Essay Task:

How does the composer of Clueless use film techniques to transform

the social, historical and environmental context of Jane Austens
Emma to the modern context of Clueless?

Amy Heckerlings Clueless involves a storyline, which closely follows the text
of Jane Austens novel Emma. However, there are some key points of
difference in the transformation that has taken place. This is due to the
individual context of the nineteenth century prose text and that of the
modern appropriated film text. The context can be divided into three focal
categories, the social, historical and environmental context. In order to be
able to address the question, these three groupings must be identified
accordingly. Social context refers to the life and relation of human beings in
a community, how people interact with each other and the hierarchy/social
circles. Historical context concerns the impact of a particular time period
and what is expected of gender roles, sexuality, and etiquette. Finally,
environmental context relates to setting, geographical location and
surroundings. Camera shots, camera angles, camera movements, lighting
procedures, the soundtrack, music, editing methods, narrative devices (voice
overs), filmmaking approaches, characterisation, and allusions/references
(language) are but some filmic techniques to mention which Heckerling
employs to transform the social, historical and environmental context of Jane
Austens Emma to the modern context of Clueless. By analysing the literary
techniques found in Emma such as narration/point of view (mostly third
person/omniscient), writing style, syntax, diction, punctuation, irony,
humour, authorial commentary, and dialogue Heckerling is able to specify
the above mentioned film processes in order to get her
perspective/interpretation of the novel across.

Emma provides a social context typical of an English community town in the

early 19th century. The social hierarchy of Highbury is very much the
guideline for the townspeople on how they should present themselves in the
public eye, how they must interact with each other, and who holds what
status and superiority over others. Austen describes the social setting of
Emma, through the heroines point of view in the lines Highbury, the large
and populous village almost amounting to a town, to which Hartfield, in spite
of its separate lawn and shrubberies and name, did really belong, afforded
her no equals. The Woodhouses were first in consequence there. All looked
up to them (Page 9). Here Austen is giving an insight into the world of
Emma, while giving the reader a sense of her status and how significant it is
in her society. The diction used, especially in appointing the word
consequence highlights how much Emma is preoccupied with peoples
standing in society and how this determines their overall character.
Heckerling is aware of the social hierarchy apparent in Emma: the landed
gentry, the merchant class, the working class, and lastly at the bottom of the
social scale the servants/serfs/labourers. When appropriating Austens novel
to a modern-day context and converting Emma into a sixteen-year old high
school student, Heckerling is able, through the school particularly, to
illustrate that the issue of ones status in society has not changed greatly,
especially through Emmas eyes and other arrogant people at her school,
such as Elton and Amber. The filmic technique that most exemplifies this
point and allows Heckerling to get the idea through to her audience is
explored when Cher is filmed in her school environment, which basically
makes up most of her world, apart from shopping and attending certain
parties, because of the fact that she is so young. A long shot of the entrance
to the high school is shown with a fair bit of landscape in the background and
students hanging around in their groups or circles. Betties (good-looking
girls), Barneys (unattractive guys), loser loadies (potheads), and the
popular people are just some of the stereotypes associated with each group
that are used by Heckerling as the main method of transforming the social
hierarchy of Emma into a more modern-day equivalent that the target
audience of the film, teenagers, could relate to. The shot itself produces a
real-life effect that is pleasing to the viewer as it invites them to enter Chers
world, while the sharp focus and high key lighting emphasizes what a bright
sunny day it is at the Beverly Hills High School and contradicts with the
events that will unfold as the plot progresses.

The strict class hierarchy of Highbury allows for little social mobility or
interaction. When Emma is in need of a new match-making candidate to
ensue the success of her last project involving Mr Weston and his new wife,
formerly Miss Taylor, she says to her father and also Mr. Knightley who both
disagree with her on the subject of interfering in peoples own affairs: Only
one more, papa; only for Mr. Elton! You like Mr. Elton, papa, - I must look
about for a wife for him. There is nobody in Highbury who deserves himand
he has been here a whole year, and has fitted up his house so comfortably
that it would be a shame to have him single any longerand I thought when
he was joining their hands to-day, he looked so very much as if he would like
to have the same kind office done for him! (Pages 14-15) I think very well of
Mr. Elton, and this is the only way I have of doing him a service. This
passage reveals the significance Emma places in status or that it is only
acceptable to marry into ones own class and is filled with literary
techniques, especially that of Austens ironic humour, which she is well
known for. Phrases such as fitted up his house so comfortably, when he
was joining their hands to-day and the word office are archaic terms from
a modern perspective, but for the time the novel was written they would
have been commonly used expressions. The irony in Emmas dialogue
carefully hinted at by Austen, is that Emma although earnestly would like to
see Mr. Elton married and settled down, is mostly seeking out a match for
him for her own fancy and the pleasure she feels in doing so. Further irony,
although not presumed by the reader, is that she will do no kind office for
him, as it is revealed by Austen that Mr. Elton prefers nobody as his wife but
Emma herself, for his own conceited reasons. Heckerling uses this idea of
Emmas egotism, by taking Mr. Elton as a microcosm of men collectively and
appropriating this to high-school boys when Cher compares them to dogs as
she claims through the voice-over You have to clean them and feed them
and theyre just like these nervous creatures who jump and slobber all over
you. She claims this while walking to her class, looking like a goddess, as
she makes her way along a path that seems like it has exclusively been
opened up to her and her only, while the high-school boys walking past can
be seen staring at her. Here, Heckerling uses a full tracking shot to follow
the character and, hence, invite the viewer to become more involved with
the subject. However, she does not care for them and when one boy puts his
arm around her, she screams Eeeew, get off me! as she pushes him away
and shouts Aaaagh, as if! A medium shot, followed by a close-up of her
face show, through her body actions and facial expressions that she feels
mortified, appalled, and displeased. Both Emma and Cher, the
bildungsroman characters of the two texts, seem to judge people without
actually taking the time to get to know them. The transformation Heckerling
has made involves Cher not particularly being concerned of a boys status in
society but rather his maturity, as she believes herself rather advanced for
her age, which is what makes Josh, her (older) ex-stepbrother so attractive
to her in the end.

It is evident that the values expressed in Emma and Clueless vary greatly,
because of the social context of each text. Most of the characters in Emma
are fixated with issues of money/wealth; status; instruction (education);
singing and displaying talents; dancing at balls; elegance/style; and
marriage. Austen describes Emma as handsome, clever, and rich, with a
comfortable home and happy disposition (Page 7). The tone here is
descriptive, yet seems exaggerated, almost hyperbolic, when the composer
continues with: seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence;
and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress
or vex her. Austen uses irony as well on two levels. Firstly, she is alluding
that for Emma to undergo some sort of transformation, there must be
conflict in her life for this to occur. Secondly, she is trying to characterise
Emma as an innocent young girl through the diction of the words in the
world, which allows the reader to form an early opinion and expectation of
the protagonist. The beginning of Emma gives descriptions (authorial
comments) of Emma herself and the main characters in her life and mostly
discusses the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Weston. Upon describing Emmas
father: He was a...life at Hartfield (Page 9), Austen uses humour, extremely
long syntax, and punctuation in the form of dashes to alert to any
conversational pauses. This gives the reader an impression that Mr.
Woodhouse does not consider marriage as a cheerful event as he hates any
kind of change and sees matrimony as the origin of change. One of the
earliest dialogue lines in the first chapter comes from Mr. Woodhouse who
says Poor Miss Taylor! I wish she were here again. What a pity it is that Mr.
Weston ever thought of her! (Page 10) This shows that even though most
people of that time would value marriage highly, Mr. Woodhouse, who never
believed that other people could feel differently from himself, did not.
Emmas father in Austens novel greatly contrasts to Chers father, Mel
Hamilton, in Clueless. From the exterior Chers father appears tough,
reserved, strong and independent. However, he is in fact loving and caring
towards Cher and the protagonist of the film still parents her father in the
same way as the heroine of the text, as she makes sure he drinks his orange
juice during breakfast because he needs his vitamin C. Heckerling, as the
composer, has made this dramatic alteration in the Mr. Woodhouse
character, because as Clueless is set in a modern context, his occupation
must be one that will make Cher spoilt and will give her popularity as a
result. Her father, who is described by Cher as: A litigator thats the
scariest kind of lawyer, must be tough in order for his career to be
convincing to the audience. This point demonstrates that the obsession with
wealth in Emma has not changed much according to Clueless, but for the
slight contrast in the way that the wealth is gained. For example, in Emma
for a person to be classed as noble and gallant they were usually those
inheriting money, where as in Clueless if a person has a high-paid job then
they will acquire status as a result. Even though image is not a substantial
factor in Emma, for Heckerlings Clueless it is something a person places
much value. With money and status, a person can acquire image (and
hopefully style) and Cher definitely has this aspect. As she brushes her hair,
while looking at the mirror very self-consciously she says: I actually have a
way normal life for a teenage girl. The tone used in this voice over is
straight forward, however Heckerling humours the audience with irony in
that after she claims this she picks out her school clothes using a computer
mix-match system. As she tries to match her outfit, David Bowies song
Fashion Girl has been employed by the musical arranger to emphasize the
importance of fashion. Close-up shots of the computer as a miss-match
occurs can be seen followed by Chers reactions to her unsuccessful
attempts. These shots are filled with satire, as Heckerling tries to hint at the
failure of her future attempts to match-up people just as she is trying to do
so with clothes. The importance of the voice-over is that it gives the
audience the composers perspective, just as Austen releases her opinions
through authorial commentary/intrusion.

Based primarily on each mediums historical context, Emma and Clueless

have their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, Emma would have
a limited readership because in the early nineteenth century it would not be
easily distributed as it was based in England. Also, because it is a lengthy
novel, Austen is able to give a careful build-up of the characters with many
examples to prove her point, but in the world of today, with our shortened
concentration spans, it is likely that its length can make it seem less
appealing. On the other hand, Clueless would reach a wider audience as it is
targeted at a teen-pic genre and is a film, which is popular since it offers
quick entertainment. Furthermore, the film has the advantage of having
visual impact for the viewer, but the slang language while current for the era
and location represented, may date quickly.

When looking at gender-specific roles, according to the historical context of

Emma, there were firm guidelines for both women and men to respect (social
customs). These guidelines included dressing sensibly/modestly, not acting
promiscuous, and if you were an unmarried women under thirty years of age
you would always have to have a chaperone with you. There were more
rules, especially obligatory for women that needed to be followed to keep a
fine reputation of ones self. When the reader is first introduced to Mr.
Knightley in chapter 1, he is portrayed by Austen through Emmas eyes as a
sensible mannot only a very old and intimate friend of the family, but
particularly connected with it as the elder brother of Isabellas husbandwas
a frequent visitor and always welcome (Page 11) This statement displays
that there were also exacting conventions about visiting, yet because Mr.
Knightley was such an old acquaintance and practically family in a sense, he
was warmly approved to visit the Woodhouses anytime he wished to do so.
The modern day context of Clueless also has establishing rules of etiquette,
however they have significantly differed from what these customs
necessitated in earlier times. If Emma were to walk into Bronson Alcott High
School, she would certainly classify almost all the girls attending the school
as promiscuous, due to changes in fashion and attitudes. These attitudes
are referring to the way that in the modern context people are more open,
especially regarding relationships/sex and do not keep their affairs as private
as during the days of Emma. An example of this from Clueless is the scene
where Dionne and Murray are having another one of their usual fights
outside the school entrance and Murray suggests, Is it that time of the
month again, in front of the crowd that formed around them. Although
Dionne or Dee was slightly embarrassed and angered by his comment, she
was feeling this way not because she was ashamed, but because he was
trying to put her down in order to come out as the victor of the argument.
This scene uses a dolly shot movement to convey to the audience the
conflicting comments and disagreements between Murray and Dionne, and
Heckerling has employed humour in the story line to interest the viewer.

It is interesting to note that a very significant way in which Heckerling has

transformed the historical context of Emma into a modern-day equivalent is
through the removal, introduction and renovation of characters. In
Clueless, most characters remain the same, but some are adjusted because
of the different situations and issues addressing the world. The characters
Mr. Weston and Miss Taylor are altered by Heckerling and become Mr.
Wendell Hall and Miss Tony Geist, who are teachers at Chers school and who
she performs her matchmaking on. Due to the African American movement
that was at its most violent peak during the 1960s, and its success in
making the rights of African American people known to not only America, but
also the whole world this created equality between white-Americans and
African Americans. This is why Dionne is introduced as Chers best friend
and cannot be compared by the audience or be viewed as confronting to
them. Cher says that Dionne and her are close friends because they both
know what its like to have people be jealous of us. Her character serves to
encourage and assist Cher in her self-delusion. Dionne is given a boyfriend
character, Murray, and although at first, the couple bother Cher in that
Dionne could do so much better than Murray (a high-school boy), by the
end of the film Cher realises that she was insensitive of their love and
acceptance of each other. Finally, there is no real Jane Fairfax in Clueless
because Chers popularity can never be taken away from her (although it
was challenged from time to time) and also because the Frank Churchill
character is converted into a homosexual, Christian. Heckerling introducing
a gay character to the storyline was a considerable step, because of the
concern associated with the HIV AIDS virus and the pre-conceived idea that
the AIDS epidemic originated from homosexuals. However, the fact of the
matter was that heterosexuals were using them as a scapegoat as they were
seen as immoral, freaky, sickening people and were usually not even
classified as human beings but were compared to animals. This is why any
talk about sex in Clueless is not deep or severe, but is always on the topic for
conversation and is used to amuse/intrigue the audience. The character of
Christian is used to show just how clueless Cher is about love, sex,
relationships, and boys. When Murray says to Cher during a conversation:
Hes a disco-dancing, Oscar Wilde-reading, Streisand-ticket-holding friend of
Dorothy, know what Im saying? This line makes reference to a number of
cultural/art themes associated with gay-men and amuses the audience to
know the irony of what Cher was hoping for in Christian and the reality that
he was not interested in women, but attracted to men instead.

While, the values explored in Clueless are very similar to those explored in
Emma, the environmental context of each text are diverse. The English town
of Highbury is very much serene and peaceful, while Beverly Hills is a
demanding, loud, and intense location to reside in. By setting the movie in
Los Angeles, a place synonymous with excess, Heckerling can exaggerate
the themes of Emma and have fun at the expense of her own characters.
Authorial commentary by Austen presents her opinion that the The real
evils indeed of Emmas situation were the power of having rather too much
her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself; these were
the disadvantages which threatened alloy to her many enjoyments. The
danger, however, was at present so unperceived, that they did not by any
means rank as misfortunes with her (Page 7). Heckerling passes her own
outlook of Chers faults, which are similar to Emmas, through the
introduction of her character as spoilt, vain, self-satisfied, and overconfident.
Chers character is introduced by Heckerling through a number of different
clips brought together, which takes place at the very beginning of the film.
The song Kids of America by The Muffs is played, the bold, strong, and
colourful graphic design for the title of the movie Clueless appears and
already positions the film as a new, contemporary teen-pic film. The
montage film-making approach begins with a tracking shot, followed by a
high angle shot and finally leading to an overhead shot of Cher, accompanied
by her friends, driving in the streets of Beverly Hills. The use of an overhead
shot implies the vulnerability of the young girls living in a cruel, harsh world
that they are yet to find out about, but will have some sort of idea formed by
the end of the protagonists journey in the film. The next clip presents an
eye-level shot of Cher walking in the expensive shopping avenues of Los
Angeles, carrying bags, which suggests consumerism in contemporary
society. This is followed by an eye-level shot of Cher partying with her
friends. Then a pool-party is shown, using an eye-level shot, and everybody
is showing their skin in the contemporary beach fashion of bikinis and
stylish swimsuits. There are girls reading magazines, putting on make-up,
and it is made aware to the audience that some of the girls are even
recovering from plastic surgery, as they have bandages on their noses. The
next clip is a low angle shot of Cher and her friends acting flirtatious with
guys in a typical malt shop. This shot suggests them having all the power
when it comes to tempting boys, but the question is what will they do once
they have attracted them, for as the title of the movie suggests, they must
be clueless. Some of the clips mentioned, for example the pool-party and
malt-shop scene are shown concurrently using zoom shots for emphasis and
effect and this cuts to the shot of Cher driving again, with a natural sound of
the car engine to create a real-life atmosphere. This also incorporates
symbolism, suggesting the hectic lifestyle of modern times, through the loud,
sweeping noise that the car makes as it speeds along. Through this montage
of shots, the girls can be heard laughing and this sound effect is employed to
display the girls in a happy mood and emphasizes their young age, as they
seem to have no care in the world. However, happiness is fleeting and the
girls will soon have to face important decisions. Every shot in this series of
clips involves high-key lighting to point out the brightness of the day, except
for the party-scene shot, which has a soft focus, uses low-key lighting and is
in slow motion speed. This indicates that the parties Cher attends involve
alcohol/drugs, so Cher must be responsible enough not to make any wrong
decisions in order to keep her character sweet, innocent, and clean for the
audience. Through these film techniques, Heckerling transforms the
environmental context of Austens novel Emma to the modern Californian
setting of Clueless.

Many changes because of space and time are noticed in the transformation
of the text Emma into the film Clueless and these occur within the
environmental context of the two sources. The most detrimental change is
that of technology. In Emma, if the Woodhouses wanted to travel, they
would need to notify James, the servant who attended to the horse and
carriage. In the notes of the Penguin Edition of Jane Austens Emma, the
carriage is described as a Four-wheeled private vehicle drawn by two or
more horses. Ownership indicated a considerable degree of wealth and
social standing (Page 458). Due to innovation, the carriage in Emma, is
replaced by the car in Clueless, even though the ownership of both implies
wealth/status of some sort. Cher introduces her car, four-wheel drive, with
dual-side airbags, and a monster sound system and the music track Just A
Girl by No Doubt is employed to create irony in that Cher is just a girl, yet
she owns such a powerful machine. Heckerling uses an establishing shot
followed by a tracking shot of the car, as Cher raves on about it through the
use of voice-over. The car is a symbol of freedom and a sense of control, but
she claims that she doesnt have a licence, but needed something to work
with. This is implied irony by Heckerling as Cher cannot drive and so does
not have much freedom or is not in control over any situation. She then
speeds off down the street with palm trees shown across the sidewalk, which
highlights the environmental context and the transformation that has
occurred.

As a last requirement for exploring the environmental context, the

protagonists homes must be observed. Austen makes it well known to the
reader that Emma had a comfortable home. The adjective comfortable
and its diction implies a wealthy, extravagant, beautiful house, yet Austen
chooses to tone it down and keep a modest tone, in order to make Emma
easier to relate to. Heckerling uses the indication of the young heroines
wealth, when she transforms her into Cher. When Chers father is first
introduced, he opens a large, white doorway and this is indicating to the
audience that something grand is about to be shown. The back shot of Mel
as he walks down the stairs in a rapid pace, changes to an overhead shot as
the camera follows him to the bottom of the stairs. The scene puts the
sparkling chandelier and the large/elegant staircase in view of the audience,
adding to the extravagance of the house and the expensive commodities
contained within it. Both Emma and Cher live in very expensive and stylish
houses, however for Heckerling to transform the nineteenth century novel
into a modern day context, she has created the notion of a happy family
through the images of the house, the bedrooms, the kitchen, the family
room and other elements at that. Yet, like many other contemporary
households, it is not a nuclear type family and this is an allusion by
Heckerling that looks can be very deceiving - a central theme in her film.

It is an understatement to say that Heckerling has produced a clever/witty

appropriation of Jane Austens Emma. The nineteenth century prose text and
the contemporary film, Clueless, share similar concerns of a young heroine
as the protagonist, who must come to some sort of self-awareness at the
conclusion of her inspired journey. However, some issues differ because of
time and space. For example, how people interact with each other,
hierarchy/social circles, the impact of each time period, what was expected
of gender roles/sexuality/etiquette, the setting, and surroundings. All these
elements make up the context of the two text sources. Through filmic
techniques that create different effects on the audience and are used by the
composer to convey her messages clearly, such as camera shots, angles,
movements, characterisation, music, sound effects, lighting procedures,
narrative devices, and so on, Heckerling is able to transform the social,
historical and environmental context of Jane Austens Emma to the modern
context of Clueless. She achieves this through investigating the literary
techniques employed by Austen in her novel, such as narration/point of view,
writing style, syntax, diction, punctuation, irony, humour, authorial
commentary, and dialogue and transforming this into her work, with her own
individual twists added here and there, both original and surprising at
times.

By: Ashurina Shalalo