Emma and Clueless Extracted
1. Emma and Clueless
Clueless begins as (opening scene) * Scene I- Cher’s House * Soundtrack over: “Kids in America” by The Muffs (A variety of shots of girls having fun- opening montage) * Cher’s voice-over- “So OK, you’re probably thinking, “Is this, like, a Noxzema (popular skin cleanser brand among females as a facial cleanser or make-up remover) commercial, or what?” But seriously, I actually have a way normal life for a teenage girl. I mean I get up, I brush my teeth, and I pick out my school clothes.” parallels to Emma’s famous opening sentence, “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite soem of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her”. 2. Cluelessness * Being “clueless” is evidently key theme in the film * Tai, when first seen by Cher, is referred to as “adorably clueless” – a very negative attribute in such a status-aware group * Josh tells Cher that she has found in Tai “someone even more clueless than you to worship you” * And when Cher realises that she loves Josh she quotes, “I was just totally clueless” 3. Film techniques in Clueless * Amy Heckerling makes use of a number of inter-textual references to other movies * Scene XXVIII – Cher’s house, which begins with an extended shot of a cordless phone, shot from low angle, while the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey as the soundtrack * When Cher enters for her first date with Christian and descends the stairs, the background soundtrack is from Gigi * When Christian comes over to Cher’s house, he brings the Tony Curtis movies Some Like it Hot and Spartacus. An excerpt from the latter movie is shown
Use of soundtracks in Clueless Scenes * Scene 1: * opening: “Kids in America”/ The Muffs * Cher choosing clothes: “Fashion girl”/ David Bowie * Scene 2 Cher’s car: “Just a Girl”/ No *
Clueless begins as (opening scene) * Scene I- Cher’s House * Soundtrack over: “Kids in America” by The Muffs (A variety of shots of girls having fun- opening montage) * Cher’s voice-over- “So OK, you’re probably thinking, “Is this, like, a Noxzema (popular skin cleanser brand among females as a facial cleanser or make-up remover) commercial, or what?” But seriously, I actually have a way normal life for a teenage girl. I mean I get up, I brush my teeth, and I pick out my school clothes.” parallels to Emma’s famous opening sentence, “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite soem of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her”. 2. Cluelessness * Being “clueless” is evidently key theme in the film * Tai, when first seen by Cher, is referred to as “adorably clueless” – a very negative attribute in such a status-aware group * Josh tells Cher that she has found in Tai “someone even more clueless than you to worship you” * And when Cher realises that she loves Josh she quotes, “I was just totally clueless” 3. Film techniques in Clueless * Amy Heckerling makes use of a number of inter-textual references to other movies * Scene XXVIII – Cher’s house, which begins with an extended shot of a cordless phone, shot from low angle, while the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey as the soundtrack * When Cher enters for her first date with Christian and descends the stairs, the background soundtrack is from Gigi * When Christian comes over to Cher’s house, he brings the Tony Curtis movies Some Like it Hot and Spartacus. An excerpt from the latter movie is shown
Use of soundtracks in Clueless Scenes * Scene 1: * opening: “Kids in America”/ The Muffs * Cher choosing clothes: “Fashion girl”/ David Bowie * Scene 2 Cher’s car: “Just a Girl”/ No *