In class we discussed the gender, status and class shown by the characters John Hannay played by Rupert Penry-Jones and Victoria Sinclair played by Lydia Leonard during the film The 39 Steps. The film is set in 1914 in the run up to the first world war. We firstly discussed Hannay when we first see him:
John Hannay:
Well dressed
Clean cut
Dark blue suit
Well spoken
Posh/received pronunciation
Alphamale although not stereotypical
Camera work suggests he's clumsy
Not scared/unfazed from being shot at
Fits the action genre
Seems hectic from the editing
Setting suggests he's isolated and an impostor which contrasts to his usual surroundings of london.
Setting also makes him seem vulnerable from the police and the plane shooting at him which makes him in danger.
We then looked at Victoria Sinclair and Hannay and how they interact with each other and their personalities:
Victoria Sinclair:
Looks the part (wears petticoats)
One of the only women in the room
Suffragette
Men have no respect for her
Sarcastic
Strong-minded
Stubborn
Violent (kicks a police officer)
Uses her femininity
Masculine traits (climbing walls)
She is shown using The Male Gaze when she's tucking in her petticoats
John Hannay:
Flirtatious
Undermines Sinclair
Gentlemanly towards her
Sexist
Superior
The music played during the film creates suspense, it's non-diegetic and the classical music fits the era and the action genre of the film,
In UK TV drama there are mainly 4 different types of men. These are: The geek:- For example in Eastenders there is Tamwar Masood who is a high achiever and is always studying. The wise old man:- In Eastenders, this is Patrick Trueman
The lad:- this can be Phil Mitchell
The labourer:- This can be seen as Minty.
These are 4 stereotypical types of males. The geeky one is always quiet and does well; the wise old man always gives good advice; the lad is always getting into fights and is a hit with the ladies and the labourer is normally a mechanic. This can be seen as The Male Gaze for it can be on how males view each other and the typical stereotypes they see of themselves. These stereotypes can also back up Leon festingers theory saying on how our views on someone don't change until there's drastic evidence against our views. This also supports Tessa Perkins' idea that stereotypes aren't always negative for the wise old man is a positive stereotype to have. The geek in these TV Drama's are normally Asian; the lad is normally a white middle-aged male and the labourer is normally a slightly overweight white male, these are how different types are people are represented in our culture. This means that the cultural code for these TV Drama's would only be understood in our society.
Tamwar fits the typical stereotype of young Aisan boys. Stereotypically, aisan boys wear glasses; study alot and get good grades - all of these Tamwar is, this is also an example of the cultural code for only people in this culture could see aisan boys like this.
For my final piece of coursework I would like to do an opening of a movie. I was thinking about film openings i have seen and the only ones i can really remember clearly are Tim Burton's openings to his films where he follows a certain thing on a journey. E.G. Sweeney Todd he follows a trail of blood; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where you follow a bar of chocolate in production. Here are some examples:
This clip from The Nightmare Before Christmas also has this style, apart from instead of following around a production line or a single object you are taken around "Halloweentown" until you're introduced to Jack.
During the Corpe Bride you follow a journey of a butterfly throughout the town until you come into contact with the first character:
These are all good examples of The Male Gaze for they are all from the point of view of a male for Tim Burton has made them. Also, if it was from the perspective of a female then some of the events would be different, for example, in "The Nightmare Before Christmas" the main character of Jack might be a woman. The majority of characters in these openings are male, thus emphasizing the idea of The Male Gaze. I like his openings because I think that they are memorable. I would like to take this idea and maybe include it in my coursework.
In class we were discussing Laura Mulvey's theory on The Male Gaze and Marjorie Ferguson and Trevor Millum's idea's on facial expressions while looking at an advert for Calvin Kleins underwear for women:
We were then asked to write an essay of 500 words answering "How does Calvin Klein represent females in the above advert? Are they objectified or sexually empowered?".
Laura Mulvey came up with the term "The Male Gaze" in 1975, the concept of the gaze is how an audience views the people presented. This can be thought of in 3 ways which are:
How men look at women
How women look at themselves
How women look at other women.
Laura Mulvery also believes that film audiences have to see characters from a heterosexual males point of view.
The features of the "Male Gaze" are that the camera lingers on the curves of the female body. Also, events that happen to a female are viewed from the reaction of the male, this relegates women to the status of objects. The female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by indentification with the male.
We were shown the video to "She's so lovely" by Scouting For Girls and then asked to answer the following questions:
What colour top did he and she wear?
What number bowling lane was used?
What colour belt did he and she wear?
What colour shoes did he and she wear?
What colout eyes did he and she have?
The females in the class were able to pay more attention because they has a different perspective on the characters than the males, thus proving the point of "the Male Gaze"
The use of the "Male Gaze" is also used in everyday life, some theorists also have noted the sexualizing of the female body even in situations where female sexiness has nothing to do with the product being advertised. For example:
Lynx adverts
Special K adverts.
These both show women attractively, the Lynx advert is the best example:
There are some criticisms of Mulvey and the "Gaze" theory. Some women enjoy being stared at thus why they take part in beauty pageants. The "gaze" can also be directed towards members of the same sex for several reasons not all of which are sexual, such as comparison of body image and clothing.
In the 1980's Marjorie Ferguson identified 4 types of facial expressions on the front cover of british women's magazines. These were:
The Chocolate Box - Half/Full smile; Lips together/slightly parted; Teeth barely visible; full/three-quarters of the face to the camera.
Invitational - Emphasis on the eyes; Mouth shut with hint of a smile; head to one side or looking back to the camera.
Super-Smiler - Full face; wide open, toothy smile; Head thrusts forward or chin thrown back; Hair often wind blown.
Romantic or Sexual - includes male/female "couples"; Dreamy; Heavy lidded eyes; overly sensual/sexual.
The chocolate box is blandly pleasing; uniformity of beauty and devoid of uniqueness. Invitational is suggestive of mischief or mystery; hint of contact rather than sexual promise. Super-smiler is aggressive with a "look at me" attitude. Romantic/sexual is suggesting that the model is possibly or definitely available.
Using these, I feel that the picture I chose for the preliminary magazine task fits the description of the chocolate box because Shanghai has her lips together with a half smile, she also has 3/4 of her face towards the camera which is pleasing to the eye.
In the 1990's Trevor Millum came up with more facial expressions:
Seductive - similar to cool/level; eyes less wide; expression is less reserved but still self-confident; milder.
Practical - Concentrating; Engaged in business in hand; mouth closed; Eyes directed at object; sometimes a slight frown; hair often tied back or short in style
Comic - Deliberately ridiculous; exaggerated; acting the fool; pulling faces
Catalogue - A neutral look as if a dummy, artifical, wax like; features may be in any position - but most likely to be with eyes wide with a smile; looks remain vacant and empty with personality removed.
