Draft 2 PhD Introduction - ResearchSpace@Auckland

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between scenes, and shortly afterwards, a piece of piano music begins. The music,
composed by Chopin, has associations with soirées in European salons; it provides a
link with civilized society of the preceding scene but contrasts strongly with the setting
of this scene. The school bus, looking somewhat like a prehistoric monster lumbering
through the landscape, is full of children who show no restraint in their speech or
laughter. They are noisy and constantly in motion, in comparison with Malfred, who
sits silently, very still and upright in her seat. In contrast to the unrestrained children on
the bus, there is a flashback to Malfred teaching at a girls’ school where the girls sit
silent and motionless at their desks, while her carefully modulated voice explains what
they are to do. This sequence utilizes chiaroscuro lighting, with Malfred, side-lit,
standing by the window, a composition which as McDonnell has pointed out, is “very
reminiscent of Vermeer’s paintings of women outdoors”. 409 Malfred’s bus journey
continues through a landscape empty of signs of civilization except for power-lines and
the occasional house where the bus driver stops to deliver newspapers or to drop off
children.
When the bus arrives at her stop, Malfred’s slow genteel descent from the bus contrasts
with the children tumbling noisily out of the bus. The surrounding landscape is harsh
and unwelcoming and the bus driver attempts to warn Malfred about what happened to
the previous occupant of the house she is going to live in. Her monosyllabic replies to
the bus driver’s queries and warnings to lock her door at night, seen to indicate that,
despite her reserved demeanor and conservative dress (with her cameo brooch and
white high-necked blouse), she is determined to follow her own path. The extended
shot of the bus driving away into the distance creates a strong sense of the landscape
and emphasizes her insignificance and isolation in this new environment.
Malfred’s determination to turn her back on society exposes her to certain forces that
are antagonistic to civilization. The first intimation of these forces comes when she
goes to enter the house. The door resists being opened, as if the house itself resented an
intruder. When she enters, the interior of the house is dark and brooding. Such scenes
provide a good example of what Lotte Eisner meant by the creation of Stimmung (mood,
or atmosphere), particularly an atmosphere of unease, in German Expressionist films.
409 McDonnell, "The Translation of New Zealand Fiction into Film," 141.