Shoe Horn Sonata and Matilda Distinctively Visual

Images in the play The Shoe Horn Sonata directed by John Misto and the film Matilda directed by Danny DeVito have influenced my understanding of ideas in these texts through the use of symbolism, body language and cruelty in experiences. Matilda is a fantasy film based on the book written by Roald Dahl. Misto uses different dramatic forms, style and technique such as setting, stage directions, staging, characterisation, gestures, mannerisms, projected images and words on a screen onstage, entrances and exits, conflict and tension, props, music and sound effects. Matilda uses film techniques to fulfil the visualisations that we see on set such as camera shots, editing, lighting, camera movement, setting, props and colours. All of these techniques are used to create images in our minds.

The opening scene of Bridie first walking onto the stage is very effective as it is all black and as she comes on, she claps twice and a bright spotlight appears on her. Misto utilises images in an easy way for audience to understand and uses figurative images and cleverly mixes archival footage and intense stage action to convey the understanding of the women who suffered in P.O.W camps. Lighting is effectively used to convey ideas about how every scene is different and depending on if they are re-telling their story or acting out the scene, if there is one lady or the both of them and if they are seated or not. Graphic recreation is used in many scenes as the girls go back and forth to past and present tense re-telling stories. The graphic recreation of moments when they were back on the camps is very useful as it puts the audience in their perspective. Misto interweaves visual features and spoken language in his evocative play.

Distinctively visual shows how different characters are resembled to be either good or evil. DeVito uses colours to show how each character is, for example, Matilda wears pretty bright floral clothes with a red ribbon these images of her convey the idea that she is an intelligent young four year old who is able to tie a bow in her own hair. Ms Trunchbull wears dark grey and blacks and this is to show she is a nastier character. Lighting also changes as it shows dark and dull lighting for Ms Trunchbull and bright but soft lighting for Ms Honey. DeVito also uses different camera angles when Ms Trunchbull talks to the children, quite often the angle is from the child's eye and is looking up at her, this shows she is the bigger person who has more power over the children.

Symbolism in Misto's play is shown when the girls chew on the chop bone as they all come together and imagine it still had meat on it. Sometimes the women were fed rice scraps but a lot of the time they had nothing at all. The chop represents resilience and fortitude. This lets me visualise a group of young women all sitting around watch each other nibble on a bone that once had meat on it. "We chewed on this every night before bed. We called it Old Reliable." Matilda wears a red ribbon every day to school, this symbolises her character. It is noticed in the the scene after Matilda broke in to Ms Trunchbull's house and accidently left her red ribbon behind. "Who was wearing a pretty red hair ribbon yesterday, and isn't wearing it today" as Ms Trunchbull walks up and down the class room very angrily with the red ribbon in her hand and as she comes