Now that the music video for Taylor Swift's "Safe and Sound" (featuring The Civil Wars) is finally here -- moment to squeal, anyone? -- it's high time to start picking it apart for all its "The Hunger Games" references, subtle or otherwise.
As expected, there are quite a few to be found.
The video starts in a house that looks an awful lot like the Everdeen home in District 12's Seam. It's broken and old and very modest, just like Katniss' place. Oh, and there’s a fire going in the hearth -- a very fitting little tribute to welcome "the girl who was on fire," yes?
Taylor Swift's simple dress in the "Safe and Sound" video makes her look all ready for the Reaping, too, and as she traipses around the barren woods until she comes upon game, she looks as though she's trying to escape the hopelessness of the place. Those familiar with the woes of Panem might find the scene familiar. Eventually, the forest begins to go up in flames. So much for happy endings.
Some of the other winks to "The Hunger Games" were a bit more obvious. In one instance, she finds a Mockingjay pin lying on a dresser in the ghost of a house, while in another she passes by a bunch of berries and clasps a bundle of flowers that look like wilted rue. That last bit bodes well for some of those theories about where this song belongs in the movie.
Did you notice any other bits of homage to "The Hunger Games" in Taylor Swift's "Safe and Sound" music video? Watch it again (or for the very first time) and share your observations in the comments below!
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