Gentlemen Prefer Blondes from a Feminist Perspective - Case Study Example

Claire Johnston Claire Johnston: Mythic qualities and the feminine ideal as seen in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes from a feminist perspective of Client Name of University Claire Johnston 2 Claire Johnston: Mythic qualities and the feminine ideal as seen in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes from a feminist perspective “the mythic qualities of certain stereotypes can be used as shorthand for referring to an ideology in order to provide a critique of it” (Claire Johnston, 1976) Introduction Claire Johnston theorized that women in film were used primarily as mythological creatures, both misunderstood and falsely represented as ideals or objects of disdain. She identifies the two major types of women in early films as the Vamp and the Straight Girl, the one dangerous and sexual, the other pure and wholesome (Johnston 1976: 209). However, as characterizations advanced, the female mythology was developed into more complicated representations, although still objectified by male directors who seemed to see women as a literary device, rather than as human. In the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), the stereotypes of women are heavily used in order to present the lead characters of Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw. Johnston uses the work of Howard Hawkes, director of this film, as an example for the creations of the female mythological creature in film. The work that Hawkes produced was specifically male, with the alternative being the non-male. The female is never truly represented within the work. In examining the way in which he approaches the film through the lens of feminist film theories, an understanding of the way in which the male and non-male never truly includes the female can be found. Claire Johnston 3 However, it is first important to examine the plot and themes of the film in order to create a balanced look at the mythological creatures that are designed to represent a from of the female without ever actually being female. The narrative of the plot may not be as clearly anti-female as one might initially believe. The friendship and attachment of the two female leads quite possibly approaches the closest resemblance of a true depiction that the genre has in its catalogue. While the film appears to be a romantic comedy, the relationship that is at the core of the film is between two women, thus confounding the theories that suggest that the film is purely sexist and contains a plethora of sexist imagery and messages. Once a more balanced understanding of the narrative is made, it is then possible to establish the relationship that the film has with feminist theory. As well, the theories of Claire Johnston may then be examined from multiple points of view so that the work of Hawkes can be presented from a balanced and well defined perspective. The film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, while seemingly simple and light, has a developed relationship with messages of female independence that are sometimes overshadowed by objectification and themes that are not complimentary to the female gender. Feminist Film Theory and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes A kiss on the hand may be quite continental but diamonds are a girls best friend! (Beach 2002: 127) The plot for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), directed by Howard Hawkes is fairly simple. Two women take off on a cross Atlantic ship filled with a farcical romp of misunderstandings and manipulations as they search for their fortunes through finding husbands Claire Johnston 4 to give them love and security. One of the biggest and most memorable musical numbers in the film is performed in remarkable costumes that are unforgettable creations of hot pink impact, screaming their femininity as the Marilyn Monroe as Lorelei Lee croons out her desire for diamonds as a source of security. Surrounding by men dressed in dark tuxedos who surround her and offer their courtesies through the number, her bright costume and seductive song is in high contrast to the true theme of the story. The strongest relationship and theme in the movie is founded on the friendship that is developed between Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw played respectively by Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell. Most often, the narrative of the film is identified as a romantic adventure. However, according to Erens (1990), this narrative is overshadowed by two distinct themes that interfere with the romantic adventure to the point that in reality the co-existing themes of the narrative are the resistance to objectification that the two women fight to maintain and the friendship they have developed (116). The concept of resistance to objectification runs contrary to the way in which the women are presented. Visually, the two women are voluptuous and are costumed to enhance this overt sexuality. Mulvey (1996) examines the concept of women identified and dressed to represent an ideal of femininity in such a way that they are participating in a “masquerade” that disguises the truth under a façade of costume that put on the female aspect rather than revealed its nature (30). While she primarily discusses the melodrama where the artifices are penetrated and the emotional content revealed, this can conversely be associated with the comedy in which superficiality and packaged characterization creates a façade that is never truly penetrated by the Claire Johnston 5 viewer. However, in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, while the artifice is firmly in place and the characters do not become very dimensional, a running theme of the movie brings the female leads into a position to resist the draw of the male in favor of supporting each other through their trials and tribulations. They do not ever really depend on the males of the film, but on each other and themselves in order to create their fate. At the end of the film they do not separate and cling to the husbands they find, but they look to each other in silent communication as a way to convey that they had attained their goals of resisting the influence of male domination and had found their fortunes on their own terms. Hawkes and the Male and Non-male According to Johnston (1976), Hawkes creates female characters that are never truly women, but are either male in nature or non-male in nature (213). His understanding of the gender difference is always attuned to the male perspective. In order to create a strong female character, Johnston (1976) states that Hawkes must give her male identifying traits. She must either be accepted as a male or become woman-as-phallus as exampled by Marilyn Monroe’s character in Gentlemen Prefer blondes. She says that the presence of woman for Hawkes is “a traumatic presence that must be negated” (213). Woman is a problem for Hawkes that can only be solved by his repression of her. This might be interpreted as the result of the films ending as both women resolve their issues by marrying men, thus becoming negated and their independence no longer relevant. Hawkes, according to Landay, had a career long fascination with the concept of the buddy Claire Johnston 6 relationship (157). In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, this is evident in the relationship between the two women. However, as suggested by Johnston (1976), the two women are made masculine, according to standards of the era, by their careers and by their independent nature (213). They seek their fortunes rather than seeking out fulfillment in their emotional lives. The end creates a new dynamic that does not alter the core relationship within the film, however the “male” gender status is changed and the “non-male” position is filled as they are stripped of their independence and the need to resist the male conceptualization of their position. A change in the way in which the character of Lorelei is portrayed also creates a distinct sense of the overall conceptualization of the female presence in the film. The Lorelei of the 1925 serialized novel is very different to the Lorelei of the film. In the book she is a strong woman whose sexuality is derived from her assuredness and her strength. Landay (1998) suggests that the character of the book is more like the persona of Mae West, bold and forward with a quick mind that exudes confidence. Conversely to this portrayal, Monroe’s sexuality is derived from her weakness and her need for a male or a male like female to help her through her conflicts (157). This suggests that perhaps Johnston’s assessment of Hawkes may be more accurate despite the modern relationship between the women and their attempts to resist the objectification that is rife throughout the film. The Female Mythology The post-war film industry of the United States was faced with the frustrations of a generation that had just lived through a restrictive period that started with the depression of the thirties, then continued to the rationing and affects of war as many sons were lost as were hopes Claire Johnston 7 and dreams. While the fifties were a period of rebuilding for the economic power of the nation as new technology began to fill the pockets of Americans, so too did the socio-economic status of the nuclear family begin to take center stage. Therefore, a common theme in the American comedy became the search for love. However, as consumerism and materialistic needs also began to change and become associated more strongly with identity, so too did the nature of the female within the movies of the period change. While in the pre-war films the female leads were most often just in search for love, in several post-war films, the females leads were not only in search of love, but in search of financial stability. This can be seen in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as well as the more blatant example of How to Marry a Millionaire. According to Beach (2002), the desire for the American public to believe that the issue of class was no longer relevant as the middle class began to grow, the focus of the fetishized object shifted from class to money (128). Beach (2002) lists the result of this, however, as a more deeply objectified image of the female whose sole purpose was to become the object of a financially secure male (128). According to this representation of the female, a woman needed nothing more than her body to move between the classes and become a better member of society. Conclusion Thus the mythology of the female representation was created in order to fulfill both the complete oblivion that the male director had about the nature of woman and the desire for the female image that was the creation of his imagination. Therefore, by looking at these aspects of the created gender, the revelation of the ideology of the narrative and the characterization can be Claire Johnston 8 critiqued for both its false nature and for its capacity as representational of the culture of an era. The film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes offers fertile themes that can be discussed for their relevance to feminist theory because of these mythological creations of the female. In finding an understanding of the obliteration of the female gender by Howard Hawkes as he substitutes the male perspective over both genders by creating a male and a non-male, the representations can be seen for their male oriented perspective shedding light on the concept of objectification. The objectification of the film and the theme in which the two women work to resist this objectification becomes a glaring contradiction for the resistance is in direct conflict with the way in which the two women are packaged in their respective costumes and appeal. When Monroe sings about her desire for diamonds over love, she is packaged as a big pink ribbon wrapped present waiting for the right offer to come along. She is a gift, rather than a potential partner in a relationship. The relationship that is suggested is an economic arrangement where she gets her diamonds which represents her financial security in return for offering up her independence. In exploring the feminist perspective on films that predate the sexual revolution, it is understandable that the female persona was yet to be much more than a creation of fantasy. Women were not revealing the depths of their world just yet in the American experience and were only just beginning to experience a sense that their needs were relevant to the experience of living. The change from women seeking a husband to love and serve to the distinction of seeking a husband in order to improve their circumstances can be seen as a precursor to the sexual revolution that would validate the search for independence as both valid and feminine, rather Claire Johnston 9 than a male adopted identity upon the female. Claire Johnston 10 Bibliography Beach, Christopher. 2002. Class, language, and American film comedy. Cambridge u.a: Cambridge Univ. Pr. Erens, Patricia. 1990. Issues in feminist film criticism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Johnston, Claire. 1975. The Work of Dorothy Arzner: towards a feminist cinema. London: British Film Institute. Johnston, Claire. Nichols, Bill. 1976. “Women’s cinema as counter cinema” Found in Movies and methods: an anthology. Bill Nichols. Berkeley: University of California Press. Landay, Lori. 1998. Madcaps, screwballs, and con women: the female trickster in American culture. Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press Mulvey, Laura. 1996. Fetishism and curiosity. Bloomington u.a: Indiana Univ. Press u.a. Read More