Using the theory of Visual Pleasure and the Male Gaze
Introduction to Mulvey
- She is a feminist film scholar
- She wrote "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" (1975)
- Analysed Hollywood cinema and argued that female characters were represented as passive objects of male sexual desire
- This is en capsulated in the term "Male Gaze"
- A film is watched through the eyes of the male characters
Bechdel Test asks whether a work of fiction features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. Many contemporary works fail this test of gender bias
Scopophilia is the pleasure you can gain from looking at something
- Cinema offers these pleasures voyeuristically
- Thereby satisfying the male scopophilic desires
- A woman connotes something to be looked at
- Simply: The Men look and the Women are looked at
- Subject and Object
She wanted more feminist avant-garde film-making to battle the patriarchal Hollywood system
Her theories can be applied to a variety of cinema however
The Look
Mulvey identified three different ways of looking in cinema:
- The look of the camera that records the film (Phallic camera acts as an extension of the male)
- The look of the audience that views the film
- The look of the characters within the film
On the other hand
- The theory focuses on heterosexual male spectators
- It assumes audiences respond to the text in a uniform way
- It ignores the possibility of males providing visual pleasure as well
- Kathleen Rowe argues that being the object of the gaze is a position of power
- Richard Dyer questions the association of looking as active and being looked at as passive
The Gaze in Action Die Another Day
What are the male characters looking at?
Female protagonist, Halle Berry
What is the camera looking at?
Female protagonist, Halle Berry
What is the audience expected to be looking at?
The interaction (flirting) between Halle Berry's Jinx and Pierce Brosnan's Bond
What are the purposes of the shots of the male and female characters
Showcases sexual attraction and heightens female sexuality
Who is the presumed spectator(s)?
James Bond = Looking at her through his binoculars, position of the predator
Which are characters are dominant and which are submissive?
Low-angle shot looking-up at James Bond asserts his dominance immediately
Apply Fast Girls
The film, Fast Girls, takes a slightly different view in terms of the role of the female in films. The plot revolves around the idea of female empowerment and females partaking in sport (running), a sport generally dominated by men. The film portrays women as successful and talented at something usually associated with men, already challenging the convention. From the trailer, there are a variety of signs which identify the protagonist and fellow female cast members of talented and sporty e.g. the shots of them running, and training with her/their coach. The captions and clips of the protagonist training present her as motivated and hard-working, focused on her sport more than anything else.
The heavy sport presence limits the portrayal of the women as highly-sexual creatures and something to be only lusted over, however, the costumes are skimpy sports uniforms, and the trailer includes a range of fragmented body shots of the mid-rift and thighs which do work to re-present the female characters are aesthetically attractive. Some high-angle shots pointing the camera down at the female body as the character is undressing suggests a voyeuristic element and sexualises the character, even if the shot is out of context and the movement in the shot entirely innocent and professional, as well as making her the submissive object to the camera's subject e.g. removing jacket to prepare to run a race. The actresses are also attractive and there is a romantic element to the film which not only heightens that genre of the film, but softens the hard sporty exterior portrayed, making the female characters seem more feminine.
There is an air of friendship and camaraderie between the four females conveyed in the shots of them running and going out to a club, and which disproves the Bechdel Test.
There is a contrast of the rich versus the poor, which isn't necessarily restricted to the presentation of the female but just something to note in the initial scenes of the trailer. The two girls (Shania Andrews and Lisa Temple) are shown as coming from completely different backgrounds but on equal-footing in terms of talent and drive, suggesting a likely rivalry aspect as part of the plot.
The heavy sport presence limits the portrayal of the women as highly-sexual creatures and something to be only lusted over, however, the costumes are skimpy sports uniforms, and the trailer includes a range of fragmented body shots of the mid-rift and thighs which do work to re-present the female characters are aesthetically attractive. Some high-angle shots pointing the camera down at the female body as the character is undressing suggests a voyeuristic element and sexualises the character, even if the shot is out of context and the movement in the shot entirely innocent and professional, as well as making her the submissive object to the camera's subject e.g. removing jacket to prepare to run a race. The actresses are also attractive and there is a romantic element to the film which not only heightens that genre of the film, but softens the hard sporty exterior portrayed, making the female characters seem more feminine.
There is an air of friendship and camaraderie between the four females conveyed in the shots of them running and going out to a club, and which disproves the Bechdel Test.
There is a contrast of the rich versus the poor, which isn't necessarily restricted to the presentation of the female but just something to note in the initial scenes of the trailer. The two girls (Shania Andrews and Lisa Temple) are shown as coming from completely different backgrounds but on equal-footing in terms of talent and drive, suggesting a likely rivalry aspect as part of the plot.
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