This song by Lady Gaga was popular during her prime in the music industry. Her music videos were extremely lavish and over-the-top as to put a point across. These messages normally link to inequality of women and how the media industry supports this. In this particular music video, and partly the song, the message portrayed is that the media will do anything for a good story. She uses vintage glamour to exaggerate the violence towards the women in the video and how women are expected to be seen in the media.
The video is set in and around a large white mansion, possibly in the Mediterranean, which gives the audience the impression that whoever is staying there is wealthy. This is further supported by the scattering of money and jewels inside the mansion. The money has Lady Gaga's face on it, much like the monarch has their face on currency. This shows that Gaga is the one who has the most fame out of the two people in the mansion. It also shows that she feels she is highly important and has power as she is printing her own money, therefore branding herself.
There is a lot of promotion for the Gaga brand throughout the music video. Most branding in the video relates to her jewellery and Dior jewellery as she wears rings that spell "Dior" and then there are several close-ups of her own jewellery, like jewels with the letter "G" for "Gaga" on them.
The entire video is themed in a mix of vintage and modern glamour. The Italian style decor and the costumes the characters are wearing, especially at the start of the video, are more like the attire wealthy people would wear in the 1950's. Gaga is wearing a white corset which has several connotations. The colour white could suggest her innocence before the start of her revenge. It makes her seem like the damsel in the scenario. The fact that she is wearing a corset is very sexualised which portrays women as sexual objects. It also shows how women, especially in the media, are restricted and shaped to look a certain way. They are expected to have the perfect appearance which can bring suffering.
During the first scene, there are calm sounds of birds and waves. Not only does this set the scene for the location, it also creates a false sense of security before the conflict happens, indicated by the start of the song. This is also linked to the colour scheme used in the first scene. The use of light colours represents peace and calm, which highly contrasts to the rest of the video when the music starts where the colour scheme is darker and more sinister.
Another way we can tell that there is a vintage theme behind the video is the font of the titles and credits. The font suggests there is inspiration from the film noir genre. By having this type of font, we can tell straight from the beginning that the video is going to be a narrative and that it is going to involve some sort of criminal activity as that is typical of the film noir genre.
The act of the male character throwing Gaga off the balcony shows the change in control and power. Not only does this suggest that men control women, it shows a shift in the power and a change in their relationship. This will be the act that will motivate Gaga for her revenge at the end of the video.
Before the male character pushes her off the balcony, there are vintage styled snap shots taken as if in secret, suggesting the paparazzi. The black and white shots link in with the old-fashioned newspapers that flash onto the screen with headlines about Gaga. This is a way of continuing the vintage theme. Gaga may have made the vintage theme more prominent in the beginning to exaggerate the change in time from the beginning to the end, to represent how attitudes towards females and their role in society is changing.
We first see Gaga lying on the floor below the balcony, draped in pearls and diamonds. However, there is no blood but red glitter. This has been done to glamorise her trauma because she is a woman in the media; she needs to look presentable at all times. This is continued when there are images of dead models, made to look like they've been murder or committed suicide. By making such difficult issues into a glamorised statement, Gaga has shown that the paparazzi and the media are only concerned with getting a gripping story and have no concern for the victim. This is shown by the way the photographers crowd around Gaga's mangled body.
When the song starts, we first see Gaga in a neck brace and in a wheelchair, being carried into the mansion by butlers. This part of the music video shows Gaga's recovery from her fall, showing in a wheelchair, then on crutches, then as she was before. This could be quite controversial for disabled people because it glamorises disability by still continuing the theme of wealth and fame. It could be perceived as disrespectful because of all the diamonds and jewels surrounding her. However, I think Gaga's message at this point is to say that people that are disabled can be glamorous like anyone else.
Between the second scene and the next, there is a money transition. The transition shows dollar bills with Gaga's face on, much like the dollar bills that were scattered around the mansion. This shows that there has been a change with Gaga's condition. It suggests that she is gaining back her power and wealth. From here, we know that Gaga will now bring back her fame in some way.
Gaga does several hand gestures but the gun gestures are significant. They suggest aggression and violence that will lead to murder. These gestures, along with the dead women, make it clear that Gaga is going to be directly involved in whatever is going to happen next. The underline message could be that women don't have to always be innocent and non-violent just because that is what is expected of them in the media.
In the last scene, Gaga's outfit and the attire of the male character have major significance. The male character is wearing the same style clothes as he was wearing at the start of the video, which suggests that he hasn't changed in his opinions against women. However, Gaga is wearing a yellow jumpsuit with an unusual pattern as the print. It is of Gaga's face with a helmet with mickey mouse ears. This makes something innocent into something violent, much like Gaga after her fall. Her change in style shows that she is no longer the same as she was at the beginning of the video as she has gained dominance of her boyfriend.
The male character is also wearing an eye-patch which could have different perceptions of what this could imply. It could be that she has hurt him physically with the champagne bottle she threw at him as self defence before he threw her off the balcony, or she could have hurt him by returning to fame, meaning his power over her has now gone. Or he could be blind to her plan to murder him.
During this scene, the two characters don't look at each other. This shows that there is distance and secrecy between them. By not looking at each other, there is no connection. This contrasts to the start of the video where they had continuous eye-contact.
Gaga then goes to make a drink. The colour of the drink is red with connotes danger, passion and death. It symbolises her anger over what he did and makes the audience think that this will kill him. This is further supported by the fact that she adds a powder from her ring. The use of the ring to store the poison shows her status and power over him as she has control over his life.
As she makes the drink, she stares at the camera, breaking the fourth wall. This includes the audience in her plan as we know what is happening and the male character doesn't. This gives the audience a share of Gaga's power as we have the knowledge of what will happen to him.
At the end of the video, Gaga is shown being taken into a police car, but instead of wanting to hide, she embraces the cameras. This shows her as having all her fame back and she wants the media to see her even though she is now a criminal. This shows the change of opinion that women are innocent.
She then has her photograph taken at the police station. She uses this opportunity to pose, as if she was at a fashion shoot. This shows that she doesn't care how she is seen. The underlying message could be that women should still be glamorous in any situation according to the media.
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