SUMMARY:
The Devil Wears Prada, directed by David Frankel is a comedy/drama film which follows the central character Andrea Sachs’ personal transition, a plain and unstylish young women, to a trendy and classy fashion victim. Played by Anne Hathaway, Andrea lands a job at ‘Runway Magazine’ and assist the editor in chief, an intimidating and assertive women known as Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep. Andrea gets caught up in her working life where everything and anything she does revolves around pleasing her newest boss and keeping up with the latest trends, something which is very different to her ordinary life prior to ‘Runway’. Believing that her time at the company is crucial to her career, Andrea realizes that she needs to make a change prioritize fashion. THEMES:
The Devil Wears Prada explores ideas about growth, sacrifice and change through the main character Andrea. The protagonist grows intellectually by gaining knowledge in the fashion industry, identifying what is trendy and what isn’t. This is evident as Andrea is unaware with what is considered fashionable as she is constantly in dull colours prior to getting the job at Runway. This idea of growth is compared to the experience and knowledge she gains as she begins to wear nothing but designer labels.
The idea of sacrifice is represented when Andrea’s personal life falls apart as she consistently does anything to please Miranda. Andrea is sacrificing her boyfriend, friends and family to fulfil her personal goals of becoming a journalist and transitioning into the person she wants to become. The idea of change is conveyed as there is a drastic change between her life before and her life during working at ‘Runway’. There is a change in Andrea’s clothing, attitude and perspective. She realises that she isn’t the person she use to be and that she has undergone a change to fulfil the needs of her new boss. LINK TO EDUCATING RITA:
There are several links that ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and ‘Educating Rita’ have in common. The main characters of each text are female, who are unaware of the transition they will make and the changes they will endure personally. The protagonists in both text seek something that will help them transition into the world, which is a type of education. The journey to both Rita’s and Andrea’s personal growth of acquiring knowledge finds them losing touch with the people that care about them and sacrificing a part of themself in order to excel; for instance their partners Denny (Rita’s partner) and Nate (Andrea’s partner) are no longer of importance to them during their journey of acquiring what they necessitate in order to experience personal growth. A further link is how the protagonist from each text represents themself once they have made their ‘transition into the world’. The way they both dress at the beginning of their journey compared to their style towards the end of each text represents their positive transition. TECHNIQUE
1: Cinematic: Full Shot & Panning Shot
In the opening of the film, Andrea meets Miranda in hopes of landing a job at Runway Magazine. The full shot of Andrea in her first meeting shows an unappealing costume with ordinary black slacks and an old fashioned jacket, with dry and lifeless hair. This is contrasted with the panning shot of Andrea from the perspective of Miranda where she is seen dressed in channel boots and a trendy outfit. These cinematic techniques contrast Andrea’s old life and her new life. This creates meaning and presents the beginning of her transition into the world.
2: Music (Non-diegetic Sound)
The Non-Diegetic Sound of Andrea walking into the Runway office while Emily has a shocked emotion helps convey meaning in relation to Andrea entering her new world. This is also evident when Andrea is shown making her way to work, multiple times with blasting and energetic music. This music exists outside the realm of the characters to present to the audience Andrea’s new world. This intensifies the action of Andrea walking, adding a positive tone/atmosphere to the scene.
3: Lighting
The lighting in the scenes prior to Andrea receiving her make-over present a shadowy and darker effect. The light source is generally placed behind Andrea to create a darkened effect on her. This is particularly evident in the scene where she is discussing her position at Runway with Nigel. In comparison to where Andrea receives her make-over the lighting is high key to highlight the protagonist. This shows that Andrea has made a positive change ‘into the world’ and portrays a meaning of an upbeat change.
