FILM ANALYSIS

@taliastarczewski

54 posts

nicohuergo-blog

Viewing Response 14: Cinematic Style II

Jane Gaines’ “White Privilege and Looking Relations: Race and Gender in Feminist Film Theory” describes the “heterosexual assumption” of the “binary oppositions of male/female.” Her argument is centered upon the idea that the construct of male/female has blinded society to other societal constructs such as class and race. Her focus is centered upon the erasure of black females by the whites within the film industry. The film Strange Days (1995) is an example of a film that challenges this lack of representation. First and foremost, it features a female director who is directing an action film – a genre seen as male-centered. Secondly, the film features a strong black female lead named Mace. Mace was created to be a tough character who often saves the male protagonist, Lenny from danger. She is characterized by her ability to fight, but she is given more depth than this by allowing her to have feelings for Lenny. This sort of portrayal is a departure from the norm as it allows black women to see themselves on the screen in a manner that is not oppositional. It also counters typical Hollywood tradition by vilifying the “damsel in distress.” Faith throughout the film earns the hatred of the audience especially when she turns on Lenny. This sort of vilification makes the viewer mad that Lenny saves her in the end. This film departs from traditional constraints and goes beyond the gender construct by showing class and race tensions, but it also challenges traditional gender thought on all levels from characters to director.

taliastarczewski

I enjoy how you commented on an action film being directed by a woman, and how this deviates from the gender construction that action is a genre targeted towards men.

I also was pleased with Mace’s characterization in the film. Her strong characteristics were heavily contrasted between the mannerisms of April and Iris. However, it is unfortunate that the connection that her character had to the main plot of the story was a love interest with Lenny. When females are presented in film, it is usually as a love interest to the main character.

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Viewing Response 14: Cinematic Style II

Jane Gaines’, “White Privilege and Looking Relations: Race and Gender in Feminist Film Theory”, discusses different perspectives in relation to voyeurism and the fine line between that and sadism.

Strange Days (1995) is a film, directed by Katherine Bigelow, that is based off of this concept. Lenny Nero uses reality-like recordings to allow people to connect, visually and emotionally with someone else’s life through that person’s perspective. One example of this was when he was selling this product to a man and he used a recording from 18-year-old girl who was taking a shower to show the man how the mechanism worked. It wasn’t until violence and the emotion of fear from a victim was taped, in a rape and murder, that it become one that represented sadism. Once this began to occur, the person who was behind this needed to be stopped. This is how the movie represented that fine line between the two and also showed how there are different perspectives in relation to voyeurism.

taliastarczewski

The part of the film when the man was experiencing being an young girl was interesting to me, because of how accepting Lenny was of this fantasy. He dealt with abnormal fantasies on all realms, and never seemed to judge the customer for their wants.

It is interesting that the same device portrayed both voyeurism and sadism. Once sadism was portrayed, the voyeuristic qualities of the SQUID almost lost their meaning - as it showed that voyeurism never really existed with the device.

Strange Days (1995)

In Jane Gaines’ “White Privilege and Looking Relations: Race and Gender in Feminist Film Theory,” she discusses different feminist theories and their intersection, or lack thereof, with race. Feminist theory focuses on the idea of patriarchy being an oppressive institution. However, black women in society derive most of their identity from their race, and not their gender, which limits them in terms of protection by the feminist movement. Not only is the focus excluding gender, but it is mainly geared towards common middle-class values. It is common in society for women to be expected to gain their identity from their gender, and the occupations they are limited to due to their gender. However, this may not hold true for other classes, where these gender roles are not as enforced.

In Strange Days (1995), an opposition of expected gender norms was shown within the character of Mace. Although she was a mother, her identity did not come from this maternal nature, despite it being a large part of her life. Her character was nothing short of badass, with her being trained in defensive driving and defensive combat.

In the scene shown above, Mace is shown using her defensive skills to gain revenge on the crooked police officers who unlawfully killed Jeriko One. Despite her showy outfit, the point of this scene is not to sexualize her, but to highlight just how independent she is. This also shows how willing she is to risk herself to defend the racial inequalities taking place in society, as she understands how important one simple act may be to inspire reform.

#cinematicstyle #swampfilmanalysis

theuncannyprofessoro

The British director discusses how working as a female director has changed over the decades.

taliastarczewski

Gender bias in Hollywood? U.S. digs deeper to investigate the industry's hiring practices

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Director Rachel Feldman argues that "female filmmakers’ careers have been thwarted by a system that blocks our progress and has colluded to keep us out."

taliastarczewski

The High Cost of Hollywood’s Gender Bias

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theuncannyprofessoro

A look back at the invaluable contributions to motion pictures of female film editors, past and present, which have been largely cut out of the history books.

taliastarczewski

USC study finds that movies are still dominated by men, on- and off-screen

theuncannyprofessoro

At venerable Pinewood Studios west of London, a fledgling Anne Coates hoped editing experience would serve as a stepping stone to directing. No surprise, the industry proved even more resistant bac…

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Hollywood's devastating gender divide, explained

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While hawking the film “Suffragette” last fall, Meryl Streep made headlines for decrying the lack of female critics at major news organizations. The Oscar winner’s scan of Rotten …

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Film Criticism In 2018 Is Rotten

theuncannyprofessoro

Women are finally moving to the center of the frame. From Amy Adams’ steely, alien-decipherer in “Arrival” to Felicity Jones’ rebellious warrior in “Rogue One: A Star …

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Status of Women in the Industry

theuncannyprofessoro

For most of us in the business (whether we admit it or not), the findings in the recent USC Annenberg study documenting a lack of progress on diversity in the entertainment industry were no surpris…

taliastarczewski

Women Underrepresented in Media Across Platforms, Report Finds

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theuncannyprofessoro

A trio of top writers whose credits include big-budget movies — the 'Tomb Raider' reboot, 'Planet of the Apes,' 'Transformers' — discuss biased notes, creating great heroines and why Judi Dench should be an action star.

taliastarczewski

Women Still Ridiculously Underrepresented In Movies

theuncannyprofessoro

Maybe it’s the post-“Hunger Games” effect, but the likes of Katniss Everdeen, Rey and the Black Widow are making some dents in Hollywood’s glass ceiling. But it’s not …

taliastarczewski

Forgotten Black Women of Early Hollywood Take Center Stage at CAAM

theuncannyprofessoro

Festivals on average screened three times as many films directed by men as they did films directed by women in 2016-2017, a new study has found.

taliastarczewski

New data shows female movie directors are just as qualified as men — so why isn’t Hollywood hiring them?

theuncannyprofessoro

Despite all the editorials and the speeches and the handwringing, things aren’t getting better for women in Hollywood. They’re getting worse. Women comprised just 7 percent of all direc…

taliastarczewski

When Will Women Lead Storytelling in Hollywood?

theuncannyprofessoro

Boy wonders populate the history of Hollywood. As familiar figures in the mythology of the filmmaking business, these young geniuses use their considerable talent and drive to achieve the unachieva…

taliastarczewski

The Women You Didn’t Know Built Hollywood

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theuncannyprofessoro

Dorothy Arzner, the pioneering female filmmaker behind box-office hit 'The Wild Party,' was also the first woman to direct a sound picture with 'Manhattan Cocktail.'

taliastarczewski

The Passion of Dorothy Arzner

theuncannyprofessoro

Frances Marion was one of early Hollywood's most influential writers

taliastarczewski

Washed away: lost films by female directors

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