CIN105Y1 Study Guide - Final Guide: Fetishism, Connotation
FEMINISM “Women’s Cinema as Counter-Cinema”
Why has the image of man undergone rapid differentiation, while the primitive
stereotyping of women remained with only a few modifications?
In this way, Hollywood is a “dream factory” producing an oppressive cultural product
Fixed iconography is used to establish the role of women; it’s a sexist ideology (there is
greater differentiation of men’s roles)
Icons are a part of myths (which represent the major means in which women have
been used in the cinema—they transmit and transform the ideology of sexism and
render it invisible, so it becomes natural)
Connotation is established for each icon
It is possible to disengage these icons form the idea of women in cinema
Ex. the use of women directors in comedy
In rejecting the sociological analysis of women in the cinema, we reject any view in
terms of realism, as this would involve a denial of the reality of myth in operation
Women are presented in terms of what they represent for the man
Fetishism of women is a projection of male narcissistic fantasy
Ex. Mae West
Howard Hawks’ films celebrate the solidarity and validity of the exclusive all-male
group, dedicated to the life of action and adventure, and a rigid professional ethic; women
appear to have very positive qualities—through this, more progressive elements emerge
Women should seek to operate both within the male-dominated cinema and outside of it
“Everything in Question: Women and Film in Prospect”
Sex/gender is a central question in films like “Orlando”, questioning how the audience
identifies with gender/fixed gender identities
Politically and aesthetically challenging, changing the narrative of the world today
Films like “Orlando” break past the stereotypes of women in film history (such as women
on the road, women with guns, women and sex, or the reinvented family)
What happens when marginalized or repressed stories come to the fore?
As feminism becomes more respectably established everywhere, the voices of feminists
are heard
There is a shift in the cultural prominence of women’s issues, which must be reflected in
films
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Document Summary
In this way, hollywood is a dream factory producing an oppressive cultural product. Fixed iconography is used to establish the role of women; it"s a sexist ideology (there is greater differentiation of men"s roles) Icons are a part of myths (which represent the major means in which women have been used in the cinema they transmit and transform the ideology of sexism and render it invisible, so it becomes natural) It is possible to disengage these icons form the idea of women in cinema. Ex. the use of women directors in comedy. In rejecting the sociological analysis of women in the cinema, we reject any view in terms of realism, as this would involve a denial of the reality of myth in operation. Women are presented in terms of what they represent for the man. Fetishism of women is a projection of male narcissistic fantasy.
