'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria

ground, Lene tumbling on top of him, and the second soldier pushing himself onto Lene.
The viewer hears the off-screen voice of one of the American soldiers grumbling, “Nazi
bitch!” (Deutschland, bleiche Mutter n. pag.). The rapid camera movement, the blurred
image, and the terrified scream evoke in the viewer Lene‟s feelings of panic. Through
his derogatory name-calling, the soldier dehumanizes Lene, making it easier for him to
justify to himself the act of sexual violence he and his fellow GI will commit against her.
Next, the camera swoops quickly upwards from Lene and the soldiers to a close-
up shot of Anna‟s feet, and then to another low-angle close-up shot of her upper-body.
The camera then zooms into a low-angle close-up shot of Anna‟s face. The camera does
not show the rape itself, but instead depicts mother and daughter keeping eye contact.
First, the camera focuses on Anna‟s face for approximately 20 seconds, showing the child
witnessing the rape of her mother without disclosing any visible emotional reaction.
Simultaneously, the viewer hears the off-screen grunting and groaning of the American
GIs. The indirect presentation of the rape intensifies rather than decreases the emotional
effect, as the viewer imagines what Anna witnesses (Smith 242). Moreover, the low-
angle of the camera angle in this scene appears to be from the point of view of Lene, who
is lying on the ground. This perspective underscores Lene‟s overriding concern for her
daughter‟s well-being, which she maintains even while being sexually assaulted.
Next, the camera cuts to a high-angle extreme close-up shot of Lene‟s face. Her
eyes are closed, her nostrils are flared and her lips are pursed in an expression of disgust.
Fluttering her eyelids, she slowly opens her eyes, and turns her head to the right of the
screen. The extremely high angle of this shot seems to be from the perspective of Anna,
who is standing above her mother. This point of view again emphasizes the strong
55