Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Cover work 12/11/08- Analysis of film clip
The dark atmosphere of the scene, reflects the party and club like atmosphere, therefore epitomizing the idea of youth which contrasts with the age of both Alison and her sister. Furthermore, the fact that there is a combining shot of both the security guard and Alisons sister allows us to witness the bouncers strength and muscularity in comparison to Alison's sister's petite figure and weakness. However, this is contradicted as her personality and strong character when she uses derogatory language to lower his esteem represents him as inferior in comparison to her female dominance and thus challenges stereotypes. This establishes the binary oppositions of power and dominance, respect and disrespect and the youth and the elderly. It can also be perceived that this point in the film is somewhat the realization of disruption in Todorov's equilibrium theory as Alison becomes aware of the consequences having a baby could bring.
Moreover, the fact that Alison is situated in the middle of this argument suggests that she is the cause of all this mayhem, the argument being an epitome of the chaos to subsequently transpire during her pregnancy. The fact that only diegetic sound of dialogue and club music is used allows the scene to appear more realistic due to the seriousness of issues despite the scenes comedic conventions. In turn ideologies such as matriarchy, youth, patriarchy and sexuality are all addressed and adhere to contemporary issues regarding the idea that women are still objectified in society as the bouncer only lets in the younger prettier girls which suggests that appearance is still exceedingly significant in obtaining benefits. However, Alison's sister's character can also be perceived as a symbol of female power and women fighting back, hence stereotypes within this scene are constantly fluctuated and her emotion and anger (illustrated by several close ups) reflect her passion regarding the issue and thus challenges the traditional role of women who should be acceptant of patriarchal society. Nevertheless, it can also be argued that her character is depicted extremely negatively die to her high tone of voice and derogatory language adhering to the stereotype of the "whiny", "argumentative" stereotype of married women. Her dominance is also put into question with the scene in the hospital with Ben which also embodies this stereotype.
Monday, 3 November 2008
Possible Books to look at
- 1.
Feminism and Film » Read Nowby Maggie Humm. 246 pgs.
Collections: Entire LibraryThe first study to apply a broad range of theory to contemporary film. With dazzling insight and critical aplomb, Maggie Humm highlights and explains feminist issues and offers a fascinating array of original film analyses. She draws on the work of Laura Mulvey, Annette Kuhn, E. Ann Kaplan and bell...The first study to apply a broad range of theory to contemporary film. With dazzling insight and critical aplomb, Maggie Humm highlights and explains feminist issues and offers a fascinating array of original film analyses. She draws on the work of Laura Mulvey, Annette Kuhn, E. Ann Kaplan and bell hooks to examine films such as Klute, Dead Ringers, A Question of Silence, Orlando and Daughters of the Dust. - 2.
Women and Film, Vol. 4 » Read Nowby Janet Todd. 281 pgs.
Collections: Entire Library...Mulveys now-classic essay on feminist film criticism, "Visual Pleasure and the...narrower, prewar sense. Modern feminist film criticism changes our way of looking...An... - 3.
The Woman at the Keyhole: Feminism and Women's Cinema » Read Nowby Judith Mayne. 260 pgs.
Collections: Entire Library...desire. While feminist film theory and criticism are obviously...has been, in feminist film theory and criticism, both extremely...repressed of classical film narrative... - 4.
Cracks in the Pedestal: Ideology and Gender in Hollywood » Read Nowby Philip Green. 262 pgs.
Collections: Entire Library...pictures. 4. Feminist film criticism. I. Title...Teaching of Film, and by many...friendly criticism. About all...responded to the feminist revolution...structured by the... - 5.
All That Hollywood Allows: Re-Reading Gender in 1950s Melodrama » Read Nowby Jackie Byars. 326 pgs.
Collections: Entire Library...Melodrama in motion pictures. 4. Feminist film criticism. 5. Motion pictures--Social...the assumption common in feminist film criticism today: all that is... - 6.
Guilty Pleasures: Feminist Camp from Mae West to Madonna » Read Nowby Pamela Robertson. 199 pgs.
Collections: Entire Library...spectator has been central to feminist film theory since the 1970 s. 37...famous "Visual Pleasure" essay. Feminist film theorists have grappled with...spectacle in film... - 7.
Feminist Discourse and Spanish Cinema: Sight Unseen » Read Nowby Susan Martin-Marquez. 322 pgs.
Collections: Entire LibraryFeminist Discourse and Spanish Cinema provides the first detailed consideration of women directors working before the Civil War and during Franco's dictatorship, and is the first to explore the impact of feminism on filmmaking in Spain. Part I focuses on three directors, Rosario Pi, Ana Mariscal...Feminist Discourse and Spanish Cinema provides the first detailed consideration of women directors working before the Civil War and during Franco's dictatorship, and is the first to explore the impact of feminism on filmmaking in Spain. Part I focuses on three directors, Rosario Pi, Ana Mariscal, and Pilar Miro, whose careers span the history of sound cinema in Spain. The book highlights their struggle to achieve agency within the male-dominated film industry and draws on extensive archival research as well as in-depth textual analysis to reveal their negotiation with questions of authorship, female subjectivity and national cinema. Part II explores six films by women and men directors--three each from the Francoist and post-Franco periods--that foreground a number of issues of fundamental importance to feminism, from the indoctrination and "performance" of gender, to the fraught effort to reconcile power with sexual pleasure. The Afterword treats the remarkable recent boom in women directors and traces the shift in their work towards the exploration of multiple forms of difference. - 8.
Women and the New German Cinema » Read Nowby Julia Knight. 222 pgs.
Collections: Entire Library...SPECTATORS Looking at Film and Televison...Radway GRAFTS Feminist Cultural Criticism edited by...to a whole feminist film culture and...extracts from the feminist film... - 9.
Filming Women in the Third Reich » Read Nowby Jo Fox. 268 pgs.
Collections: Entire LibraryIn 1936, Goebbels stated that 'a government that controls art will remain forever', and the German film industry became inextricably linked with National Socialist propaganda. This book is an historical evaluation of the role and image of women in the feature films of the Third Reich. The author...In 1936, Goebbels stated that 'a government that controls art will remain forever', and the German film industry became inextricably linked with National Socialist propaganda. This book is an historical evaluation of the role and image of women in the feature films of the Third Reich. The author challenges current perceptions of the National Socialist position with regards to women and examines the creation of a female film culture, as well as the 'blurring' of gender distinctions as a result of the war.Goebbels and his wife personally selected young movie actresses at their home to portray mothers, vamps, girls-next-door and exotic love interests. His interest in film opens up an array of important issues central to this book: Were women compliant with Nazism or were they the victims of a regime imposing policies ultimately detrimental to their condition? Is it true that the war helped to emancipate women who were not only romantic and patriotic heroines on screen but employed as drivers, technicians and even managers of government affiliated film departments? Did all films produced under the auspices of the Third Reich serve as propaganda and if so, how successful were they? And finally, what can the study of cinema contribute to the historical debate surrounding National Socialism?This book fills a considerable gap in the research of the Nazi star system and makes a crucial contribution not only to cinema history, but also to our view of the perceived role of women in the Third Reich.'This book will change the way that we look at Nazi Germany.'Richard Taylor, University of Swansea - 10.
Feminism, Film, Fascism: Women's Auto/Biographical Film in Postwar Germany » Read Nowby Susan E. Linville. 196 pgs.
Collections: Entire LibraryGerman society' inability and/or refusal to come to terms with its Nazi past has been analyzed in many cultural works, including the well-known books Society without the Father and The Inability to Mourn . In this pathfinding study, Susan Linville challenges the accepted wisdom of these books by...German society' inability and/or refusal to come to terms with its Nazi past has been analyzed in many cultural works, including the well-known books Society without the Father and The Inability to Mourn . In this pathfinding study, Susan Linville challenges the accepted wisdom of these books by focusing on a cultural realm in which mourning for the Nazi past and opposing the patriarchal and authoritarian nature of postwar German culture are central concerns—namely, women' feminist auto/biographical films of the 1970s and 1980s. After a broad survey of feminist theory, Linville analyzes five important films that reflect back on the Third Reich through the experiences of women of different ages—Marianne Rosenbaum' Peppermint Peace , Helma Sanders-Brahms' Germany, Pale Mother , Jutta Bruuml;ckner' Hunger Years , Margarethe von Trotta' Marianne and Juliane , and Jeanine Meerapfel' Malou . By juxtaposing these films with the accepted theories on German culture, Linville offers a fresh appraisal not only of the films' importance but especially of their challenge to misogynist interpretations of the German failure to grieve for the horrors of its Nazi past. - 11.
Framing the Feminine: Diasporic Readings of Gender in Popular Indian Cinema, in Women's Studies in Communication » Read Nowby Anjali Ram. 28 pgs.
Collections: Entire Library...Quarterly Review of Film and Video, 11(3...Defining genealogies: Feminist reflections on being...exile, homeland: Film, media, and the politics...Phenomenology as feminist... - 12.
Here Comes the Bride: Wedding Gender and Race in Bride of Frankenstein, in Feminist Studies » Read Nowby Elizabeth Young. 35 pgs.
Collections: Entire Library...directions in feminist film theory. Recent feminist criticism of the horror film...Frankenstein leave feminist film theory? That film criticisms reliance upon... - 13.
Travels with Sally Potter's Orlando: Gender, Narrative, Movement, in Screen » Read Nowby Julianne Pidduck. 18 pgs.
Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library...part of the project of feminist film criticism and filmmaking has been the...impetus of Orlandos utopian feminist journey...Television. Essays in Cultural Criticism... - 14.
Feminist Visions of Transformation in The Ballad of Little Jo, The Piano, and Orlando, in Women and Language » Read Nowby David Natharius, Bethami A. Dobkin. 9 pgs.
Collections: Entire Library...7) Less often, feminist criticism explores how womens...particularly in film, where portrayals...Films," Issues in Feminist Film criticism, ed Patricia Ehrens...Women,"... - 15.
Duel or Duet? Gendered Nationalism in The Piano, in Film Criticism » Read Nowby Davinia Thornley. 16 pgs.
Collections: Entire Library...regarding colonial and feminist themes in the film. As I will detail, I refute...policy. This in turn limits feminist interpretations of the film in articles and...
http://www.questia.com/library/sociology-and-anthropology/feminist-film-criticism.jsp
Women in Film
Ever since the 1960s, the women’s movement has been concerned with media portrayal of women. Major studies of the most pervasive medium, television, and particularly its commercials revealed the same subordination of women we saw in film. In commercials, most voice-overs were done by men and overall, men were featured more often than women. The women who were featured were limited to family roles. Women were shown doing housework and men were the beneficiaries of their work. On the other hand, men were employed, had careers, and were doing something outside the home. More significantly, even though the age of the female population is bit higher than the male, commercials featured a disproportionate number of young women as opposed to men. “In commercials during children’s programming, women and girls were seen less than men and boys,” (Butler, 93). In television programs, such as soap operas, quiz shows, prime-time dramatic shows, and public-affairs programs, we saw similar trends as well. Once again, “men are more often employed than women and have higher status jobs. Also, the woman’s marital status is known more often,” (Butler, 93-94). She is marked by her relationship with men.
Some new discourse has been generated to the negative media portrayals of women as well. Let’s take the film noir genre for example. “These were thrillers made in the 40s and 50s, usually shot in dramatic black and white, with sensual stars who would use their attractiveness to manipulate luckless men,” (Root, 17). Film noirs such as “Double Indemnity” and “Sunset Boulevard” are such examples where the characters of Barbara Stanwyck and Gloria Swanson trap men into their evil ploys. “The women usually die too, however, punished for their relentless attempt to satisfy their own desires and the threat that they represent to the stable world of marriage, family and female submissiveness,” (Root, 18). However, of late, feminists have begun to have a new view of film noirs, suggesting that these films show women who are outside their standard role of femininity. Although they use their sexuality, they derive power from it and use their intellect to get what they want. They represent strong, active women and these virtues override the male-centered moral it is to enforce upon the audience. Another alternate approach to this is understanding some of the dynamics of the rock video, which embodies the opposite of the male gaze. Rather than omitting the possibility of voyeurism for the female audience, it almost works as a gender blind construct. “The rock star body, and in alliance with videos, is always coded to be looked at whether male or female,” (Brown, 105). For one thing, rock videos contain “performance, a direct address, which produces a different kind of gaze than those that pertain in film, and fantasy, in relation to dominant cultural definitions of pleasure and desire,” (Brown, 10). Although some videos highly objectify women, these are examples of studying oppression to draw new conclusions and findings.
http://www.geocities.com/albanystudent/wif.html
Feminism and the Women's Film Movement
Throughout the 1960s the significance of the media was emphasised more strongly than any other period in history. The world of film was no exception, and thus emerged as a major concentration for the second wave of feminism. As with other systems and processes, feminists recognised a subordination and oppression in the predominately patriarchal film world. The late 1960s and early 1970s therefore witnessed an influx of feminist film production and circulation. In combating the problems of ‘classic’ cinema, feminists established both a new kind of film, the ‘counter cinema’, which in conjunction with feminist film theory produced the wider feminist film movement. The role of feminist film groups and film festivals popularised these productions, and established feminist cinema as both a recognisable and political force.
Women were increasingly aware of the importance of film in both their political and social struggle. There is consequently a necessity to determine the offensiveness of ‘classic’ cinema. Throughout the 1950s film reflected a world in which women lived in the masculine shadow. Hollywood cinema reinforced what was considered to be the only acceptable image of women. Marriage was an overriding concern, for example How To Marry A Millionaire (1953), and films such as Annie Get Your Gun (1950) and Calamity Jane (1953) emphasising the necessity of femininity and a tamed independence in order to ‘get’ a man. Female identity was dictated by male film directors, and women were little more than a spectacle and object of sexual desire. Female presence was only necessary as a means of reflecting the sexual hierarchy. As S. Smith notes “From its beginning they [women] were present but not in characterisations any self-respecting person could identify with”[1]. Thus women were increasingly self-conscious of both their image and femininity. The standardisation of the desirable female as result of the Sex Goddess, namely Marilyn Monroe, determined women as a group “particularly susceptible to the media”[2]. |
With the power and potential of film having been recognised, it is of little surprise that feminist enterprise ventured into this field. Women’s struggle against the current system of representation took a threefold form. Women either entered the existing system with ambitions of breaking it, proceeded to make films outside of the commercial system, and women developed a feminist film theory - the overlap and interrelatedness of all three measures being obvious. Their challenge was to the traditional representation of women in cinema, and the aim was the displacement of patriarchal dominance in the cinematic world. Women such as Kate Millett, author of Sexual Politics (1970) criticised the power relationships and traditional sex roles inherent in film, and called for a more positive representation of women and attention to women’s issues. Here was an obvious way to extend women’s conjoined interest in art and politics, acting as particularly visual communicators of feminist thought. |
Consequently, it would perhaps prove interesting to briefly assess the role of the Sex Goddess actress, attempting to understand her hindering, or perhaps contribution, to feminism and women’s film. Veronica-Jane Birley considers the life of Marilyn Monroe, questioning “What did she do for the insecurity of Mrs Ordinary Housewife?”[3]. From both contemporary and recent feminist writings, Monroe is something of a contradiction. On screen she exemplifies all that feminism protests. In her earliest films she was nothing more than a spectacle, frequently having no biography or even no name, being taken advantage of and humiliated, for example in Some Like It Hot (1959). She was nothing more than a gender, the object of sexual gaze and consequently the household word for sex. Similarly her continued appearances in Playboy since 1953 further exemplified the contemporary feminists opinion of her as the ultimate victim. Women are not, however, capable of detaching themselves from her. Monroe made people, if only fractionally, believe in themselves. She was a self made - though with male direction and discretion - Cinderella proving the extent of possibilities for any and every woman. Fundamentally she was just a woman, and it was with this that feminists empathised. “She paid a higher and higher price for being Marilyn”[4], it was Norma Jeane Mortenson and her troublesome private life that feminists identified with admired. Her death was a feminine, not a cinematic, tragedy. |
Feminist filmmakers were not attempting to deny the past glories of such Hollywood stars. Theirs was a new orientation. Feminism became a movement of liberation rather than reform, a movement of breaking away and creating the new. The media was a resourceful tool for consciousness-raising, and feminism was now preparing to utilise this to the full. Similarly, film was a forum for bringing female issues to the forefront. Feminist films strongly and seriously approached matters of women’s social and economic status, gender characterisation and the struggle of juggling both family and career roles. Matters of abortion, divorce and marriage were simultaneously considered from a specifically feminist point of view. The sheer anger and determination may be gauged merely from the titles of various women’s films that merged, for example Taking Our Bodies Back (1974) and Becoming Tough Enough (1975). Feminist film thus reflects the developments of feminist ideology. From 1973 onwards the most important women’s films assumed a biographical or autobiographical stance. This followed the notion ‘the personal is political’ and emphasised the areas where the personal and the political intersect. Films such as J. Chopra’s Joyce at 34 (1972) and A. Rothschild’s Nana, Mom and Me (1974) served to present women as self-sufficient, competent, and assertive. The feminist image of strong, capable and independent women was reflected in the portrayal of on screen heroines. The early 1970s therefore saw a massive increase in the production of feminist films, and by 1976 it is estimated that there were well over 200 feminist filmmakers[5], due in part to the increased teaching of film and filmmaking skills in colleges and universities. The birth of feminist filmmaking was not, however, restricted to - though it may be dominated by - America. European feminists made equal, and at times anticipatory, contributions to the women’s film movement. Britain’s filmmakers produced Darling, Georgy Girl, and A Woman’s Place between 1965-9 and similarly Swedish filmmaker Mai Zetterling had great success with The Girls (1969), all being films that served to raise consciousness amongst their audience. |
Whilst independent women filmmakers were at work, perhaps the most outstanding contribution came from the specifically feminist production and distribution groups that were established. Finding little support from commercial companies, patronised and insulted by men of the business, the establishment of specifically feminist production and distribution companies was in every sense beneficial to the women’s film movement. Women In Media and the Women’s Film Project, together with the newly established film co operations, for example New Day Films and the Women’s Film Coop, allowed specifically feminist films to be produced both efficiently and professionally, whilst having the added advantage of interpersonal dynamics. Group activity and collaboration generated discussion and new political ideas, emphasising the notion of struggle within the movement. For artists of any medium, production is not nearly as trying as successful promotion and popularity. Without the efforts and published guidebooks of the distribution groups, feminist film would have reached only a marginal success of that it actually achieved. |
In accommodating the massive upsurge in women’s film production came the birth of the feminist film festival. Hugely overshadowed by commercial Hollywood cinema, these occasions were invaluable to women’s film, as B. Ruby Rich comments, “They were the only chance, like those signs for gas before crossing the desert - in this case, emerging from a century long desert”[6]. Held in New York in June 1972, the first International Festival of Women’s Film may be termed as the ‘debut’ of the feminist film movement. Here was the most visible form of publicity available. For not only feminist films but the entire movement was brought into the spotlight, the efforts of communicating information were matched by the emphasis on solidarity amongst all present. Over 100 films from America, Canada and Europe were screened, and occasions for panel discussion were utilised. Between the first and second International Festival, 1976, it is estimated that between 40 and 50 further festivals took place in America alone[7]. However, the festival was by no means a strictly American phenomenon. Organisation of feminist screenings by Laura Mulvey at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 1972, and the 1974 International Women’s Film Seminar in Berlin created further opportunities for consciousness-raising and the possibility for filmmakers to meet and discuss. The instant success of the festivals made for their immediate trend throughout the feminist world. They were something of a mission, and their participants possessed a missionary zeal. These were not simply recreational pastimes, but rather the events of a political calendar. Every step in the planning and completion of a festival was a political step. The event provided a historical perspective to the issues raised within feminist film, and opened up the occasion for the serious study of this area of cinema that was previously ignored. Evidence of this comes in the 1973 critical publications of women in film by M. Haskell, M. Rosen, and J. Mellen. The most valid criticism of the festivals comes, however, in the observation that the nature of one-off showings was unlikely to produce substantial bodies of support for either female directors or individual films. True this may be, however the value of the festivals as an outreach effort can not be replaced nor easily substituted. The fact remains that the festivals and the films that they screened were both popular and influential. |
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/Depts/History/Sixties/Feminism/film.htm
Media Keywords
archetype- an often repeated character type or representation which is instantly recognisable to an audience- representation of women- Alison (sex object, career woman, emotional and caring)
feminism- political movement to advance the status of women by challenging values, social constructions and socioeconomic practices which disadvantage women and favour men
- liberation of culture 1960s
Levi- Strauss, Claude (1908-90)-Established theory of binary oppositions- this is relevant to my study as there are several binary oppositions throughout the film, such as men vs women....stupidity vs intelligence etc.
Male Gaze- term used by Laura Mulvey in her essay "Visual Pleasures and Narrative Cinema" (1975) to describe what she saw as the male point of view adopted by the camera for the benefit of an assumed male audience. - this will relate to my study as it is affiliated with the representation of women and how people like "Ben" view Alison.
Marxist Feminism- a feminist perspective which sees capitalism as the principle source of gender inequalities
- In a capitalist class hierarchy, women are seen as being subordinate to men and serving the male workforce in terms of low paid, low status employment and unpaid domestic labour and child rearing.
- The media and culture industries serve the interests of capitalism by reinforcing traditional gender roles and supporting the statusquo created by the dominant ideology.
Mulvey, Laura (1941-)- feminist academic and media and film critic, responsible for developing theories of the male gaze in her 1975 essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"- Theorist for my study
narrative theory - a type of thinking that seeks to explain narrative structures and their relationship to wider cultural and genre related factors..
- Narative theorists seek to deconstruct narratives in order to identify their common characteristics and component elements, e.g. Todorov, Levi- Strauss, Barthes, Propp.
new man- a term used to describe a new type of masculinity identified and developed by advertising media in the 1980's in line with lifestyle marketing strategies.
- The new man was said to be sensitive and caring, happy to share household responsibilities and in touch with his emotions.....
- Advertising campaigns showed men in domestic and childcare roles, alongside career women in dominant roles.
romantic comedy- a film genre developed in 1930's Hollywood where the the two main protagonists are a man and a woman who seem to be at odds with each other but end up romantically involved. - this is the predominant genre of "Knocked Up"
Sunday, 2 November 2008
Self Evaluation
Attainment- 2
I feel that i have achieved alot in media this year with regards to my blog work and completeing tasks set my teachers
Effort- 3
I think i could be putting alot more effort into my independent research and completing tasks quickly and efficiently...however i feel that i have put more effort in making contributions in class which will also help me in my independent study.
Punctuality- 4
my punctuality isn't fantastic, there have been times i have been late to lessons :|
Submission and quality of homework- 2
I have mostly submitted my homework in on time, except for a few instances. The quality of my homework has predominantly been quite detailed and well thought out.
Ability to work independently-3
Despite doing alot of my own independent research, i feel that i have not done enough and therefore besides blog work set for homework i should conduct more research which is relevant to my study without teacher's guidance.
Quality of writing-1
i think my style of writing is clear and coherent and i use a wide range of volcabulary.
Organisation of Media folder- 1
my media folder is well organised, as it is placed in chronological order with dividers for different topics :)
Oral contributions in class- 2
i feel that i do contribute and share my ideas in class when asked questions and through class discussions.
Standard of Module 5 blog- 2
detailed research relevant to my study
Standard of Module 6 blog- 4
not much work on blog
WWW-
1) CONTRIBUTION IN CLASS
2) DETAILED MED 5 BLOG
3) GOOD PRESENTATION
EBI-
1) DON'T LEAVE WORK TILL LAST MINUTE
2) DO MORE INDEPENDENT RESEARCH
3) BE MORE PUNCTUAL
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Action Plan Timetable
26th October- Research more theorists (Marxism, Mulvey, Ann Oakley etc.)-this will help with my synoptic ability and wider context as their theories also affiliate with SHEP. Also research womens lib, female suffrage and WW1.
28th October- Do more independent research on blog- this will help with a05 and also critical autonomy as it shows i am thinking for myself and doing my own research which complies with my study.
30th October- Analyse a historical text (Gone with the Wind?, Brief Encounter?)- This will allow me to cover aspects of AO1 as i will be conducting an analysis of key concepts, this will also adhere to factors of A02 as a historical text will permit me to understand how women were represented differently years before and link to theorists and historical movements, hence illustrating knowledge of SHEP.
31st October- Look at more books-this will help with A05 and show that i have obtained a wide range of different research from different sources, increasing my investigations accuracy and reliability.
1st November- Watch the film again!!!....reseaarch more into genre, institution and audience to help with A01 key concepts.
2nd November- Relate all your research to the investigation and keep a log on the blog- this will help with AO5