Draft 2 PhD Introduction - ResearchSpace@Auckland

42
what the threat actually is. At various times, it is suggested that there is some kind of
evil supernatural force in the house which caused the death of the previous tenant, or
that it could be malicious children trying to scare an old woman on her own. At other
times, the suggestion is that Malfred’s terror is a monster of her own creation - a
figment of her own vivid imagination or unconscious mind. There is a very effective
scene in the film where she appears to be calling her neighbour to report that there is a
prowler outside the house. It is not until the end of the scene that the viewer realizes, as
the camera tilts down and pans along the telephone cord, that the phone has been
disconnected and that the apparent phone call has taken place only in her imagination.
In the film, the viewer never sees the source of the menace – its presence is suggested
by the soundtrack, the howling of the wind, and finally the smashing of glass as a brick
is apparently hurled through her window. In this case, a person’s imagination seems out
of control – Manfred is an artist manqué, and her creative power has turned destructive.
Ward’s work has been influenced by both European Gothic and “kiwi” Gothic traditions
(which we will discuss later in this chapter). The European Gothic tradition is often
associated with the iconography of ruined castles, trap doors, secret passages and
catacombs, elements which have powerful psychological undertones often associated
with the unconscious. In A State of Siege, elements of the interior settings particularly
props, have similar undertones. According to David Coulson, who consulted with the
director on the film, “Ward was interested in everything that made psychological sense”
and he constructed the settings of the film around Malfred’s state of mind. 147 As she
becomes increasingly unhinged, Ward started removing furniture and fittings from the
house. Also, the way the props and the setting were filmed reflects Malfred’s state of
mind. One example is in the scene where Malfred is cleaning a bath. The objects in
this scene seem to have a malevolent life of their own: the medicine bottles on the shelf
in particular, trigger unpleasant memories of Malfred caring for her dying mother. The
soundtrack is also used to good effect in creating an atmosphere of unease, especially
the magnification of natural sounds in the scene such as the scratching noise of the bath
being cleaned, the sound of the clock ticking, and the screaming noise of the water
being emptied. The film thus provides good examples of how Ward’s Romantic/Gothic
aesthetic is expressed in practice.
147 Lynette Read, interview with David Coulson, 16 August 2002.