Mainstream cinema has split the passive role of women with the active role of men. According to Laura Mulvey “women stand in patriarchal culture as signifier for the male other, bound by a symbolic order in which man can live out his fantasies and obsessions through linguistic command by imposing them on the silent image of woman still tied to her place as bearer of meaning, not maker of meaning”. This is a common argument made in mainstream cinema across generations and cultures. The male gaze is used to project a phantasy on the passive female figure while is styled accordingly. It emphasizes a traditional and diminutive role of women where they are simultaneously looked at and displayed.
According to Mulvey, the role of women in cinema has been distilled to two levels; as an erotic object for the characters within the plot, and for the same purpose for the spectator in the audience. Ultimately, either applications serve to disrupt the development of the cinematic plot. This work will argue that Mulvery’s conclusions are not applicable to all films by analyzing examples of other films. It specifically presents two films where Mulvey’s arguments are not applicable.
Women in Cinema
Representation in cinema is commonly presented as the “manifestation” of reality through a virtual channel. This assumption corresponds to the erroneous assumption of a one-to-one correspondence of every word with its referent. representation begins by developing ideas of reality that revolve around people, objects, settings, and events that project fictional concepts. The concept of representation can be described as imitation without narration; it is intended to project ideals and concepts to the audience with minimal narration. It is a very effective means of conveying specific details in cinema. In the case of women, their roles in mainstream cinema has been distilled into two levels; as an erotic object for the characters within the plot, and for the same purpose for the spectator in the audience.
These depictions have had profound impact on the development of various fields such as feminism. The intent of representation is to depict, portray, and symbolize fictional ideals as real. It is possible to adopt two distinctive approaches to representation to cinema, where it is an imitation without narration, or the use of techniques that project images to be close to reality as possible. Constructivists tend to favor the prior perspective where cinema is understood as a construction of reality where it can be perceived and consumed by the audience. Conversely, realists favor the prior approach where cinema is presented as subject to reality.
The representation of women as erotic objects for the characters within the plot can also be understood from either a constructivist or realist point of view. The constructivist understanding would be one where such women are really as they are portrayed in mainstream cinema. This would justify the “gaze”, and allow for a limited view of the role that women play in cinema. Mulvey’s concern about the representation of women in film take the constructivist view of representation in cinema, it is hence critical.
A realist view of representation is more critical to analyzing roles, and would likely be more accepting to the representation of women in mainstream cinema. This approach views representation as a suggestion and not the literal meaning. This would mean that the passive role of women in mainstream cinema is a depiction of the characters, and not necessarily the representation of individuals. This would serve to form an understanding of a projected image, that is not real, but is intended to be close to reality as possible. This distinction emphasizes on the fictional portrayal of characters and ideals in cinema.
In Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Laura Mulvey presents the world’s sexual imbalance in cinema. The article adopts a constructivist view of representation in cinema. This means that it interprets representation of women in cinema as a construction of reality where it can be perceived, consumed and witnessed. And in this regard, justifies the concerns expressed by Mulvey in the article. It also demonstrates the extent to which the cinematic manipulation will exist based on individual expertise within the audience. This means that cinema can only be effective where the audience has accepted the representations made in the plot.
Shifting Tension in Cinema
The rise of the feminist film theory has expanded ideological criticism, anthropological studies, and psychoanalysis in cinema. It has especially focused on the representation of women as objects of male desire and spectatorship. In Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Mulvey expresses concern about the passive role that women perform in mainstream cinema. Conversely, men have more active roles. Women are represented as tools of visual erotic effect on the male characters in the film, and also in the audience. Women in such films are hence carriers of meaning, and not makers of meaning.
The most interesting aspect of these women is that they are mostly passive. This is a common practice across mainstream cinema. It makes women signifiers of modernity. To further understand the representation of women in cinema, it is important to take account of three major factors; historical subjectivity, contradictory meanings, and pleasures. Different feminist philosophers have tried to understand the cinema representation of women. Judith Butler theorized that there are differences between gender and sex that must be considered. She presented sex as biological, and gender as ‘performative’. She theorized that it is the performative aspect of women that cinema is most focused on, and has established patriarchal hegemonic systems for.
Representing women as erotic objects shifts tension between the looks on either side of the screen. What the intended role of this is, goes beyond the development of the storyline. It is important to analyze this assumption of different grounds. On one hand, it defines the role that women have to play in cinema. Despite these being minor roles in films, it still remains the most common depiction of women in cinema. It is also possible to view this as an important component of a film’s plot. The use of representation in cinema is intended to make realistic characters that the audience can follow, the inclusion of women, and the role they perform, can be viewed as a means to facilitate realistic representation.
Based on the introduction of the ‘gaze’, shifting tension in cinema can be used to serve multiple purposes. The main focus of feminist film theory is the use of women as erotic objects, and the potential implications this has on the characters and the audience.
Films Where Mulvey’s Arguments
Mulvey’s argument that the role of women in cinema has been distilled to an erotic object cannot be applied to all firms. This section will highlight two films where this argument is not applicable.
Mona Lisa Smile
Mona Lisa Smile is a film about an art teacher at a conservative women’s art college where she tries to fit it. She struggles to convey her liberal ideals to the students who appear to be more inclined towards a conservative approach in life. In the film, all the main characters are women, and there is no emphasis on the ‘erotic image’. The film addresses issues as feminism, marriage, and education. It is a unique film that is based on life in the 1950s. In some ways, it shows how women have been objectified by society, but it focuses on how they have overcome this (Newell, 2003).
Some of the dominant themes in Mona Lisa Smile include feminism, marriage, and education. In the 1950s’, women in society lived under different norms to those in present day. The film shows how women at a conservative college struggle to conform to norms prescribed for them by the professor. Many of the students are smart, and extremely gifted, but consider marriage as the most important step in a woman’s life. In order to enter marriage, many women in the college are willing to stop advanced education. Historically, this is acceptable. Joan Brandwyn is a good example as she wishes to enter marriage rather than attend law school at a prestigious institution. Although the film shows women as subject to playing minor roles in society, the film also demonstrates a proactive stance taken by the main characters to change this (Newell, 2003).
A vast section of the plot is set at the conservative women’s college. This is important in the development of the other themes in the film because it emphasizes on the conflict many of the characters are experiencing. It also deviates from the usual representation of women as erotic objects in mainstream cinema. In this case, women are presented as smart, and well educated. The film shows the conflict women faced in the 1950s of abandoning social conceptions, and focusing on advancing their careers. For instance, many of the students at the school are contemplating leaving school in order to get married.
Mona Lisa Smile does not conform to Mulvey’s argument about women depicting in mainstream cinema. The audience is likely to view this film as more of an informative media rather than one that aims to entertain. It contains no elements of erotic objectification, and the women characters are mostly active. It recounts changes in social norms in the 20th century; especially those affecting women. These changes can be observed in the film as many of the ways have been represented in cinema have also changed. The use of techniques such as the logical appeal further enhance its success.
Imitation of Life
In Imitation of Life issues of race, class, and gender are highlighted. The film’s plot follows the life of Lora, an aspiring actress. Lora seeks the help of a friend to care of her daughter as she focuses on her career (Sirk, 1959). The film has gained acclaim for its expression of ethnic identity in characters such as Annie’s daughter. Further, the film has been a point of reference for feminist agenda that expresses support, and a proper work ethic towards career development. In the film, Lora focuses on her career, and uses the help of their female friends to support her. In the film, the role of women is not subordinate to that of men. In fact, women are the main characters in the film, and men mostly play minor and supporting roles.
With an understanding of the arguments made by Mulvey in Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, it is difficult to correlate these details with the film’s plot. The main aspect expressed by Sarah Jane’s character is the distinction between ethnicity, and personal identity. Jane identifies herself as Caucasian, although she is African American. There are a number of reasons in the film that explain her need to identify with “whiteness”. The main one is that she wants to access job opportunities. She also wants to pass for the privileges afforded to the White population in the society. On the issue of role of women in film, Jane is not portrayed as an erotic object for men on either side of the screen. Rather, she is an active character willing to seek out opportunities for herself.
The film does not conform to the argument made by Mulvey in Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Rather, the film focuses on other themes such as ethnicity and personal identity. The element of appearance is important because others can easily distinguish people within ethnic lines. It is possible to draw correlations with the issue of representation in cinema. When appearances can be deceiving, it almost impossible for subjects to distinguish individuals based on ethnicity. The main characters in this film were the women, and they remained free from any form of erotic objectification. In many ways, the film Imitation of Life does not conform to most of the ideas and concepts introduced in Mulvey’s Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.
Summary
Mulvey’s perspective on women in mainstream media covers an extensive field of films and theatre. There are many films that cannot be categorized as displaying women as erotic objects. In fact, there are many films where women are portrayed as the active characters, and the men characters as passive. It is a divergence from the views expressed in Mulvey’s article. Mike Newell’s “Mona Lisa Smile”, and Douglas Sirk’s “Imitation of Life” are two traditional films where women are more active, and do not portray the erotic image explained in Mulvey’s article.
Mike Newell’s Mona Lisa Smile is a film about an art professor at a conservative women’s art college where she tries to convey her liberal ideas to her students. Based on Mulvey’s article, the film serves to demonstrate the quest for women to play a more modern and dynamic role in society. There is minimal focus on women as erotic objects. Rather, it presents the women as extremely intelligent and as playing critical roles in the society. It addresses issues such as feminism, marriage, and education (Newell, 2003). Like in Mona Lisa Smile, Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life is another film where women characters are active, and do not represent erotic objects for either male characters in the plot, or audience. On the contrary, it is an iconic romantic drama film that highlights social issues of race, class, and gender. In the film, women as portrayed as independent achievers. As the main character, Lora works hard to become an actress. She seeks the services of Annie Jackson to take care of her daughter (Sirk, 1959). Laura Mulvey view of sexual imbalance in cinema is not obvious in this film.
Newell, M. (Director). (2003). Mona Lisa Smile [Motion Picture].
Sirk, D. (Director). (1959). Imitation of Life [Motion Picture].