The Shape of Water_Viewing Questions_Blended

The Shape of Water (Dir. Guillermo del Toro, 2017) The following questions employ the lines of inquiry suggested in the handout “How to View a Film” and are meant to help guide you through an analysis of The Shape of Water . Answer as many of these as you can before tutorial. In the discussion post for this week, students will be asked to post the answer to one of these questions to the moodle forum. You should not post on a question that has already been answered by another student, unless your answer is significantly different. 1. Who is Guillermo del Toro? What sorts of films has he made? Do they have common themes or stylistic features? Guillermo del Toro is a Mexican Director known for films such as The Devils Backbone, Pinocchio, and Pacific Rim. These movies all have a supernatural element to them. Pacific Rim and The Shape of water are especially similar in the sense that its for the most part Human vs Sea Creature. 2. What does the title of the film signify or suggest? The title of the film suggest that the movie will be heavily focused on something to do with water/water-based imagery. It also suggests that 3. The opening sequences contain voice-over narration (we will later discover that the narrator is Giles). The narration will return in the closing sequences of the film. What effect does this narrative frame have? Put differently, how would the viewer experience be different if the film weren’t framed by this voice-over narration? 4. Who are the main characters? How are they characterised? What motivates their action (fear, love, desire, greed, envy, etc.)? Can certain characters be grouped together? The main character of the movie includes Elisa, Giles, Zelda, Strickland, Dimitri and the creature. Elisa is a mute motivated by her love for the sea creatures. Giles is Elisas neighbor who is a closeted gay man, he has many motives throughout the movie, but they all share the same motivation, which is love both for Elisa and the clerk at the pie shop. Zelda is also motivated by her love for Elisa, which pushes her to help Elisa get the creature out of the facility. Strickland is motivated by fear of the creature as well as the Soviet Union, greed in wanting to beat the Soviet Union in the war as well as achieving something first and envy of the Soviet Union. Dimitri is motivated by a little bit of fear of the creature but as well as fear of Strickland and love for the creature. 5. Elisa’s last name is Esposito, which is thought to derive from the Latin word exponere , which means ‘to place outside’ or ‘expose.’ In what ways is Elisa an outsider or marginalized person? How is marginalization a larger theme in the film? Elisa is an outsider or marginalized because of her being an orphan as well as mute. Marginalisation is a larger theme throughout this movie as there are many examples and scenes full of the racism that was apparent in the 1960’s. 6. How do various scenes and visual cues suggest Elisa’s affinity with the water? 7. When is the film set? What historical events are referenced? The Shape of Water is set in the 1960's, this is clear not only from the way the characters dress, act, the roles they play in society, and the design of furniture etc, but also in the historical events referenced throughout the movie. There are multiple references and discussions of the Cold War or the Soviet Union. There is a scene in which Strickland and other scientists

talk about the Soviet Union and how they sent someone to the moon before America. The Soviet Union is also spoken of after Elisa and Zelda see Strickland bleeding after the attack where Zelda questions if "the Russians got in" or something of that kind. It also highlights the rampant and widely accepted racism of the time, this is shown when a black couple comes into the pie shop and are told they are not allowed to sit at the bar despite it being completely empty, also when Strickland is speaking with Elisa and Zelda and continually refers to black people as "your people" or "your kind". Another example is in the beginning of the movie when Elisa is at Giles place, and they are watching tv when there is a news program of what appears to be a protest consisting of predominantly or completely black people. 8. The director has called this film “a fairy tale for troubled times” and critics repeatedly refer to it as an “adult fairy tale.” To what extent does the film qualify as belonging to the fairy tale genre? 9. What other genres does this film incorporate? In your answer, give a brief description of the typical features of these genres and some examples of how The Shape of Water fits these categories. 10. Del Toro has said that he was initially inspired by the film Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). Do some quick internet research on this film and its sequel Revenge of the Creature (1955). What does The Shape of Water have in common with these films? 11. Del Toro has called this film “a fairy tale for troubled times”. What are the troubling issues referenced in the film? 12. Do the issues referenced in the film have ongoing relevance for contemporary audiences? If so, does describing the film in promotional material or interviews as a “fairy tale” risk minimizing this relevance (i.e. as something not a part of our world)? 13. What are the main locations in the film? In what relationship do they stand to one another (e.g. are they domestic spaces, work spaces, public or private, safe or unsafe, inviting or institutional, etc.)? What do they look like and how do elements of set design (furniture, lighting, colour, etc.) provide the viewer with important information (e.g. do the spaces reflect larger themes, provide information about the characters, etc)? 14. Many scenes make reference to ‘the future’ (either through visual cues or dialogue). What are these scenes and why might the film be so concerned with notions of futurity? 15. Del Toro has cited “Beauty and the Beast” as an important intertext for the film. In what ways is The Shape of Water reminiscent of the versions of “Beauty and the Beast” that we have encountered? In what ways is it different? 16. In what ways is “The Little Mermaid” an important intertext for this film? What similarities exist and what is different? 17. In what ways does the film also reference the tale of “Cinderella”? 18. The Shape of Water references several other films and filmmaking in general. Elisa’s apartment is above the Orpheum Theater which is showing The Story of Ruth (1950) and Elisa and Giles watch several movies on television (e.g. The Little Colonel , 1935). Do some quick internet research on these films and suggest why their presence might be significant. 19. What role does music play in this film? Is the music primarily non-diegetic (i.e. music that is not part of the fictive world of the film/background music that is heard only by