Women and Film--As I Saw It

I have mixed feelings about this article. To keep that as brief as possible, I had a really hard time trying to relate to the Freudian sections and wish in other sections that examples had been given, such as when the article discusses “the half-aware ‘forgetting’ that the spectator engages in allows the pleasurable mechanisms of voyeurism and fetishism to flow freely” (13). To make such a bold statement without first describing voyeurism and fetishism (which the article does---later) and then mention cinema’s ‘mechanisms’ without describing at least what some of them are made my extremely confused. I didn’t know if mechanisms should mean editing, character constructions, symbols, or anything else. Furthermore, unfamiliar names were often thrown around, like Althusser (12), Ferdinand de Saussure (15), and Lacan (19). Clearly we as readers were probably supposed to know who those people are…but a sentence or two describing why they are important would have been helpful.

“The Image section” caught my attention, particularly where the author notes that the problem with sociological criticism and “[the types of roles characters play] is that such analysis ignores the mediation of film as an art form (i.e. that these images are constructed)” (15). In other words, viewers and critics often forget that film is not representative of real life. Even “reality” shows are edited…who would watch a show that follows the adventures of a person 24/7? (Except in that one Jim Carrey movie). Film can never be truly 100% true to real life events, because fabrications will be made, authentic events will be altered, and it will all be for the taste of the viewers, allowing Hollywood directors to play right into stereotypes, or even worse, the creation of false ideas about the people the characters are trying to portray.

For instance, a movie about a prostitute who decides to abandon her way of life (for whatever reasons—this is just an example) and attend college might send a few different messages to girls. For instance, girls might be sent the message that although prostitution looks like it’s fun, there are better career options out there. However, depending on how the prostitution scenes are filmed and constructed, that lifestyle could be portrayed as glamorous, carefree, sexy and fun. Contrastingly, it could also be portrayed as demeaning and a constant job, like any other profession. It all depends on the point the director(s) want to get across, but while shown in theatres most viewers would forget that it’s all made up. Just because one fictional character decided to move on, does not mean that all prostitutes want to give up their lifestyle. Thus, in the end the film just creates and adds to the false hopes and phantom assumptions people create, by letting the viewer *think* they know all about prostitution—when in reality they really don’t.