I as well found the film Orlando to be very confusing. I didn't understand how or why the gender switch came about. Was Orlando secretly a female pretending to be a male? Or was Orlando once a male who turned into a female? If the first one is so, how didn't anyone ever notice this? and why wasn't it a big deal once the truth came out? If the second is the case, this is simply unrealistic (considering the time period). But then again, the whole movie doesn't seem to be realistic since Orlando lived for longer than anyone has ever lived before.
One scene that sticks out to me is when there is a war going on at which point in the film Orlando was still portrayed as a man. Orlando's reaction to watching a dying man was a more stereo typical female reaction, especially since it was the enemy that Orlando felt bad for watching die. Two other scenes that stick out to me dealing with gender are: the scene where Orlando fancied a woman in the beginning and they kiss, then the scene where Orlando is with a man in the end. It was interesting to watch the same person interact on a sexual/romantic level with different sexes (also being a different sex each time). Confusing, but interesting.
Even though I find some of the movie confusing, I also find it portraying an accurate message. It shows women how far we have come over the years in gaining rights. Once Orlando was a female, she could not own the house she/he one had when a male. It is sad to think of a time where women don't have the rights that I grew up knowing I had or will have. I loved the use of colors in the film as well, especially Orlando's red hair.
Michelle, it's interesting that you mentioned when the male Orlando witnesses the Middle Eastern soldier's death, and his stereotypical female reaction. I thought it was strange too, and I thought that maybe that was one reason why Orlando suddenly changed into a girl thereafter: he began acting more like a female so...he became one. There has to be more to it than that, but it was one of the few reasons I could come up with.
ReplyDeleteWhen you mentioned Orlando's horrified reaction though, it reminded me of a scene later on in the movie, when we find out that the female Orlando is pregnant. At that point in the movie, time is moving forward again as she walks across several battlefields of different eras, the pregnant belly evident. However, throughout the utter chaos, Orlando's expression is calm, stoic and she looks as if she's waiting in line at the grocery store. I suspect that that battlefield scene was symbolic of something (I thought it could be going through pregnancy and how much that hurts), but the fact that her expression is so different from the time she witnessed battle as a man...is to say that women can tolerate pain much easier than men think?
I'm not sure, but those are my thoughts on the matter
It's significant that Orlando's change in gender from male to female occurs after witnessing the death of the soldier. Why is this? Is Orlando the man too compassionate and "weak" to fight as a soldier or understand the brutality of warfare? Clearly these events follow on on another for a reason.
ReplyDeleteHeather: the comment about women's physical tolerance of pain is not only apt in terms of that scene's imagery, but this factual information has been borne out by research.