The women's liberation movement of the 1960's helped them undo the schackling sexual sterotypes afforded their generations before them in many ways. In 1963 The Feminine Mystique was written by a feminist author who spoke of the repression of her sex. This helped pave the way for a new generation of women who weren't comfortable with the status quo. The political activism group NOW (National Organization of Women) was established in 1966. The pharmaceutical company Envoid made oral contraceptive available to the public for the first time in 1960. This had the effect of allowing women the control of their own body and control of how and when they wanted a family. Eventually Roe V. Wade would set the precedent for the legalization of abortion for women in 1973. All of these things had the effect of creating a positive environment for women to break free of their traditional roles in society.
This was not necessarily represented on the screen in the 60's however. Female characters in films of this era were not usually represented as intelligent, politically active, or otherwise liberated of stereotypical roles; quite the opposite, they usually were seen as stereotypes. Films such as the James Bond series, Lolita, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Barbarella, and others represented women as sexual objects. Though this era allowed for relaxed restrictions on what was permissible on screen due to the end of the Hays Production Code, this often translated into outright sexuality that denied women the perhaps more nuanced representations afforded them in earlier era films. Even in more conservative fare such as Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music women were still seen in stereotypical roles. Although they weren't necessarily sex symbols, they still represented the motherly interpersonal role typically associated with women. It seems that despite liberation of women during this era offscreen, it would take some time before they might obtain liberation onscreen.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007
American Cinema Post 9: Film Noir
The image galleries from the film noir section located at moderntimes.com contain many photos from films of that era. Many of the photos show leading ladies from these films as well. Quite often, in film noirs, these women are known as femme fatales. Although the book doesn't actually refer to these women from film noir as femme fatales, it does provide a description of the negative picture these films painted of women.
The original, hard-boiled, pulp fiction, crime novels that helped lead to the creation of the genre often depicted the main male character overcome his own inner weaknesses by repressing his femininity. In other words, for the film noir genre, feminine characteristics are inherently bad. During the post World War II years when film noir thrived, American men felt threatened by women who now held more powerful positions in the social hierarchy. Men returning home from war came to fear this new found success women achieved. These sentiments are echoed in the film noir genre.
Femme fatales often were seductive and used this power over men to their ultimate downfall. A black widow spinning a snaring web, as it were, they entangled the socially, mentally, and otherwise anguished type hero into a deceitful and ultimately dooming scenario. They came across as exotic and were too much for the male lead to resist. They might be initially hostile toward the man but eventually they will have a romantic love affair. This often turns out to be an elaborate reuse to use the man for her evil work and blame him for the ultimate deed. In short, they were pretty, seductive, exotic, deceitful, and just plain evil.
The photos from moderntimes.com give a visual frame of reference that echos the description found in the text. Most of the photos show a woman who is not smiling. She may have a blank expression, bedroom eyes, or a look of concentration on something dark and mysterious. She is often attractive. This is both a product of the Hollywood system at large and of the necessity to have the woman be appealing to the leading man. She is often dressed in exotic or otherwise fancy or expensive looking clothing. She is often in a dark and shadowy area. This adds to the mystique and negative connotations associated with these characters. She may even be smoking a cigarette. This seems somewhat inconsequential, but this little detail drives home the fact that these women were liberated and not afraid to assert their individuality.
The original, hard-boiled, pulp fiction, crime novels that helped lead to the creation of the genre often depicted the main male character overcome his own inner weaknesses by repressing his femininity. In other words, for the film noir genre, feminine characteristics are inherently bad. During the post World War II years when film noir thrived, American men felt threatened by women who now held more powerful positions in the social hierarchy. Men returning home from war came to fear this new found success women achieved. These sentiments are echoed in the film noir genre.
Femme fatales often were seductive and used this power over men to their ultimate downfall. A black widow spinning a snaring web, as it were, they entangled the socially, mentally, and otherwise anguished type hero into a deceitful and ultimately dooming scenario. They came across as exotic and were too much for the male lead to resist. They might be initially hostile toward the man but eventually they will have a romantic love affair. This often turns out to be an elaborate reuse to use the man for her evil work and blame him for the ultimate deed. In short, they were pretty, seductive, exotic, deceitful, and just plain evil.
The photos from moderntimes.com give a visual frame of reference that echos the description found in the text. Most of the photos show a woman who is not smiling. She may have a blank expression, bedroom eyes, or a look of concentration on something dark and mysterious. She is often attractive. This is both a product of the Hollywood system at large and of the necessity to have the woman be appealing to the leading man. She is often dressed in exotic or otherwise fancy or expensive looking clothing. She is often in a dark and shadowy area. This adds to the mystique and negative connotations associated with these characters. She may even be smoking a cigarette. This seems somewhat inconsequential, but this little detail drives home the fact that these women were liberated and not afraid to assert their individuality.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
American Cinema Post 8: The War Film
In the typical war film, women take on the role of representing a romantic counterpoints to males. The male who has a wife, girlfriend, or fiance waiting back home for him is usually the one who is seen as weak and unprepared for combat. Men, in the typical war film, who have significant others, have an emotional attachment that is seen as a weakness unbefitting a true soldier. This counter-productive (at least in the opinion of the typical war movie creators) emotionallity usually leads to the soldier being one of the least likely to survive and one of the first candidates to be killed in the film. This convention can be seen in the films Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo and Air Force where the respective heroes' mere interaction with their wives leads to their ultimate injuries and death respectively. This convention was also parodied in the film Hot Shots! when a soldier bids farewell to his wife before taking off in his fighter jet, immediately after which he crashes and burns.
If each human has the potential to possess both feminine and masculine characteristics, then the war film seeks to make clear that men must repress their femininity to as high a degree as possible to ensure their survival and fighting prowess. Films such as Boys in Company C, Heartbreak Ridge, and Steel Helmet drive this intention home by showing scenes where the drill sargeant demeaningly refers to the recruits as "ladies" or "ballerinas." It seems that the emotionality associated with women or femininity seeks to undermine soldiers in every regard. Not only must the soldier have no significant other and a harsh repression of his femininity, but he must also repress his inherint emotionality. This can be seen in the film Twelve O'Clock High where the general argues that by yelling at and debasing the soldiers, one makes them emotionally dependant. Emotional dependance upon himself is a weakness because if he were to not be around to order them, they would not be able to function. This is proven, when he treats them with no emotion during their training, and when he collapses on the battleground, they are able to go on without him.
The incompatability of emotion and feminine attributes with the typical soldier in war films can be expressed by the interaction between him and his wife. After coming back from the war front to his wife, having already gone through the masculinizing process of boot camp and the demoralizing experience of combat, the soldier typically finds himself in an unknown realm, unable to function properly. This can be seen in the film Heartbreak Ridge, where Clint Eastwood's character is a Marine who finds himself unable to be the husband his wife needs. She ultimately divorces him as he tries to adapt to a more feminine lifestyle befitting that of a normal functioning relationship.
If each human has the potential to possess both feminine and masculine characteristics, then the war film seeks to make clear that men must repress their femininity to as high a degree as possible to ensure their survival and fighting prowess. Films such as Boys in Company C, Heartbreak Ridge, and Steel Helmet drive this intention home by showing scenes where the drill sargeant demeaningly refers to the recruits as "ladies" or "ballerinas." It seems that the emotionality associated with women or femininity seeks to undermine soldiers in every regard. Not only must the soldier have no significant other and a harsh repression of his femininity, but he must also repress his inherint emotionality. This can be seen in the film Twelve O'Clock High where the general argues that by yelling at and debasing the soldiers, one makes them emotionally dependant. Emotional dependance upon himself is a weakness because if he were to not be around to order them, they would not be able to function. This is proven, when he treats them with no emotion during their training, and when he collapses on the battleground, they are able to go on without him.
The incompatability of emotion and feminine attributes with the typical soldier in war films can be expressed by the interaction between him and his wife. After coming back from the war front to his wife, having already gone through the masculinizing process of boot camp and the demoralizing experience of combat, the soldier typically finds himself in an unknown realm, unable to function properly. This can be seen in the film Heartbreak Ridge, where Clint Eastwood's character is a Marine who finds himself unable to be the husband his wife needs. She ultimately divorces him as he tries to adapt to a more feminine lifestyle befitting that of a normal functioning relationship.
Monday, April 2, 2007
American Cinema Post 7: American Comedy
The film genre known as comedy has many sub genres. One of these is the ever-present romantic comedy. In this genre, the prevailing theme of society versus the main character or characters can be found. There are many examples of how films address this larger issue. Two of these examples are integration and reforming the workplace.
When the issue of integration is faced in an American comedy it rarely is faced head-on in the form of the immigrant experience, but rather in a more abstract fashion where a character or characters assimilate to some society; either the society at large or a microcosm of society. It usually ends in the marriage of two dissimilar group/class/ethnicity/etc. members, symbolically signaling the end of the old perception of society and ushering in a new society. Examples of this can be seen in It Happened One Night and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. With the former film, the female lead is initially wed to a socialite whom she does not love. The marriage is shown as one without happiness. After she meets a less prestigious middle-class newspaper journalist, she falls in love and annuls her former marriage to marry the journalist. This ending is happy because they are in love and the audience accepts it because the social order has been broken to positive effect. In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the traditional Greek father does not wish her daughter to marry a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. Eventually the two are married and her family learns to accept and appreciate him. Once again, the social and ethnic class divide has been bridged.
The second theme visible in many romantic comedies is that of the reforming of the workplace. This typically shows the struggles of lower on the corporate ladder employees versus the fat cats of the company. It also typically shows the struggles of women in the workplace, who traditionally have been restricted and continue to be so in the work place. An example of this is the film 9 to 5. In this film, female secretaries undercut their chauvinist, male bosses. The film recounts their struggle to undo the corruption that has prevailed in their workplace and celebrates their efforts. In the film Working Girl, the main character is a lower class secretary who, behind the back of her boss, works out a business deal with a competing company. By doing so, she assembles a team consisting of a diverse group of various socioeconomic class members that outdoes the old more hierarchical order in the workplace. This once again reinforces the idea that a highly stratified society is not ideal.
When the issue of integration is faced in an American comedy it rarely is faced head-on in the form of the immigrant experience, but rather in a more abstract fashion where a character or characters assimilate to some society; either the society at large or a microcosm of society. It usually ends in the marriage of two dissimilar group/class/ethnicity/etc. members, symbolically signaling the end of the old perception of society and ushering in a new society. Examples of this can be seen in It Happened One Night and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. With the former film, the female lead is initially wed to a socialite whom she does not love. The marriage is shown as one without happiness. After she meets a less prestigious middle-class newspaper journalist, she falls in love and annuls her former marriage to marry the journalist. This ending is happy because they are in love and the audience accepts it because the social order has been broken to positive effect. In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the traditional Greek father does not wish her daughter to marry a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. Eventually the two are married and her family learns to accept and appreciate him. Once again, the social and ethnic class divide has been bridged.
The second theme visible in many romantic comedies is that of the reforming of the workplace. This typically shows the struggles of lower on the corporate ladder employees versus the fat cats of the company. It also typically shows the struggles of women in the workplace, who traditionally have been restricted and continue to be so in the work place. An example of this is the film 9 to 5. In this film, female secretaries undercut their chauvinist, male bosses. The film recounts their struggle to undo the corruption that has prevailed in their workplace and celebrates their efforts. In the film Working Girl, the main character is a lower class secretary who, behind the back of her boss, works out a business deal with a competing company. By doing so, she assembles a team consisting of a diverse group of various socioeconomic class members that outdoes the old more hierarchical order in the workplace. This once again reinforces the idea that a highly stratified society is not ideal.
Monday, March 19, 2007
American Cinema Entry 6: The Western
The film genre we know as the western is defined in the text as being, at its heart, mythological. It is described as the genre where the stories of the eastern part of the continental United States meet the western part. In the telling of these stories fact and fiction commingle to produce a film style that is larger than life.
The prevailing theme of east meeting west in the traditional western genre can be seen in many conventional story arcs. One example is the traditional story of an easterner, usually a city type or an early colonist seeking new territory, traveling west to take on the new style of life necessary in his/her new environment. Another example would be that of the heroin who is unable at first to understand or adapt to her new life in the west. As she learns the customs, and culture of her new environment, she comes to accept and enjoy it. She may even try extreme actions to force herself to assimilate, such as dressing as a man or acting like one by using firearms. Another conventional storytelling device found in the traditional western is that of the city slicker who has no concept of the more rural and gritty lifestyle found in the west. As he tries to assimilate to this lifestyle, he is apprenticed by a more manly cowboy type. One last conventional device found in westerns is the female character who embodies the western way of life in herself and her acts. She may have an Indian mother and an American father and therefore metaphorically embody the meeting of east and west in the new frontier. She may also help shape the rural environment of the west into a more urban, eastern city.
The western genre may also reflect various biases and a glamorization of the physical space of the frontier itself. The setting may reflect the main characters' need to escape civilization. However, the modern conveniences afforded them in this setting, such as coaches or buildings, may reflect the taming of this uncivilized region. It, in effect, represents the meeting of East and West. As the main characters' deal with native Americans, cultural biases come glaringly to the forefront. Native Americans are routinely treated sterotypically, like savages or in other negative contexts, and if given any credit at all, played by white actors. Dances With Wolves tried to humanize the native Americans but relies on the audiences' empathy of them in the context of their mutual disdain for the rival Sioux tribe.
Another important convention found in the western genre is that of the anti-hero. The main character is often a lone gunman type who lives by his own set of internal rules. When he saves the day at the end of the film, he will probably leave society and walk into the sunset. He may even be so individualistic that he simply refuses to face the impending society crushing down on him. He wil meet a new railroad being built, the Easternization of his small town, or other societal advancement with combativeness. It may even lead to his downfall.
The prevailing theme of east meeting west in the traditional western genre can be seen in many conventional story arcs. One example is the traditional story of an easterner, usually a city type or an early colonist seeking new territory, traveling west to take on the new style of life necessary in his/her new environment. Another example would be that of the heroin who is unable at first to understand or adapt to her new life in the west. As she learns the customs, and culture of her new environment, she comes to accept and enjoy it. She may even try extreme actions to force herself to assimilate, such as dressing as a man or acting like one by using firearms. Another conventional storytelling device found in the traditional western is that of the city slicker who has no concept of the more rural and gritty lifestyle found in the west. As he tries to assimilate to this lifestyle, he is apprenticed by a more manly cowboy type. One last conventional device found in westerns is the female character who embodies the western way of life in herself and her acts. She may have an Indian mother and an American father and therefore metaphorically embody the meeting of east and west in the new frontier. She may also help shape the rural environment of the west into a more urban, eastern city.
The western genre may also reflect various biases and a glamorization of the physical space of the frontier itself. The setting may reflect the main characters' need to escape civilization. However, the modern conveniences afforded them in this setting, such as coaches or buildings, may reflect the taming of this uncivilized region. It, in effect, represents the meeting of East and West. As the main characters' deal with native Americans, cultural biases come glaringly to the forefront. Native Americans are routinely treated sterotypically, like savages or in other negative contexts, and if given any credit at all, played by white actors. Dances With Wolves tried to humanize the native Americans but relies on the audiences' empathy of them in the context of their mutual disdain for the rival Sioux tribe.
Another important convention found in the western genre is that of the anti-hero. The main character is often a lone gunman type who lives by his own set of internal rules. When he saves the day at the end of the film, he will probably leave society and walk into the sunset. He may even be so individualistic that he simply refuses to face the impending society crushing down on him. He wil meet a new railroad being built, the Easternization of his small town, or other societal advancement with combativeness. It may even lead to his downfall.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
American Cinema Post 5: The Star Stystem
Persona, in the general sense, can be defined as the various masks worn in ancient Greek plays to represent the various characters they were portraying. This provides an apt analogy for the way in which stars present themselves. The various roles they take on over the course of their career and the parts of their lives and personalities known to the public combine to create a persona for the actor. If an actor purposefully takes on a role that is against their usual type, the audience may adjust their perception of them. This leads to a more intricate difinition of the actor's persona. Although it has been altered to some degree, the persona is still there.
The example of how a persona is used provided by the book is that of John Wayne. He was portrayed in his films as a Western and war hero. In his personal life he was a conservative Republican and supporter of the Vietnam War. The characters he played were often individual tough-guy types. He often reflected this psychology in his personal life as well. When he faced cancer he provided a famous quip of "I licked the big C." This issue faced in his last film, The Shootist, as well.
An actor' public persona can be defined as that part of the entirety of their persona that is visible when in the public eye. A person' understanding of a star is limited to what they let the public know about themselves as well as what is brought to the public eye, perhaps, against their wishes. Their public persona can be an extension of what is presented on the screen, as with John Wayne, or can perhaps betray what is shown on the screen. An example of this is when Ingrid Bergman starred in Roberto Rosselini's Joan of Arc. She played the noble martyr on screen but was engaged in a scandalous affair with the director behind closed doors.
The example of how a persona is used provided by the book is that of John Wayne. He was portrayed in his films as a Western and war hero. In his personal life he was a conservative Republican and supporter of the Vietnam War. The characters he played were often individual tough-guy types. He often reflected this psychology in his personal life as well. When he faced cancer he provided a famous quip of "I licked the big C." This issue faced in his last film, The Shootist, as well.
An actor' public persona can be defined as that part of the entirety of their persona that is visible when in the public eye. A person' understanding of a star is limited to what they let the public know about themselves as well as what is brought to the public eye, perhaps, against their wishes. Their public persona can be an extension of what is presented on the screen, as with John Wayne, or can perhaps betray what is shown on the screen. An example of this is when Ingrid Bergman starred in Roberto Rosselini's Joan of Arc. She played the noble martyr on screen but was engaged in a scandalous affair with the director behind closed doors.
American Cinema Post 4: The Studio System
MGM was billed as the studio with the most stars. Among them were Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Louise Rainer, Myrna Loy, and Greer Garson. It had an image of refinement, making mostly films that were more restrained and calculated. Although it sometimes went against this stereotype, such as the immediately controversial Freaks, it put out refined comedies such as A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races with the Marx brothers. The studio also did many operettas and musical romances as well as melodramas. A couple of notable directors from this studio are Andy Hardy, who did comedies and teen musicals and Tod Browning, who directed Freaks. This studio's "golden age" can be said to be between the late 1920's and the 1940's.
Paramount had an image of European stylishness and, at the same time, that of a down to earth and anti-pretentious image. Comedies featuring the Marx brothers, such as Duck Soup and Animal Crackers were less restrained than that of the ones they did for MGM. The comedies directed by Ernst Lubitsch, such as The Love Parade and Monte Carlo employed subtle irony and European flair. Josef von Sternberg directed exotic fantasies such as Morocco and Shanghai Express. Some notable stars from this studio were Maurice Chevalier and Marlene Dietrich. Its heyday may be best described as around the same time as MGM's.
Warner Brothers was the studio for the blue collar types. Its films were gritty and realistic. It put out gangster films, such as Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, and The Petrified Forest. It also put out action films and costume dramas that championed lower class values. Examples of these can be seen in their Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood. The studio also put out films that were taken straight from sensational headlines, such as I Was a Fugitive from the Chain Gang, Wild Boys of the Road, and Confessions of a Nazi Spy. Notable actors from this studio include Ruby Keeler, Joan Blondell, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Ida Lupino, Ann Sheridan, Lauren Becall, Errol Flynn, James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, and Humphrey Bogart.
20Th Century Fox targeted a rural audience and was known for its many period, costumes films as well as, in its 1940's years, for its socially conscious films. It had an image for conveying grassroots, timeworn values. It was the only studio not owned and operated by Jews (first by an Irish Catholic named Winfield Sheehan and then by a Methodist named Darryl Zanuck). Some of the studio's stars were Will Rogers, Stephin Fetchit, Shirley Temple, Henry Fonda, Tyrone Power, Betty Grable, and Don Ameche. Its major films were Gentleman's Agreement, The Grapes of Wrath, Tobacco Road, The Ox-Bow Incident, Boomerang, The Snake Pit, and Pinky.
RKO had not thematic or stylistic image like its major contemporaries. It was headed by many people over a short time such as David Selznick, Merian C. Cooper, George Schafer, Charles Koerner, Dore Schary, and lastly, Howard Hughes. The studio put out such films as Citizen Kane, King Kong, What Price Hollywood?, Bill of Divorcement, The Lost Patrol, The Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, Crossfire, Vendetta, Jet Pilot, and I Married a Communist. Important directors included Orson Welles, John Ford, George Stevens, Robert Siodmak, and Jacques Tourneur. Some stars who appeared in RKO films were Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Robert Mitchum.
Paramount had an image of European stylishness and, at the same time, that of a down to earth and anti-pretentious image. Comedies featuring the Marx brothers, such as Duck Soup and Animal Crackers were less restrained than that of the ones they did for MGM. The comedies directed by Ernst Lubitsch, such as The Love Parade and Monte Carlo employed subtle irony and European flair. Josef von Sternberg directed exotic fantasies such as Morocco and Shanghai Express. Some notable stars from this studio were Maurice Chevalier and Marlene Dietrich. Its heyday may be best described as around the same time as MGM's.
Warner Brothers was the studio for the blue collar types. Its films were gritty and realistic. It put out gangster films, such as Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, and The Petrified Forest. It also put out action films and costume dramas that championed lower class values. Examples of these can be seen in their Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood. The studio also put out films that were taken straight from sensational headlines, such as I Was a Fugitive from the Chain Gang, Wild Boys of the Road, and Confessions of a Nazi Spy. Notable actors from this studio include Ruby Keeler, Joan Blondell, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Ida Lupino, Ann Sheridan, Lauren Becall, Errol Flynn, James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, and Humphrey Bogart.
20Th Century Fox targeted a rural audience and was known for its many period, costumes films as well as, in its 1940's years, for its socially conscious films. It had an image for conveying grassroots, timeworn values. It was the only studio not owned and operated by Jews (first by an Irish Catholic named Winfield Sheehan and then by a Methodist named Darryl Zanuck). Some of the studio's stars were Will Rogers, Stephin Fetchit, Shirley Temple, Henry Fonda, Tyrone Power, Betty Grable, and Don Ameche. Its major films were Gentleman's Agreement, The Grapes of Wrath, Tobacco Road, The Ox-Bow Incident, Boomerang, The Snake Pit, and Pinky.
RKO had not thematic or stylistic image like its major contemporaries. It was headed by many people over a short time such as David Selznick, Merian C. Cooper, George Schafer, Charles Koerner, Dore Schary, and lastly, Howard Hughes. The studio put out such films as Citizen Kane, King Kong, What Price Hollywood?, Bill of Divorcement, The Lost Patrol, The Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, Crossfire, Vendetta, Jet Pilot, and I Married a Communist. Important directors included Orson Welles, John Ford, George Stevens, Robert Siodmak, and Jacques Tourneur. Some stars who appeared in RKO films were Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Robert Mitchum.
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