Perspectives of Cinema - Essay Example

? Introduction The use of cinema has also created sociological implications and reflections of various identities. One of the different boundaries which have been created in relation to the cinema is that of the female experience and the identity which has been created with the use of film. The women which are presented in the movies, as well as the responses which women have toward film, both represent a specific sense of gender boundaries and place. This is furthered by creating a relationship from the star to the spectator which is associated with what defines a gender and how a female should understand the attitude, characteristics and style of being a woman. The consumption of film then places a sense of boundaries among women which relate to specific films. The result is a different understanding of gender identity and the way in which one should relate to society. The concept of gender identity and the relationship which this created in film was the basis of the female experience and consumption within the cinema. Perspectives of Cinema The first association with cinema is based on the spectator and the identity which is created from different perceptions. In a current study (Broadcasting Standards Commission, 1998), it was noted that the difference in perception changed according to gender. Women and men, for instance, viewed the ideal of violence differently. Women were known to have a stronger relationship to the aesthetics of the film as well as the impact of violence. This was furthered with a direct relationship which was created to the film and the violence, specifically as women created a relationship to the victimization that often occurred within movies and the sports creations. Men; however, had a different psychological response and didn’t associate the actions of the movie with reality or the actions which they took in various situations (Broadcasting Standards Commission, 1998). The spectator relationship to the film is one which is not only defined by the ideals which one associates with their own life and associations. The women’s place in society as well as the identity and roles which were expected among females was another strong association with the cinema and which reflected women in society. The approach which women often took was based on being consumers of a specific product. The cinema was the product which was designed to create a sense of identity. The women became spectators by also consuming the identities which were on television and the representation which this had. The overall ideology was based on the consumption of women as an object in which they were meant to represent an identity or component of life. This objectification was followed by the production and reproduction of familiar forms of identity as well as how this could define the women in society. Spectators then not only became associated with the relationship and emotional responses, but also associated with the consumer ideal and the understanding of what female identity should be inclusive of (Stacey, 1995). The relationship to the spectator with gender identity which one could associate with then became the main point of consumption and objectification of females. However, this specific relationship began after the wartime and with the movement into contemporary film. In the films of the 1930s, there was a specific identity which was based on the woman being the equal to man. Often, there were women who would play the same roles as men and which wouldn’t have different clothing or other approaches to identification. After the 1940s and 1950s, the gender identity began to split, specifically with Film Noir and other experimental approaches. This allowed the identity and the object of gender to split into identifying individuals according to the sociological realities which were in society, allowing for questions to occur with objectification and identity. However, spectators which were looking at this also began to see over – generalized accounts of gender and mimicking this with the consumption society which had been created (Street, 1997). The building of representation of women on the film then led to perspectives which were based on psychological, cultural and social responses. The psychological responses began with the influences which women had with other individuals in the community, personal perceptions which linked to the film and the response to the characters which could be identified with on the film. This was furthered with taking in the gender identity as a form of being an object. Women that were within society could relate to this, either through the memories which were associated with a different time frame or which continued to be prevalent in society. The relationships which were created then triggered a psychological and social response as an acceptable behavior, attitude or look which was within society. The boundaries which were placed became apparent with the psychological, cultural and social responses, as well as boundaries which were placed between men and women (Kaplan, 1997). Relationships to Stardom While the spectator began to look at and identify with the objectification of gender and women, were also other relationships created through the stars and the approach taken in identifying each of the individuals. Many looked at the concept of cinema as one which was cultural. The spectators would look toward this to consume a specific set of ideals about society or cultural beliefs. Those that acted as the stars were also seen as the representatives of the culture and were the icons of what individuals in society should or did represent. The reference to identity from the main stars was then one which was based on creating a sense of narrative images with the different films. However, the creation of the narrative images is one which is upheld by the approach to gender and the continuous use of creating gender into an object which identifies another individual within a given society (Ellis, 1992). The division between gender identities among stars was one which was based on several different representations of women and the objectification of identity. The first component came with the relationship to the war time movies and the beliefs in roles which each gender should have. For instance, war time movies usually led to men fighting in battle and to women playing roles as a nurse, wife or other gender. If this changed, the woman always remained as a secondary character within a role. Women in society were able to identify to this while reflecting the main attitudes which came from the roles of women and the association with the characteristics and plot lines. The movies became a way of creating and showing boundaries between gender identity and roles between men and women, specifically because of the expectations of where women and men should stand socially within the cinema and in society (Cacqueray, 2008). The characteristics which took shape with the plot lines and actions of women was then furthered by the sense of consumerism which most stars became a part of during the making of a film. The objectification led to a sense of spectatorship from the stars and to the audience. This was furthered by creating an identity which was expected to be acceptable within society. The concept of being a spectator began with the culture of women and what was considered aesthetically pleasing. The identity of the object became more apparent by presenting the ideology of beauty in the women stars. Thinner women that had a sexual appeal were the first approach used, specifically which was defined by the clothes which women wore and the way in which the camera presented the women. This was furthered by the large lips and large eyes which were used to create the same appeal. The objectification was meant to create a cultural relationship to define what a pleasing identity was for a woman both visually and with the role played in the films (McCabe, 2004). When looking at different stars and the association with their identity as a representation of gender, it could be seen that the overall approach created an acceptable meaning to society. The aesthetically pleasing behaviors were one component with this. For example, women were often given make – up or other attributes to make them become whiter, which represented purity. Other women were highlighted with darker lipsticks or eyeliner to increase the volume of the lips and eyes, specifically for a seductress look. Each of these were furthered with outlines, types of clothing and other elements which worked together to continue with the definition of what women should be or look like within society. The concept then led to a sense of imperialism, in which the women on the screen became the gaze of complete beauty as women. These objects then led into women in society desiring the same thing but never being able to obtain the characteristics or the beauty of women that were represented in the film through the 1980s. Those who could not reach this representation then were led into sociological responses which furthered the boundaries in society, specifically between women of the idealized beauty and others which played a role that was not as acceptable in society (Kaplan, 1997). Relating the Spectator to the Star The objectification of the woman in the cinema is one which led to the ideology of creating a different space in which women could identify with. The stars, while showing a side which was considered as forward thinking for given time frames, also related to what was appealing to both men and women and which women would respond to through a sense of consumerism. The identity, approach to beauty and the roles which women played were based specifically on how the object of women was able to create a social stereotype of women in society. Typically, this would lead to an experience which would magnify the society and the socio – cultural accepted roles which women played at a given time. The constraints of roles, for instance, were one which was dependent first on the expected roles which women played in society and which they could identify with. The stereotypes were furthered by what both genders expected and desired in both the action and the characteristics of women in society. By associating with this, there was the ability to represent the cultural roots which many believed should be acceptable in society (Harper, 2000). The approach to women being an acceptable object, as represented with the objectification of women in cinema, than led to the social and cultural affiliations continuing to move into trends with the identity of women. The objectification of the thin woman with the large eyes and lips, as well as the idealized role as a housewife or a nurse led to many women emerging into this stereotypical role. The stars, styles of fashion, images which were perceived and the relationships which were created as a result could easily be imitated from what women were already considering as fashionable. However, if women didn’t fit into this specific image, there was a sense of dissatisfaction and rejection, both with the psychological analysis on an individual basis and within the social role of women. The stars were able to create a definition not only of the objectification of the female role. There was also a sense of creating a subject of the ideal female and what each woman should strive to be like. The divisions within society were created not only from the gender identity, but also with those which fit into the role and others which didn’t (Johansson, Lundh, 2005). The concept of gender and identification, as well as the associations with acceptable associations is one which has led to a representation of what it means to belong to a gender in society. When the representation of a star is inclusive of a specific frame, waist line, look or fashionable style, then this begins to be reflected within society. The concept of consumption of the film is one which is based on creating an identity which reflects that of the gender identity in the film. More important, this relates to the ideology of what should be acceptable or not. The objectification which takes place on the screen from the continuous image and actions of the women then reflects with what is expected from others in society. As this theme is repeated in society, there are several who relate and reflect to this more within their own lives and with the socially acceptable definition of gender as an object (Neale, 1993). The Consumption of Film The concept of the gender as object then relates to the ideology of the consumption culture and the female experience. Women which relate to the images and which already represent the images of stars continues with the gender and consumption of those in society. As this is represented as the ideal of what women should be, it becomes a part of the consumption culture. Women are more likely to continue to buy into the fashions, ideals and the actions of women. The personality and characteristics which are repetitively seen through the movies become the experience of women in society and the way that they associate with given circumstances. The consumption continues at an ever faster rate because the object of women is one which is seen first. This allows the superficial level of women to be created and to create a definition of what women should create in society as a part of being a defined component. The consumption related to the star-struck figures and the perfect image relates to this as a subject of women and the need to create a physical appearance to also become the related image and object within society as seen in the film (Andrews, Talbot, 2000). The concept of the consumer culture is furthered by the relationship to the physical environment, specifically within the cinema. The cinema space is one which is unique because it allows women to have a sense of creating an experience that is outside of reality. However, there is the desire to depict a different reality within the given area. The darker lighting, the ability to not be seen and the reflection of the women on the screen begin to relate to the psychological ideals of what gender means. The psychoanalytical response with this use of space is one which is identified and creates meaning with fantasy, object relations and imaginary spaces. The imaginary; however, turns into one of the pieces of identity which women can find a relationship with. This is done through the imaginary reflecting the realistic, specifically with ideals of women in society that are presented on the TV. As the imaginary and real cross into blurred boundaries, women begin to change their attitudes and behaviors about the women and gender identity. The result is consumption of different types of identity and the acceptance into a variety of social groups that express the gender identity. This comes specifically from the translation of the cinema, specific to the psychological responses used with the space and cinema (Penley, 1988). The use of space and the imaginary leads into gender identity not only through the concept of blurring the lines of reality. More important, the stars and women that are on the film begin to represent the other. This is one which is based on the identities which women have experienced, such as through memories, or which they desired to experience in a given situation. The psychological relationship which is created from the imaginary space then leads into the reality which women relate to within the film. The attitudes and the approaches of how women are looked at within the film then becomes an important component as it relates to the other and being outside. However, women begin to see the other and relate to this. The consumption begins with the relationship that is created which leads into a sense of consumption or the need to continue to create this into a reality within society. The culture which is created from the cinema is then based on the overall image and appearance which stimulates the psychological ideals of women and the social implications which are represented from this. The expectations from the film as well as the reactions from the spectator then become the two most important components in defining the consumption of film (Kaplan, 1997). Conclusion The concept of female experiences within cinema is one which is intertwined with the realities which women lived and the consumption which occurred within the cinema. The representation of women from the stars was the first association with this, specifically with the idealization of beauty and the characteristics of women as secondary figures in the film. Women in society then saw this as a part of their experience or associated with this as an acceptable association with their own gender identity. The ability to move into the idea of the other continued with creating the images which were on screen and turning them into a sense of reality all which were based on the cinema spaces, psychological experiences and the relationships to society which women represented. Gender is then one which is understood as a consumption of film in which the objectification of women was able to create a response by women relating with their own identity to the stars and the film. References Andrews, MR, C Talbot. (2000). All the World and Her Husband: Women in Twentieth Century Consumer Culture. Routledge: New York. Broadcasting Standards Commission. (1998). “Men Viewing Violence.” Stirling Media Research Center. Cacqueray, Elizabeth. (2008). “Gender Disturbance: Women and War in 20th Century United Kingdom.” Revue Lisa Journal 6 (4). Ellis, J. (1992). 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