy. 

I find Pip on the right looking much sweeter and more loveable, whilst the Pip on the left looks a lot more scruffy and unkept. 

Older Pip 

This is the older Pip. Pip on the left played by Douglas Booth in the Gillian Anderson version and Pip on the right played by Jeremy Irvine in the Helena Bonham version. 

As you can see, Pip on the left remains much of his young self, his hair in a similar style but on the right Pip appears much different to the young Pip he was, his hair, grown out of the cutesy ringlets into a darker wavey long mop which looks again, very natural. It looks unkept and uncared for, which might imply that Pip has settled into his lifestyle of being a blacksmith, not daring to dream of the life of a gentleman. 

Gentleman Pip

After Pip receives his fortune, he quickly changes his appearance - the appearance of a gentleman. In both versions of Great Expectations by the BBC, I have noticed that Pip adopts a new look fairly quickly, this may imply his immaturity and his idea of idealism, as soon as he finds out he can be a gentleman, he immediately acts and dresses the way he thinks a gentleman would. 

The Pip on the left, has adopted the romantic waves, there is a lot more detail and texture in the hair, this can be seen as a development in his character, his rising status - as a gentleman. Now that he has his fortune, he has so many 'expectations', symbolised by the amount of added detail to his hair.

On the other hand, Pip on the right has also gone for a drastic change, a haircut. He appears neater and cleaner, the change from long hair to short hair might symbolise his dropping of his lowly blacksmith status, as when Pip learns that he has 'Great Expectations' and comes to understand ideas like poverty, ignorance and immorality, he does not want be poor, ignorant or immoral. 

Miss Havisham

I love how Miss Havisham is presented in both productions. I found that her appearance remains very consistent throughout in both versions by the BBC. Miss Havisham wants to suspend time, and forever live in the moment: therefore she stays in her decaying wedding dress. In this unit, I will be focusing a lot on consistency as a skill, and I find it remarkable how the stylists can maintain the character throughout, as we, the audience, find her as we left her. 

On the left is Miss Havisham played by Gillian Anderson and on the right is Miss Havisham played by Helena Bonham. Straight away, I notice that the Miss Havisham by Gillian Anderson is much more toned down whilst the Miss Havisham by Helena Bonham is very dramatic, shown by the large dress and huge hair with the veil. 

Miss Havisham is presented differently because she is seen through different eyes. 

The Gillian Anderson version may be perceived through an adults perspective as Miss Havisham here adopts the crazy little traits such as itching and pinching her skin when she nervous or anxious. A child would not notice and recognise these. 

However, the Miss Havisham by Helena Bonham is visually crazier. Her appearance is exaggerated which may imply that she is perceived through the eyes of a child - Pip. 

I like the interpretations of both Miss Havishams' that we see here, however, I lean more towards the Gillian Anderson version. I feel that her character here is present more realistically, her hair is classic and elegant, and her dress is aged and limp which looks as though it once had more volume. 

On the other hand, I really like the hair in the Helena Bonham version, it has a lot of detail and character to it. I like the tones and texture within the hair, and also the extravagant shape. It encourages me to experiment with different techniques in order to achieve similar hair, and using some elements for my own interpretation of Miss Havisham. 

Young Estella 

Pip first meets Estella when they were kids. Here, we have the two versions of Estella, the left from Gillian Anderson's version and the right from Helena Bonham's version.

The young Estella from the Gillian Anderson version was always portrayed as a cold hearted girl - even as a child. She did not act like a child, it seems as though even at a early age Miss Havisham had already numbed her heart and her ability to act normal with people around her. In the picture, her hair is pulled away from her face and pinned into a very structured shape at the back, this hairstyle makes her look older than her age. 

However, on right, we have another Estella, this Estella appears more friendly and playful in the Helena Bonham production. She acts childlike when she is a child, this is also signified by her hair. Her hair is a rich golden colour with bouncy thick curls, this gives her a more childish character and symbolising youth. 

As the story progresses and she becomes fond of Pip, she puts her hair into pigtails, an even more childish hairstyle which may represent her affection towards Pip. 

Also, notice how both girls have been given a middle parting. It seems a middle parting was popular amongst girls in the Victorian era. 

The Older Estella

Estella is known to be very beautiful in the novel, and a trained weapon against men's hearts. Here, we can see the two interpretations of Estella in the BBC productions. 

There is a lot of differences in the styling of Estella. You can see on the right, that Estella appears softer, the hair has a lot of texture, but softness remains. The colour is also very soft and this hairstyle says something about her false coldness. Although her words are sharp and her appearance is cold, she still has elements of warmth and softness  

In contrast, the Estella on the right has a very structured hairstyle, this makes her appear cold as there appears to be no softness, the hair appears hard and almost too perfect - this could reflect her agenda, she knows exactly what she is doing and she will carry out what she was trained for with no second thoughts. 

...

These interpretations of the main characters are truly inspiring, I can now start to think about my own interpretation of these characters and how I can style to evoke emotion and create an impact. 

The Gothic Genre

'Great Expectations' is part of the tradition of Victorian Gothic novels. Gothic fiction, sometimes referred as Gothic horror, is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. The typical motifs of a Gothic novel includes suspense, horror, fear and superstition with a taste of medievel. Gothic literature is often intimately associated with Gothic architecture, a style prevalent in western Europe from 12th through to the 15th century and characterised by pointed arches, rib vaulting and emphasis on verticality and the impression of height. The term gothic suggested anything dark, sinister and mysterious.

The novel 'Great Expectations' contains many gothic elements: 

> SUFFERING

Miss Havisham seeks revenge, she selfishly makes both Estella and Pip suffer, only to bring suffering upon herself. In the end, Estella will not love her as she has raised her to have no heart. 

Estella causes her own suffering when she chooses to marry Drummle. 

> FORESHADOWING USING WEATHER & NATURE

The mist on the marshes symbolise danger and uncertainty. From the very beginning of the novel and as interpreted in the BBC productions, there is terror right from the start as Pip is threatened by Magwitch on the marshes. From then on, the audience is warned by the appearance of mist and significantly when Pip travels to London after receiving his fortune, he has to go past mist, foreshadowing that an apparently positive development in his life may have dangerous consequences. 

> PARTING OF LOVERS 

From the very beginning, we, as the audience know that Estella and Pip belong together but Dickens creates tension within the text, Estelle appears as cold, cynical and manipulative but we do not question her love for Pip. 

> MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE

Dicken keeps us guessing, feeding us information little by little. The big reveal that Estella is actually Magwitch's daughter shocks us, this means that, Estella is ironically from a lower class system to Pip. 

Even to the end of the story, there is no real conclusion to whether Pip and Estella get together, leaving the ending in suspense and passed onto the readers' hands to decide. 

> COINCIDENCE IN EVENTS - ALMOST SUPERNATURAL IN NATURE 

Who would have thought that all these events taken place in the book and the cause of suffering and terror all originate from the one event in which a poor bride was left at the alter - all the central characters are somehow connected and important to the development of the story. 

>>>Back to defining the meaning of gothic

Gothic can be seen in different lights, varying from gothic novels to gothic architecture to gothic artwork such as paintings to clothing, objects, furniture and nature. 

The images below match my understanding of the general characteristics of the term Gothic. 

Available from: http://www.deviantart.com/art/mist-II-112097868
Last accessed: 16th Jan 2014

Gothic scenery is very important, used to achieve a dark mood. I chose a photo black and white photo of a path going into the woods. The mist is creepy, you can't see much ahead and gives you scary feeling that something sinister is waiting at the end of the road. Again, the feeling of uncertainty is evoked by the mists in 'Great Expectations'. 

Available from: http://marco-art.deviantart.com/art/Hide-and-seek-204662185
Last accessed: 16th Jan 2014 

This again, is a gothic setting. The detail on the staircase feels quite Victorian and the decaying and ageing of it reminds me of Miss Havisham's house.  

Available from: http://www.deviantart.com/art/Gothic-Revival-Chair-DETAIL-28438482
Last accessed: 16th Jan 2014

I found this, and immediately thought the pattern was very gothic, it reminds me of the detail you see in medieval churches, with the very angular arches and vertical design.

Ophelia Painting by John Everett
Available from: www.kingsgalleries.com Last Accessed: 20th January 2014

This is a very famous painting from the Victorian Era. Although bright colours are used, I feel that the actual subject of the painting is very gothic and morbid. 

Stiff pose Victorian postmortem photograph
Available from: www.mdolla.com Last accessed: 20th Jan 2014

Believe it or not this is a photograph of a corpse. It was a very popular form of art during the Victorian era. The dead were photographed so they could be remembered. Child mortality rates in the Victorian Era was high and sometimes, the only photos a family would have together were postmortem photographs. 

I find the one above extremely creepy, it is unnatural. Keeping the eyes of the dead open and propping them up with a stand is extremely twisted, dark and gothic. 

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

In this unit, I am going to dive into the world of Charles Dickens and explore his classic text 'Great Expectations'. 

I am expected to learn and understand the central themes and symbolism of the plot and characters in the novel, and further to develop my own characterisations for the central characters of the story. 

I am excited to embrace the novel. I want to step into the skins of Pip, a poor common boy who is learning to place his innate sense of kindness and conscience above his immature idealism or Estelle; a weapon used to break hearts and even the vengeful Miss Havisham, a wealthy dowager who is trapped on the day of her wedding, never to recover from the ghost of a bride. 

'Great Expectations' is a gothic novel, filled with suspense, horror, fear and superstition. 

So, I will be posting updates whilst I journey into the book of 'Great Expectations' sharing my thoughts on the plot and character development.

...

UNIT BRIEF : What the Dickens...? 

In this unit, I will learn how my own designs and styling ideas can be developed to adapt to the specific requirements of the body in motion.

This unit will cover interpreting a design brief, conceptualising ideas using mood boards, storyboards and presentations and forming practical requirements for make-up and hair in a lens based environment. 

Aims: 

Develop an understanding of how an image that focuses on make-up and hair in film and television is researched, developed and shot to suit a productions period or style and intended audience. 
Assist and maintain the continuity of the performer's appearance and by keeping a continuity record. 
Develop research, presentation and pitching techniques. 
Use ideas and references from text, film, historical references to inform the makeup designs for the characters of Great Expectations. 

...

I have watched two versions of 'Great Expectations' produced by the BBC, one a film featuring Helena Bonham and the other a series featuring Gillian Anderson as the wicked Miss Havisham. I must say that I like the Gillian Anderson version better than the other, I find that the story was more beautifully captured and left a bigger impact on me. There were many differences in the characterisation of characters such as Miss Havisham and Pip. For example, I thought that in the Helena Bonham version, Miss Havisham appeared much more crazier, speaking in a piercing stern voice, the harsh words match her voice, thus appear less surprising. However, in the Gillian Anderson version, Miss Havisham's voice is soft and dreamy, she appears in another world or in a trance, her words therefore seem surprising but complements her beautiful, cold and ghostly appearance. I remember Miss Havisham's appearance in the Gillian Anderson version most vividly, like a ghost bride without shoes, she drifted down the stairs to meet little Pip. And again, I find her death most beautiful in this version, an intended ending, whilst in the Helena Bonham version, presented more as an horrific accident. I was actually surprised at the Gillian Anderson's characterisation of Miss Havisham, I was expecting a withered hag in a OTT (over the top) wedding dress, but the Miss Havisham we see here is beautiful and elegant. I like this interpretation, I like that she appears like a ghost, drifting around in an old decaying mansion. I feel that more attention has been payed to Gillian Anderson's Miss Havisham, as she has adopted the little crazy habits, itching and staring, wild outbursts and cries. Miss Havisham is definitely a character to watch out for, in any version of Great Expectations as her character is truly impressive and interesting. 

  

Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham

Helena Bonham as Miss Havisham

Since watching the television version and the film of Great Expectations, I have developed a love for the character Estella. At first, I passed her as an arrogant girl who knew nothing better than to put people down, pushing Pip down because she thought he was too lowly for her. Estella is the adopted daughter of Miss Havisham, a beautiful weapon trained to break men's hearts. She wins Pip's deepest love by practising deliberate cruelty. Knowing this, why would she be my favourite character you ask? - Because although she claims to Pip she does not have a heart, she does. Although, she cannot stop herself from hurting Pip, she doesn't want to. I find myself having a growing sympathy for Estella because Miss Havisham has stripped her of her ability to express emotion and interact with the real world, but I can feel her inner struggle. I feel that Dickens uses Estella's life to reinforce that one's happiness and well being are not deeply connected to one's social position: had Estella been poor, she might had been substantially better. 

"Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching...I have been bent and broken, but-I hope-into a better shape."

- Estella