Link to Trailer:
Link to Danny Boyle on India:
Link to Some say its poverty porn - but not many: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/24/oscars-india-slumdog-millionaire-ian-jack
Link to so what do British Asians think of Slumdog Millionaire?:http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/jan/18/slumdog-millionaire-british-asian-reaction
The film is a fair representation of India, I have seen the film, and it in a way shows the truth about India. The way it is shown to be corrupt, can be seen to be true. It also shows the poverty stricken cities (slums) which are hardly shown through the media; it shows how hard life really is for poor people, people from other religious backgrounds etc...It shows how people exploit homeless children for their own advantages- to gain wealth. They are seen to be uncivilized and barbaric.
Since the film was adapted from a novel by Vikas Swarup's [Q&A] it can suggest Boyle may have exaggerated to make the film more entertaining. The film represents India in many ways, through various storylines and techniques.
The first representation which is noticed by the audience is that the country is corrupt, because of what the characters do in the film. There is a gang of ‘villains’ that do bad things to the small innocent children, for instance a scene is shown where the main villain makes a young boy unconscious and puts hot wax in his eyes to make him blind, and makes him beg for money which goes to him. Boyle depicts Indian people here as cruel and untrustworthy.
”His "poverty porn" is damaging the image of a country on the brink of becoming a superpower.
“”
Jaspreet Pandohar, 35, a freelance writer, says she feels the film portrayed the city and its people in a truthful, dignified manner.”India's commercial capital may be booming but there's a dark underbelly of crime, deprivation and poverty that is often ignored or misrepresented by Indian cinema and the government."”
Indians are shown to be clever, through the main character Jamal.
It also shows the country in a positive way, through the beautiful scenery, e.g. the Taj Mahal, HOWEVER this is contrasted with the shots of the slums.
The film does conform to the stereotype of the “The Other” as it shows Indians to be Barbaric through what they do, which is seen to be cruel.
Tuesday 27 January 2009
Thursday 22 January 2009
First paragraph re-write
“You think of women as disposable pleasures, rather than meaningful pursuits” [1]
Has the representation of females changed in the action adventure genre?
With reference to Casino Royale (2006)
The number of females in the action adventure genre has changed considerably since the 1970s, when “only 15 per cent of the leading characters were women” [2] The portrayal of these women has also changed from being “symbolically annihilated”[3] to a significant character in the genre. The 2006 action adventure film, Casino Royale, the twenty first film in the James Bond series, depicts the female characters differently. “For decades the Bond girls who accompany 007 on his missions have been dismissed as sexist eye candy and lampooned for their suggestive names”.[4] However, the female protagonist, Vesper Lynd, is an accountant for the national treasury; therefore her status is higher than Bond’s. In addition, Lynd is a typical ‘femme fatale’ her character is both, strong and intelligent, who knows how to use her feminine qualities to her advantage. This is similar to the 1949 film, White Heat, Verna Jarret who is played by Virginia Mayo, uses her appearance to serve her purpose.
[1] Casino Royale (2006)
[2] Gauntlett, David (2002) Page 43
[3] Tuchman, G
[4] http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Has the representation of females changed in the action adventure genre?
With reference to Casino Royale (2006)
The number of females in the action adventure genre has changed considerably since the 1970s, when “only 15 per cent of the leading characters were women” [2] The portrayal of these women has also changed from being “symbolically annihilated”[3] to a significant character in the genre. The 2006 action adventure film, Casino Royale, the twenty first film in the James Bond series, depicts the female characters differently. “For decades the Bond girls who accompany 007 on his missions have been dismissed as sexist eye candy and lampooned for their suggestive names”.[4] However, the female protagonist, Vesper Lynd, is an accountant for the national treasury; therefore her status is higher than Bond’s. In addition, Lynd is a typical ‘femme fatale’ her character is both, strong and intelligent, who knows how to use her feminine qualities to her advantage. This is similar to the 1949 film, White Heat, Verna Jarret who is played by Virginia Mayo, uses her appearance to serve her purpose.
[1] Casino Royale (2006)
[2] Gauntlett, David (2002) Page 43
[3] Tuchman, G
[4] http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Self Evaluation
Attainment
1-
Effort
1- I always put 100% effort in everything I do, in class and for h/w
Punctuality
2- I am usually on time for lesson, but I have been late a few times
Submission and quality of homework
1- My h/w is always posted up on the blog on time
Ability to work independently
I can work independently, for example on the coursework
Quality of writing
2- My quality of writing can be improved a bit more, because I make mistakes sometimes, like phrasing sentences.
Organisation of Media folder
1- My media folder is well organised into sections- I have my med 6 in one folder, and another for med 5 and another for representations of women and Asians in another
Oral contributions in class
2- I do usually contribute in lessons, but only when I’m in the mood, so I could do it more often
Standard of Module 5 blog
1-All my work is on the blog, with good headings, so it’s easy to understand
Standard of Module 6 blog
2-3-I haven’t done much work on this blog, nevertheless all the blog work set has always been posted up.
WWW:
My work is always to the best of my ability
I always complete it on time
I have good understanding of med 5 work
EBI:
I need to improve on my med 6 work- I don’t understand some of the topics
I need to do extra reading outside of class, to help me understand more
I need to make sure I meet the coursework deadlines
1-
Effort
1- I always put 100% effort in everything I do, in class and for h/w
Punctuality
2- I am usually on time for lesson, but I have been late a few times
Submission and quality of homework
1- My h/w is always posted up on the blog on time
Ability to work independently
I can work independently, for example on the coursework
Quality of writing
2- My quality of writing can be improved a bit more, because I make mistakes sometimes, like phrasing sentences.
Organisation of Media folder
1- My media folder is well organised into sections- I have my med 6 in one folder, and another for med 5 and another for representations of women and Asians in another
Oral contributions in class
2- I do usually contribute in lessons, but only when I’m in the mood, so I could do it more often
Standard of Module 5 blog
1-All my work is on the blog, with good headings, so it’s easy to understand
Standard of Module 6 blog
2-3-I haven’t done much work on this blog, nevertheless all the blog work set has always been posted up.
WWW:
My work is always to the best of my ability
I always complete it on time
I have good understanding of med 5 work
EBI:
I need to improve on my med 6 work- I don’t understand some of the topics
I need to do extra reading outside of class, to help me understand more
I need to make sure I meet the coursework deadlines
Wednesday 7 January 2009
Need to rephrase
The Great Train Robbery (1903)- historical film
With the rise of the self-sufficient woman, the male-defying woman, the single mother, the working class female and the female bosses in society there has been a rise of women in film who are meet these same characteristics.
Society has also affected the representation of females; with a rise of independent women, single mothers, working class female and female bosses, the characters in recent films now meet these same characteristics.
The successful female action films up until recently have featured what were essentially women playing men. Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in the first two Alien films, Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Brigette Nielsen in Red Sonya were women who shared similar characteristics: strong, muscular, hard-edged and essentially masculine characters who wield large guns and swords as though they are substitute phalluses. They are not overtly sexual beings but instead are women who can step into roles that could easily be occupied by men.
Women in action films, are considered to be playing men, because of their similar characteristics.
Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in the first two Alien films and Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, are strong, muscular and have no emotions. They also carry similar weapons, guns and swords, however this can suggest Freud's theory, that women are in need of anything shaped like a phallus.
The journey from Sigourney Weaver's desexualized Ripley in Alien to Angelina Jolie's sexually charged Lara Croft in Tomb Raider has marked something of a sea change in popular conceptions of gender.
Ripley is desexualized, and Lara Croft is sxually charged.
Many of these heroines are based in stereotypical roles such as the dominatrix, which has long been a transgressive female identity—she both sexually dominates men and exists to satisfy them. Similarly, the female action hero transgresses gender boundaries by occupying traditionally masculine spaces—that of the battlefield, particularly—yet maintains an appearance of hyper-femininity to draw in male viewers and underscore her identity as female.
This marks a change from the 1990s, when female action heroes were either stripped of their feminine sexuality in order to masculinize them enough to carry a weapon, or hyper-sexualized to drive home their masculinity.
For example, the character of Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), was buff to the extreme, but focused only on the safety of her child. In G.I. Jane (1997), Demi Moore's character stripped down to the physical basics until she was nearly indistinguishable, physically, from a man—except for a lack of sexual desire. In The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), Geena Davis' character transformed from stereotypically feminine to stereotypically masculine, complete with a macho sex drive.
“As the spectator identifies with the main male protagonist, he projects his look onto that of his like, his screen surrogate, so that the power of the male protagonist as he controls events coincides with the active power of the erotic look…” (Mulvey 20) Laura Mulvey’s article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema
While Scorpio is looked at fetishistically, the gaze upon Bond is more conservative and it is not usually as conspicuous from a female character. We notice the passivity of a female noticing Bond, whereas fetishistic scopophilia is overt and active. In Goldfinger, the audience never takes on the gaze or the POV of a female spectator. We notice that characters such as Pussy Galore and Miss Moneypenny are attracted to Bond, but different conventions are used to articulate this sense of attraction. For instance, the change of intonation in both the voices of Galore and Moneypenny signify an interest in Bond while Bond’s active gaze is the signifier of his female interest. Sociologically speaking, the reason for the subdued female gaze could be a result of prominent ideologies present in the early 1960s. Since the male figure was the dominant of the two sexes, his gaze will be active over the passive one of the female.
Films from the James Bond series, such as Goldfinger, involves the audience, however never taking the point of view of the female spectator. We notice that characters such as Pussy Galore and Miss Moneypenny are attracted to Bond, but different conventions are used to articulate this sense of attraction. For instance, the change of intonation in both the voices of Galore and Moneypenny signify an interest in Bond while Bond’s active gaze is the signifier of his female interest.
Although the female gaze is present in Goldfinger, there is also a gaze casted upon Bond from the male spectator. This is not necessarily a homosexual gaze, nor a heterosexual gaze. It is a gaze that could potentially meet both standards in the sense that both homosexual and heterosexual audiences can identify with the Bond character. For instance, males will tend to idolize Bond because of his smooth McIveresque nature, whereas females will find sexual appeal in Bond. When Bond is tied to the table with the threat of laser castration, the focus is on Bond’s groin area. As we can see, according to Mulvey, Freud’s analysis of the threat of castration is a literal obstacle that Bond must overcome. Although perhaps not consciously intended to be a homosexualized focal point, a gay audience who reads into the Bond films could interpret this scene from a fetishistic standpoint. As with the lingering crotch shot in Scorpio Rising, the Bond crotch shot has the potential to appeal to both a female and gay audience, sexualizing the Bond character.
In a study of the films from the 1930s to 1970s, historians have categorized four dominant types of roles that women played. The first one is the “Pillar of Virtue” types played by Doris Day or Julie Andrews. This category also features mothers and mammies such as Hattie McDaniel’s character in “Gone with the Wind.”The “Glamour Girl” range from sex goddesses such as Marilyn Monroe in “Bus Stop” to femme fatales such as Marlene Dietrich in “Blonde Venus.”The “Emotive Woman” is the sexually frustrated Rosalind Russell in “Picnic” and the seductive Elizabeth Taylor in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Thus, the last category, the “Independent” woman or the Katharine Hepburn type, is Barbara Streisand in “Funny Girl,” or Jane Fonda in “Klute,” the liberated woman.
In the 1950s, especially, we witnessed an era of “reaffirming male dominance and female subservience; movies showed women as breasts and buttocks, again idealizing women who were ‘pretty, amusing, and childish,’” (Butler, 145).
With the rise of the self-sufficient woman, the male-defying woman, the single mother, the working class female and the female bosses in society there has been a rise of women in film who are meet these same characteristics.
Society has also affected the representation of females; with a rise of independent women, single mothers, working class female and female bosses, the characters in recent films now meet these same characteristics.
The successful female action films up until recently have featured what were essentially women playing men. Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in the first two Alien films, Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Brigette Nielsen in Red Sonya were women who shared similar characteristics: strong, muscular, hard-edged and essentially masculine characters who wield large guns and swords as though they are substitute phalluses. They are not overtly sexual beings but instead are women who can step into roles that could easily be occupied by men.
Women in action films, are considered to be playing men, because of their similar characteristics.
Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in the first two Alien films and Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, are strong, muscular and have no emotions. They also carry similar weapons, guns and swords, however this can suggest Freud's theory, that women are in need of anything shaped like a phallus.
The journey from Sigourney Weaver's desexualized Ripley in Alien to Angelina Jolie's sexually charged Lara Croft in Tomb Raider has marked something of a sea change in popular conceptions of gender.
Ripley is desexualized, and Lara Croft is sxually charged.
Many of these heroines are based in stereotypical roles such as the dominatrix, which has long been a transgressive female identity—she both sexually dominates men and exists to satisfy them. Similarly, the female action hero transgresses gender boundaries by occupying traditionally masculine spaces—that of the battlefield, particularly—yet maintains an appearance of hyper-femininity to draw in male viewers and underscore her identity as female.
This marks a change from the 1990s, when female action heroes were either stripped of their feminine sexuality in order to masculinize them enough to carry a weapon, or hyper-sexualized to drive home their masculinity.
For example, the character of Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), was buff to the extreme, but focused only on the safety of her child. In G.I. Jane (1997), Demi Moore's character stripped down to the physical basics until she was nearly indistinguishable, physically, from a man—except for a lack of sexual desire. In The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), Geena Davis' character transformed from stereotypically feminine to stereotypically masculine, complete with a macho sex drive.
“As the spectator identifies with the main male protagonist, he projects his look onto that of his like, his screen surrogate, so that the power of the male protagonist as he controls events coincides with the active power of the erotic look…” (Mulvey 20) Laura Mulvey’s article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema
While Scorpio is looked at fetishistically, the gaze upon Bond is more conservative and it is not usually as conspicuous from a female character. We notice the passivity of a female noticing Bond, whereas fetishistic scopophilia is overt and active. In Goldfinger, the audience never takes on the gaze or the POV of a female spectator. We notice that characters such as Pussy Galore and Miss Moneypenny are attracted to Bond, but different conventions are used to articulate this sense of attraction. For instance, the change of intonation in both the voices of Galore and Moneypenny signify an interest in Bond while Bond’s active gaze is the signifier of his female interest. Sociologically speaking, the reason for the subdued female gaze could be a result of prominent ideologies present in the early 1960s. Since the male figure was the dominant of the two sexes, his gaze will be active over the passive one of the female.
Films from the James Bond series, such as Goldfinger, involves the audience, however never taking the point of view of the female spectator. We notice that characters such as Pussy Galore and Miss Moneypenny are attracted to Bond, but different conventions are used to articulate this sense of attraction. For instance, the change of intonation in both the voices of Galore and Moneypenny signify an interest in Bond while Bond’s active gaze is the signifier of his female interest.
Although the female gaze is present in Goldfinger, there is also a gaze casted upon Bond from the male spectator. This is not necessarily a homosexual gaze, nor a heterosexual gaze. It is a gaze that could potentially meet both standards in the sense that both homosexual and heterosexual audiences can identify with the Bond character. For instance, males will tend to idolize Bond because of his smooth McIveresque nature, whereas females will find sexual appeal in Bond. When Bond is tied to the table with the threat of laser castration, the focus is on Bond’s groin area. As we can see, according to Mulvey, Freud’s analysis of the threat of castration is a literal obstacle that Bond must overcome. Although perhaps not consciously intended to be a homosexualized focal point, a gay audience who reads into the Bond films could interpret this scene from a fetishistic standpoint. As with the lingering crotch shot in Scorpio Rising, the Bond crotch shot has the potential to appeal to both a female and gay audience, sexualizing the Bond character.
In a study of the films from the 1930s to 1970s, historians have categorized four dominant types of roles that women played. The first one is the “Pillar of Virtue” types played by Doris Day or Julie Andrews. This category also features mothers and mammies such as Hattie McDaniel’s character in “Gone with the Wind.”The “Glamour Girl” range from sex goddesses such as Marilyn Monroe in “Bus Stop” to femme fatales such as Marlene Dietrich in “Blonde Venus.”The “Emotive Woman” is the sexually frustrated Rosalind Russell in “Picnic” and the seductive Elizabeth Taylor in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Thus, the last category, the “Independent” woman or the Katharine Hepburn type, is Barbara Streisand in “Funny Girl,” or Jane Fonda in “Klute,” the liberated woman.
In the 1950s, especially, we witnessed an era of “reaffirming male dominance and female subservience; movies showed women as breasts and buttocks, again idealizing women who were ‘pretty, amusing, and childish,’” (Butler, 145).
Saturday 3 January 2009
First Paragraph- draft 1
“You think of women as disposable pleasures, rather than meaningful pursuits” [1]
Has the representation of females changed in the Action Adventure genre?
With reference to Casino Royale (2006)
The figures of females in the Action-Adventure genre have changed considerably since the 1970s, when “only 15 per cent of the leading characters were women”. [2] The portrayal of these women has also changed from being “symbolically annihilated” [3] to to a significant character in the genre. The 2006 Action- Adventure film, Casino Royale, the twenty first film in the James Bond series, depict the female characters differently. For decades the Bond girls who accompany 007 on his missions have been dismissed as sexist eye candy and lampooned for their suggestive names." [4] However, the female protagonist, Vesper Lynd is an accountant for the national treasury, therefore showing her status higher than Bonds. On the other hand, Lynd is a typical ‘femme fatale; her character is both, strong and intelligent, who knows how to use her feminine qualities to her advantage. Similarly, to the 1949 film, White Heat, Virginia Mayo’s character, Verna Jarrett uses her appearance to serve her purpose.
[1] Casino Royale (2006), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Columbia Pictures
[2] Gauntlett, David (2002): ‘Media, Gender & Identity: An introduction’ Routledge
[3] G TUCHMAN - Issues in Feminism: A First Course in Women's Studies, 1980 - Houghton Mifflin College Div
[4] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/3024355/James-Bond-girls-are-feminist-icons-says-Cubby-Broccolis-daughter.html
Has the representation of females changed in the Action Adventure genre?
With reference to Casino Royale (2006)
The figures of females in the Action-Adventure genre have changed considerably since the 1970s, when “only 15 per cent of the leading characters were women”. [2] The portrayal of these women has also changed from being “symbolically annihilated” [3] to to a significant character in the genre. The 2006 Action- Adventure film, Casino Royale, the twenty first film in the James Bond series, depict the female characters differently. For decades the Bond girls who accompany 007 on his missions have been dismissed as sexist eye candy and lampooned for their suggestive names." [4] However, the female protagonist, Vesper Lynd is an accountant for the national treasury, therefore showing her status higher than Bonds. On the other hand, Lynd is a typical ‘femme fatale; her character is both, strong and intelligent, who knows how to use her feminine qualities to her advantage. Similarly, to the 1949 film, White Heat, Virginia Mayo’s character, Verna Jarrett uses her appearance to serve her purpose.
[1] Casino Royale (2006), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Columbia Pictures
[2] Gauntlett, David (2002): ‘Media, Gender & Identity: An introduction’ Routledge
[3] G TUCHMAN - Issues in Feminism: A First Course in Women's Studies, 1980 - Houghton Mifflin College Div
[4] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/3024355/James-Bond-girls-are-feminist-icons-says-Cubby-Broccolis-daughter.html
Detailed Essay plan
My independent study focuses on Female representation in Action films; I have chosen James Bond- Casino Royale as my main text, because the main female character has multiple representations. They have become more involved within the plot, instead of being seen as a sex symbol to the male protagonists [Laura Mulvey]. Action films usually are usually watched by males, because of the ‘personal identity’ they have with the male star, however this film can suggest that females have become more empowering because she is a main star in the film, and plays a role within the narrative, and because Daniel Craig is seen as a sex symbol [beach scene]. Therefore, the representation of females has changed over the years.
[A, R, ID, G, N, ML]
INTRO-
Has female representation changed in action films? - will answer this question.
Will include the above info summarised, with a quote from the film [probably one that Bond says]. Brief history on the Action genre and representation of females.
My thesis and would be introduced.
[H, S, R, G]
1-
How the depicted in the past: in 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
They were also depicted as employed professionals, as opposed to the percentage of women who were depicted as unemployed housewives.In a study of 100 films released in 1941 and 1942, “eighty percent of films focusing on the love/hate problems of a man had a good bad girl as the main female character. In 50 percent of the films, the good bad girl successfully opposed a bad girl,” (Butler, 141). In the 1950s, especially, we witnessed an era of “reaffirming male dominance and female subservience; movies showed women as breasts and buttocks, again idealizing women who were ‘pretty, amusing, and childish,’” (Butler, 145).
“The role of a woman in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction and the mating games she plays with the male characters”.(1972: 13)Smith, Sharon (1972) ‘The image of women in film: some suggestions for future research’, Women and Film, 1, 13-21.
[H, ML, R, A, ID, G,]
2-
70s, 80s, 90s, today
Presently, 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.
"In 1970s action-adventure shows, only 15 per cent of the leading characters were women".Gauntlett, David (2002): ‘Media, Gender & Identity : An introduction’ PUBLISHER: (pg 43)
-rise of feminism, backlash…etc
[H, P, ML, A, N, R]
3-
James Bond- Casino royale, action ref. Who are the bond girls, how are they seen?
Compare to other current action films [Propp]
[ML, A, R, N]
4-
“Girl-power flicks like Charlie’s Angels, Crouching Tiger, and Tomb Raider are topping the $100 million mark once dominated by men like Schwarzenegger”. (1) She also mentions the very poor box office numbers from the recent films of Schwarzenegger and Stallone. “
The women in films such as Charlie’s Angels, Tomb Raider, and Crouching Tiger have progressed from feminized-masculinity to sexy, attractive women who are genuinely skilled with their bodies. As men no longer have to be hard-bodies in order to succeed on film, neither do women. Films like Charlie’s Angels are gratuitous in their depictions of the female body. The curves rather than the muscles are emphasized.
I will focus on other action films that have changed the representation of females. Using the above paragraph as a starting point.
[E, P, H, ML, R]
5-
Anything else I have not mentioned…How they have not changed. [Mulvey]…
CONCLUSION-
Thesis again, my opinion. The verdict, if the representation has changed or not. Which it has to an extent- more theorists.
Bibliography:- so far
Butler,
1972: 13)Smith, Sharon (1972) ‘The image of women in film: some suggestions for future research’, Women and Film, 1, 13-21.
Gauntlett, David (2002): ‘Media, Gender & Identity : An introduction’
Berger, John (1972) Ways of seeing, London: Penguin
Laura Mulveys article ‘Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema’ in 1975 (reproduced in Hollows et al., 2000)
Kaplan, E. Ann (1983) Women and film: Both sides of the Camera, London: Methuen
G TUCHMAN - Issues in Feminism: A First Course in Women's Studies, 1980 - Houghton Mifflin College Div
“Gunter (1995: 13-14).”-pg 43
Photography: A critical introduction’ Liz Wells, (2004), pp 172
Websites:
http://www.geocities.com/albanystudent/wif.html
‘Literary Theory and Criticism: An Oxford Guide’ Patricia Waugh, (2006), pp 510
http://www.007.info/Girls.asp
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/233970/postfeminism_in_action_a_critical_analysis.html?cat=40
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/57771/feminine_masculinity_the_rise_of_women.html
http://www.themovieblog.com/2008/04/why-most-female-lead-action-films-dont-succeed
[A, R, ID, G, N, ML]
INTRO-
Has female representation changed in action films? - will answer this question.
Will include the above info summarised, with a quote from the film [probably one that Bond says]. Brief history on the Action genre and representation of females.
My thesis and would be introduced.
[H, S, R, G]
1-
How the depicted in the past: in 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
They were also depicted as employed professionals, as opposed to the percentage of women who were depicted as unemployed housewives.In a study of 100 films released in 1941 and 1942, “eighty percent of films focusing on the love/hate problems of a man had a good bad girl as the main female character. In 50 percent of the films, the good bad girl successfully opposed a bad girl,” (Butler, 141). In the 1950s, especially, we witnessed an era of “reaffirming male dominance and female subservience; movies showed women as breasts and buttocks, again idealizing women who were ‘pretty, amusing, and childish,’” (Butler, 145).
“The role of a woman in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction and the mating games she plays with the male characters”.(1972: 13)Smith, Sharon (1972) ‘The image of women in film: some suggestions for future research’, Women and Film, 1, 13-21.
[H, ML, R, A, ID, G,]
2-
70s, 80s, 90s, today
Presently, 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.
"In 1970s action-adventure shows, only 15 per cent of the leading characters were women".Gauntlett, David (2002): ‘Media, Gender & Identity : An introduction’ PUBLISHER: (pg 43)
-rise of feminism, backlash…etc
[H, P, ML, A, N, R]
3-
James Bond- Casino royale, action ref. Who are the bond girls, how are they seen?
Compare to other current action films [Propp]
[ML, A, R, N]
4-
“Girl-power flicks like Charlie’s Angels, Crouching Tiger, and Tomb Raider are topping the $100 million mark once dominated by men like Schwarzenegger”. (1) She also mentions the very poor box office numbers from the recent films of Schwarzenegger and Stallone. “
The women in films such as Charlie’s Angels, Tomb Raider, and Crouching Tiger have progressed from feminized-masculinity to sexy, attractive women who are genuinely skilled with their bodies. As men no longer have to be hard-bodies in order to succeed on film, neither do women. Films like Charlie’s Angels are gratuitous in their depictions of the female body. The curves rather than the muscles are emphasized.
I will focus on other action films that have changed the representation of females. Using the above paragraph as a starting point.
[E, P, H, ML, R]
5-
Anything else I have not mentioned…How they have not changed. [Mulvey]…
CONCLUSION-
Thesis again, my opinion. The verdict, if the representation has changed or not. Which it has to an extent- more theorists.
Bibliography:- so far
Butler,
1972: 13)Smith, Sharon (1972) ‘The image of women in film: some suggestions for future research’, Women and Film, 1, 13-21.
Gauntlett, David (2002): ‘Media, Gender & Identity : An introduction’
Berger, John (1972) Ways of seeing, London: Penguin
Laura Mulveys article ‘Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema’ in 1975 (reproduced in Hollows et al., 2000)
Kaplan, E. Ann (1983) Women and film: Both sides of the Camera, London: Methuen
G TUCHMAN - Issues in Feminism: A First Course in Women's Studies, 1980 - Houghton Mifflin College Div
“Gunter (1995: 13-14).”-pg 43
Photography: A critical introduction’ Liz Wells, (2004), pp 172
Websites:
http://www.geocities.com/albanystudent/wif.html
‘Literary Theory and Criticism: An Oxford Guide’ Patricia Waugh, (2006), pp 510
http://www.007.info/Girls.asp
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/233970/postfeminism_in_action_a_critical_analysis.html?cat=40
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/57771/feminine_masculinity_the_rise_of_women.html
http://www.themovieblog.com/2008/04/why-most-female-lead-action-films-dont-succeed
Thursday 1 January 2009
Historical Texts
Hells Angels on Wheels is a 1967 American cult film starring Jack Nicholson, Adam Roarke, and Sabrina Scharf. This film was directed by Richard Rush
The trailer has focused very little on females, as it is more of a male action film, however there are females shown throughout, with a negative representation. The women are represented as objects of male gaze, because of what they are doing dancing around-in their bras, being touched by males. They are seen to have no position in society; this can conform to the stereotype that females back in the early 60s were seen as less important; however this was the time that the backlash occurred. It is very different to my chosen text- James Bond- Casino Royale, because the main female- Vesper Lynd has an actual part in the film and is considered important even if she is a Bond Girl- someone who is Bonds desirable girl.
Another film I have chosen is Scarface 1932, which presents females as victims. This is seen at 01:12, where she is trying to stand up for herself, but instead gets assaulted by the male [slapped, and dress is torn]. At 01:05, she is a there for male gaze. This is different and similar to mine, because even though the Bond girl is a victim she is being saved by Bond, not assaulted by, and she is an object of male desire. At the same time, but it is not seen as straightforward as Scarface.
Scarface:
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2363818777/
Princess Leia Organa is the main female protagonist of this film. This is similar to James Bond, because is the highest ranking official in the Rebellion chain of command, but is also there as an object of desire-Hans Solo. The voice over in the trailer refers to her as a victim, presenting her as weak and desperate for a mans helpThe "petite, fair-skinned human female" is known perhaps as the most beautiful and remembered woman in the Star Wars universe. [Perry, Steve (1996). Shadows of the Empire. Spectra ]. Leia was a wanted woman for love. She was loved by Luke Skywalker (before their sibling relationship was discovered), Han Solo, Prince Xizor, Prince Isolder (before he met Tenejiel Djo) and other men who fell in love with the beautiful woman.
The trailer has focused very little on females, as it is more of a male action film, however there are females shown throughout, with a negative representation. The women are represented as objects of male gaze, because of what they are doing dancing around-in their bras, being touched by males. They are seen to have no position in society; this can conform to the stereotype that females back in the early 60s were seen as less important; however this was the time that the backlash occurred. It is very different to my chosen text- James Bond- Casino Royale, because the main female- Vesper Lynd has an actual part in the film and is considered important even if she is a Bond Girl- someone who is Bonds desirable girl.
Another film I have chosen is Scarface 1932, which presents females as victims. This is seen at 01:12, where she is trying to stand up for herself, but instead gets assaulted by the male [slapped, and dress is torn]. At 01:05, she is a there for male gaze. This is different and similar to mine, because even though the Bond girl is a victim she is being saved by Bond, not assaulted by, and she is an object of male desire. At the same time, but it is not seen as straightforward as Scarface.
Scarface:
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2363818777/
Princess Leia Organa is the main female protagonist of this film. This is similar to James Bond, because is the highest ranking official in the Rebellion chain of command, but is also there as an object of desire-Hans Solo. The voice over in the trailer refers to her as a victim, presenting her as weak and desperate for a mans helpThe "petite, fair-skinned human female" is known perhaps as the most beautiful and remembered woman in the Star Wars universe. [Perry, Steve (1996). Shadows of the Empire. Spectra ]. Leia was a wanted woman for love. She was loved by Luke Skywalker (before their sibling relationship was discovered), Han Solo, Prince Xizor, Prince Isolder (before he met Tenejiel Djo) and other men who fell in love with the beautiful woman.
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