Introduction to Cinema
Anneke Smelik has regarded that cinema can be considered as a cultural practice wherein there are mythologies regarding women and the female gender; as well as men and male gender, which depicted legends concerning sexual differences that have been created, fabricated and epitomized (Smelik, 1998, p. 7). Smelik has identified the sexual differences as major obstacles that have been defied by women’s rights movements. As a result, several female directors have emerged to create a better understanding on how films and movies strengthens the folklores on sexual difference, and how it was magnified by some film theorists who symbolized women as objects.
One of the notable writers was Laura Mulvey who has presented a framework to redefine the framework of cinemas when she wrote the article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative in the Cinema”. It became an avenue for her to express her thoughts, philosophies and ideas, to be able to conform to the evolution in the world of cinema. The work of Mulvey was first published in 1975 and strengthened the groundwork for the debate on feminist film theory that was about to ensue. Her written opinion about feminism has harbored pessimistic attitudes by changing the traditional role of the female gender in the world of cinema. The arguments of Mulvey were well supported on the basis of the principle of psychoanalysis, which she regarded as the political weapon that the patriarchal society has long established over the years. The psychoanalytic theory represented the female as a signifier for the male or is a sign that there is a peril of being castrated. Based on the psychoanalytic theory, every child is considered to possess a specific subconscious level wherein there is a perception that every human being has a penis. This view was supported in the work of Metz (1999, p.812). It is during this stage in the lives of young children that they initially become cognizant that the female gender is not endowed with a penis. This symbolism creates the perception of a mutilation that stabilizes the terror and anxiety that everyone will experience the same fortune (Metz, 1999). Such apprehension has resulted to the renunciation, denial and destruction of the understanding and the false impression that the females have undergone castration.
One of the greatest films that will as a favorite that will fall under the category of the feminist film is entitled “The Color Purple” (Buikema & Smelik, 1995, p.66). This particular film is not focused on the novel’s political questions. The emphasis is placed on the prejudices made against race and gender. Such contrasting viewing experience is an indication that a tension exists, which is a vital characteristic for a feminist film theory since there is a conflict between politics and pleasure. This view has been supported in the work of Buikema & Smelik (1995, p.66). There were two lines lifted from articles of famous writers, Laura Mulvey and Claire Johnson which was the baptism of fire for feminist film criticism. Buikema & Smelik (1995) stated that Mulvey has written that conventional pleasure of patriarchal cinema should be revamped where in women are being used to portray an image of sentimental regret. On the other hand, the article of Johnson stated that the women’s cinema should emerge to effect a radical change from the conventional form by showing collective fantasies of women in entertainment films (Buikema & Smelik, 1995, p.66).
The feminist movement has initiated the creation of films and seeing women in a different perspective. It was during the female film festivals that women’s films were rediscovered as well as the female directors, woman screen writers and actresses. The brilliance of women was revived by taking the sociological approach of equality and showing the real images of women. The female gender has always been stereotyped as the weaker sex, compared to men. During the rebirth of the feminist film festivals, the misconception of women was changed. This became an opportunity to showcase the real lives of ordinary women who encountered daily problems in their lives. One of the famous women created by men‘s fantasies is the character of Marilyn Monroe. Hence, there are several films in the past which showcase women engaged in musical numbers to present the marvel of their performances, wherein they are displayed as showgirls. Although the spectacle of their performance was closely knitted to script, there is no interruption in the flow of the story. Thus, it can be concluded that the women who starred in the past films were represented as erotic objects based on the characters they play onscreen. This view has been supported in the work of Mulvey (1999, p. 838).
The traditional films have displayed women and emphasis made on their specific body parts to further strengthen their portrayal of being iconic objects. This strategy has featured the female actresses based on the different shots and angles of their bodies, rather than present them for their entire personality. The difference between male stars and female stars is that men do not have the ability to present themselves as sex objects in films since such role has been assigned exclusively to women on screen. Mulvey (1999) stated that male heroes on screen portray their roles who exhibit power and domination in based on their characters. The technical strategies in films have strengthened the rationale that male protagonists are given better roles in films than the females who are reserved the role of sex objects. The male characters portrayed in the films show that they take pleasure as they lust over beautiful women who symbolizes sexual objects onscreen. It can be concluded that woman plays the role of an icon that is intended to be gazed at for her beauty to bring delight to male protagonists The image of a woman onscreen is shattered because she is being stripped off dignity and respect for being a mere object of desire for men. The onscreen cinema breaks down the role of the woman under the lens of the camera based on three models: 1.) the recording of the camera; 2.) the perception of the audience while they view the women onscreen; and 3.) the image that is projected based on the roles being played.
Mulvey (1999, p. 843) claims that cinema has continuously used female characters in films t be able to provide for the neurotic desires of the male character. Buikema & Smelik (1995, p.69) stated that the semiotic analysis of the image of the female character in films still does not explain why women are viewed as objects. Mulvey has explained that the sexual difference works to structure narcissism and voyeurism of visual pleasure in classic cinema (Buikema & Smelik, 1995, p.69). Here, the male character holds the look, demeanor and action. The narrative portion of the film, editing and the role portrayed by the male protagonist had produced a voyeuristic pleasure that is exclusively granted for male characters only. Hence, it can be concluded that there is inequality between the male and female characters in traditional films.
In effect, the reawakening of female films has liberated the wrong notion about women, who are being portrayed as false images in front of the civil screen. Due to the emergence of feminist movement, women were given a place in society to showcase their craft and show a reflection of their real lives. Buikema & Smelik (1995, p.66) stated that the connection between reality and film are regarded as permanent. However, the changes brought about by the feminist film showed the real side of women that altered society’s perception of women for being sex objects. This is the time when female directors were given the opportunity to present their talents as a form of liberation from the wrong misconceptions about women.
In the film, “The Color Purple”, it was able to provide the essence of the ordinary lives of women. This film was the first of its kind because the main role was portrayed by a black girl, who was oppressed during the beginning of the film, but later on emerged victorious as the story line developed, through the assistance of other black women who taught her how to become independent. During that time, women films depicted black women as servants, which is a typical female racist film. The character of Celie, as a black woman was characterized as a strong women and represented powerful heroine, for being able to surpass the challenges in her life (Buikema & Smelik, 1995, p.68). This is a breakaway from the sexist clichés that only men should be considered as heroes. The feminist films theory has proven that there is equality of sexes since anything that man can do, the females are capable as well. The feminist film semioticians have made a close scrutiny on how sexual difference in films can produce various meanings. Based on the classical cinema point of view, the signification of the female character is a coded convention or a signifier. The female character who is regarded as a signifier symbolizes its ideological meaning for men. The women are considered as objects in films which produced voyeuristic pleasure, and the narcissistic pleasure is derived by identification of the image of women (Buikema & Smelik, 1995, p.69).
One of the greatest film makers is Sally Potter. She was regarded by Ciecko as one of the forerunners among all female directors to rise in UK for the past two decades (Tasker, 2002, p.272). The more recent film that she directed was entitled “The Man Who Cried”, has presented a strong, timely and contemporary theme that showcases her composite artwork. Tasker (2002) stated that Potter was able to influence other directors, filmmakers and theorists, which have included Laura Mulvey and Claire Johnstone by changing the misconceptions about women, and that female directors are also capable of producing and exhibiting quality films. Potter was able to extend her directorial skills by creating television documentaries and highlighting the British and Russian cultural consciousness shown on screen.
In one of the work of Potter called “The Gold Diggers” was shown in 1983. The plot and production of the film was able to strike a balance between the barter of the value of money and women who became part of the production crew who were given fair salaries. This film has showcased two female lead roles where one played the role of a bank employee and the other female lead role played a “golden” celebrity (McKim, 2006). Potter wanted to show the audience that female heroines can showcase the positive traits of women empowerment and promotion of self-worth. Potter’s work is commendable because she was able to influence other directors, filmmakers and theorists, such as Mulvey and Johnstone to remove the false images of women who have the capacity to create quality films showing female heroines.
In conclusion, it bears stressing that the patriarchal cinema must continuously be developed to reinvent the image of female characters in films, which are usually reserved the roles reminiscent of sentimental regret. Hence, the women’s cinema should emerge to influence a radical change from the conventional form of showing collective fantasies of women in entertainment films (Buikema & Smelik, 1995, p.66). The feminist movement started by Potter has ignited the creation of films by looking at women in a different perspective. The modern day films must continue to support female directors, woman screen writers and actresses to show the brilliance of actresses through the implementation of the sociological approach of equality and to show the real images of women, with dignity and respect, and comparable to male protagonists.
References:
Buikema, R. & Smelik, A., 1995. Women's Studies and Culture: A Feminist Introduction. New
Jersey: Zed Books.
Ciecko, A., 1998. “Transgender, Transgenre and the Transnational: Sally Potter’s Orlando”,
Velvet Light Trap, 41. pp. 19-34.
Chaudhuri, S., 2006. Feminist Film Theorists: Laura Mulvey, Kaja Silverman, Teresa de Lauretis and Barbara Creed. New York: Routledge.
Fowler, C., 2009. Sally Potter. Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
Gerstner, D.A., 2006. Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture. New York:
Routledge.
Lapsley, R. & Westlake, M., 2006. Film Theory: An Introduction. 2nd ed. New York:
Manchester University Press.
Metz, C., 1999. The Imaginary Signifier, Film Theory and Criticism. 5th ed., Braudy and
Cohen, eds. New York: Oxford Press.
McKim, K., 2006. “Sally Potter”. Sense of Cinema. [online]. Available at:
Nestingen, A. K. & Elkington, T.G., 2005. Transnational Cinema In A Global North: Nordic
Cinema In Transition. Michigan: Wayne State University Press.
Newman, B., 2004. Subjects on display: psychoanalysis, social expectation, and Victorian
femininity. Ohio: Ohio University Press.
Smelik, A, M., 1998. And the Mirror Cracked: Feminist Cinema and Film Theory. New York:
St. Martin’s.
Stacey, J., 1994. Star Gazing and Female Spectatorship. London: Routledge.
Tasker, Y., 2002. Fifty contemporary filmmakers. New York: Routledge.
Tasker, Y., 2010. Fifty contemporary Film Directors. New York: Routledge.
