Analysis of Gender Representation in Love the way you lie by Eminem ft Rihanna
Candlelight is a prominent element throughout Love the way you lie which connotes the idea that the burning flames are just as intense and volatile as the relationship that is the central focus to the song. Rihanna’s facial features are seen in a close up shot to provide emphasis of her reference to sexual desire and femininity to the audience. Her eyes are in dark shadow to add an element of forbidden ambiguity and mystery; her lips are highlighted with a sheen glossy texture to enrapture the audience’s attention. The most predominant features of the female face are emphasised in order to portray Rihanna as, simply, an object of sexual desire. The deep red colouring of her hair also works in conjunction with the connotations of the candlelight but could also suggest she obtains a certain uniqueness and rarity. In the opening sequence the depth of field can be analysed to see that Rihanna is in fact in focus where the candlelight in the background is blurred.
There is then a cut to Megan Fox in mid shot, where she is shown to be sitting in a cross legged position on the floor of a lounge area – presumably her house. The house is made dim to highlight the stream of light from the window and the flames she is cupping with her hands. The stream of light could represent how upon escape from the entrapment and closure of her dark and dim future with this man, whereas the fact that she is holding the fire with her bare hands suggests the cliché “if you play with fire, you’re going to get burnt” which could indicate that the relationship will also have an inevitable ending.
There is then a cut back to Rihanna in close up when there is also a match on action shot. There is a conscious repetition of cuts back and forth between Rihanna and Megan Fox. It could be interpreted that Rihanna is the spokesperson for the character of Megan Fox’s point of view or feelings about her dilapidated relationship. There is an emphasis on the word “you” in “love the way you lie” which establishes a sound bridge to the following narrative and the beginning of the song, which overlaps the delicate yet solemn music of the piano. The word “you” suggests that we, as an audience, are about to hear the point of view of the second person within this relationship.
The camera cuts back to a close up of Megan Fox asleep in bed with the male. The depth of field conveys Fox in the foreground as the main focal point whilst the male, situated directly behind her, is out of focus. The song begins the moment Fox opens her eyes which justifies a sense of awakening to the reality and severity of the situation she is in. This is followed by a cut to a mid shot of the artist, Eminem, standing amongst a field of wheat/long wispy grass which highlights the natural elements of growth away from the stunted and decaying relationship. The camera is positioned in a low angle shot in between the grass which establishes the idea that the audience are voyeurs. This is followed by a close up of Eminem from head to chest and then back to the couple in bed. There is a close up point of view shot of the couples’ arms where the name “Cindy” and below it a telephone number can be seen inscribed on the male’s hand. Here the lyrics of the song match the reaction of Megan Fox’s character “I can only tell you what it feels like and right now there’s a steel knife in my windpipe. I can’t breathe but I still fight. As long as the wrong feels right, it’s like I’m in flight” These words insinuate that the female (Fox) is ultimately fooling herself to believe that her boyfriends behaviour is right; although deep inside her, she knows that it is wrong. It is almost as if she is spending hr life floating around aimlessly where she transgresses into a dreamlike state – pretending that what is in fact reality is not.
Eminem’s clenched hands match the frustration and violence of the couple fighting within the narrative. The words “huffing paint” add to the description of the toxic and suffocating atmosphere. The stream of softened sunlight is matched with the preceding shot of the sunlight peeing through the curtain in the couple’s bedroom. There is then a cut and the camera tracks backwards in close up of the couple. The female is fully clothed whilst the male is not which primarily serves the purpose of revealing his dominance and masculine power over her. The words “Wait, where you going. I’m leaving you. No you ain’t, come back” is successfully mimicked by the actors to create a snapshot of reality and voyeurism in time.
“It’s so insane cause when its going good it’s going great. I’m Superman with the wind in his back. She’s Lois Lane” emulates on the idea that the male is superior as the superhero rescuing the helpless victim that is Megan Fox. It is also suggested that woman are not as significant as men as Lois Lane is a subordinate character in the Superman movie/comics. This is also reinforced by the fact that our perception of Rihanna is only of her facial beauty and feminism; whereas in the shots of Eminem we see all of his body exposed. Rihanna is also in a dark shot surrounded by dim and delicate candlelight refle4cting the vulnerable and confided nature of the female in the narrative, where Eminem is situated in the great outdoors where high angle shots, tracking and crane shots are used to depict the vastness of the atmosphere and his sense of freedom.
As the camera cuts back to the couple after Eminem sings the lyrics the following words can be hears “Who’s that dude? I don’t even know his name. I laid hands on her. I’ll never stoop so low again. I hues I don’t know my own strength”. The lyrics are matched by the actions of the male grasping Fox and falling into submission after the realisation of his actions has substantial impact ton him after he makes punches a hole in the wall. The lyrics accentuate that the character has transgressed into somebody that he cannot recognise himself. His respects for his partner, his values and morals have all been obliterated without a trace. The reoccurring element of intense sunlight throughout the narrative exhibits the passionate nature of the couple’s kiss as does Rihanna’s facial expression. Her hand movement also reflects the pleasure and degree of phallic imagery prominent in the matching action of the actors.
There is then a cut from Rihanna to Eminem and simultaneously back to the shot of the room where the male is seated in a contemplative position, the camera zooms in to highlight his face. The camera then cuts distinctively to a similar close up of Rihanna’s face. The camera cuts from the shot of her face to a flashback which is an establishing shot to convey the connection between the couple at their first meeting. This intense, new found love is justified by the lyrics “you ever loved somebody so much you can barely breathe when you’re with them, you meet and neither one of you even know what hit ‘em”. The nostalgic atmosphere at this point in the narrative switches to sheer frustration which is exposed by the expression on the actor’s faces and their stiff and crippling movements and body language.
“That was yesterday, yesterday is over, it’s a different say. Sounds like broken records playin’ over” Shows that the couple are trying too hard to live in the past. The words comment on the idea that you cannot cling onto something and try and fix it if it is already broken. You can attempt to repair what is left of it, but it will never be the same.
“You don’t get another chance. Life is no Nintendo game” juxtaposes reality with fantasy - the idea that the relationship is not taken seriously by the male. “Now you get to watch her leave out the window, guess that’s why they call it window pane” suggests that the story of their relationship is being foretold by Eminem and Rihanna. However, it is indicated that male is more knowledgeable than female as Emi=en is more prominent than Rihanna during the foreshadowing of the narrative.
As the video progresses more of Rihanna’s provocative aesthetic is uncovered in parallel to the development of the narrative. Eminem and Rihanna are united in front of the burning house which connotes that they are voyeurs into the couple’s relationship and telling the audience the story of their relationship in a logical order. Rihanna faxes the camera in long shot for the first time although Eminem has his back to the camera. It is revealed by the costume that Rihanna and Eminem wear that they are dressed very similarly to the actors in the narrative. Rihanna is pictures in shorts and a top where Eminem contrastively wears a vest top and jeans. This almost implies that women have to make a degree of effort to be viewed at their best where men are allowed to take a more passive outlook and attitude towards their appearance.
The camera then tracks the couple through their house showing each room intern. The dramatic effect of the track is to convey the male’s destructive nature rippling through the house to pursue the female. The house is then seen to be engulfed in ferocious flames with the male and female in focus within the foreground of the mid shot. The fact that the house is burning demonstrates the idea that the destruction is foretold by the lyrics of the song “if she ever tries to fuc**** leave again I’mma tie her to the bed and set the house on fire”. Upon considering the context of the word “she” it is clear that the female gender is insignificant. The fact that the male strives to tie her to the bed and set fire to the house simulacrums the female as an inanimate object of desire. The aggressive denotations of the lexis suggest the males’ domineering and frightful and therefore the most powerful.
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