Theory Work: Feminist Film Theory and Audiences

Laura Mulvey, a British film theory feminist, wrote an essay in 1975, titled "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema". Her theory is that cinema reflects our society, and therefore a patriarchal, male dominated society. It questions how this patriachal society can manifest itself and present itself within the world of cinema. Mulvey's work considered three methods of interpretation;

1. The Gaze
2. Agency
3. Erotic Desire

THE GAZE
This is where the gaze (what something is looking at) of the camera is the same as that ofthe male character. This means that the male gaze is active, whereas the female gaze is passive.
Mulvey argues that the way that men look at women is different to how women look at men, and by having an active male gaze, with the narrative being that of male characters, their gaze is directed towards female characters the provided perspective is that of a male.
The spectator of the text is made to identify with the male gaze, as it is from this perspective that the camera films. It is an optical, libidinal point of view from the male.
There are 3 levels of the cinematic gaze, known as the triple gaze- camera, character and spectator, all of which objectify the female characters. Below is a diagram that demonstrates the three identicle gazes; the female is objectified by the male, and therefore by the camera and the audience.

One example of this can be seen in James Bond: Dr No, as shown below;

As shown in the clip, the woman is viewed by the male protegonist, the camera, and the audience not as a woman, but as an object. This clip, and others like it, is constructed as if every spectator was male; women view the text as if they were a male member of the audience. This is an example of, and done through, the suture process. Most James Bond films follow this form of the gaze; another example is is Halle Berry in 'Die Another Day'.

A controversial film, which goes against this male gaze on women is 'Top Gun'. Although it is strongly denied by Tom Cruise, the gaze of this film, in a number of scenes, seems to be a male gaze on another male. This is evident from the slow motion shots, and the mise en scene such as close positioning of characters within the frame, as can be seen in the scene, along with others, from the film below;



AGENCY
The theory of agency is that in classical Hollywood cinema the male protegonist has agency- he is active and has the power. He is the agent around whom the dramatic unfolds, and who makes the decisions that make things happen in films. The female characters are passive and powerless, only present to be an object of lust and desire for the protagonist, leading onto Mulvey's theory of Erotic Desire.

EROTIC DESIRE
Laura Mulvey argues that women have just two roles in films;

• An object of erotic desire for characters
• An object of erotic desire for the audience

There is much evidence to suggest this theory is correct, in some films this seems so more than others, such as Megan Fox in Transformers.