Wonder Woman

Diana Prince (AKA “Wonder Woman”) is portrayed by actress Gal Gadot in the 2017 film “Wonder Woman” as a strong female warrior, but it’s not just because of her goddess-like, superhuman abilities. Rather she demonstrates deep care and compassion for others and rises up to fearlessly defend those in need, despite the danger she puts herself in to do so.

This characterisation is encapsulated perfectly in the “No man’s land” scene. The specific techniques used to construct this scene have a huge impact on how the audience will understand Gal Gadot’s portrayal as Wonder Woman. As the scene begins, Diana is confronted by how much the people around her are affected by the the first world war and is deeply moved with compassion. She learns that the only way to help them is by crossing over ‘no man’s land’, the deadliest zone between the trenches of both warring sides. She immediately wants to take action, however her male companion, Steve Trevor (played by Chris Pine) helplessly points out that “no man can ever cross it”, urging her to stay where it is safe. Instead of taking no for an answer, she climbs the ladder into no man’s land as she removes her cloak, revealing her Amazonian armour for the first time. The use of slow motion, swelling non-diegetic orchestral music, the brief muting of all other diegetic sounds as well as close-ups of her iconic armour and weapons are all used to create a sense of the importance of this pivotal moment as she climbs into the path of danger as Wonder Woman.

The cliché slow-motion full-shot of Diana walking toward the camera as bombs explode behind her is used here as she unflinchingly walks toward the enemy’s guns to establish her as the ultimate hero. Through a mixture of close ups and wide shots we see that she is initially able to effortlessly deflect bullets with her wrist armour, but ends up resorting to her shield as the entire battalion of enemy troops concentrate all their firepower on her. An overhead shot effectively captures the onslaught of bullets as they ricochet off her shield. These shots remind the audience not only of her vulnerability, but of her courage and selflessness. Careful sound editing allows us to hear her anguished gasps amidst the firepower and triumphant musical score. Close-ups of her grimacing face as she deflects the heavy onslaught of bullets with her shield further adds to this scene depicting immense bravery, strength and compassion for those in need.

This scene as well as the entire film is constructed to represent women as powerful and capable, unlike many films from older generations that depict women as constantly needing men to save them from danger. The Wonder Woman film shows that women can come to the rescue of men, not just the other way around.