Hollywood Representations of Women in 1930s Film - Case Study Example

Hollywood Representations of Women in 1930s Film Proposal for Research Project—Portrayal of Women in 1930s Film In this research project, I will examine the many different ways that women have been portrayed in Hollywood film. I will explore how women were portrayed in 1930s Hollywood, using Gold diggers of 1933 as a framework for exploring this topic. The project will comprise five sections and an introduction. The first section will explore the representation of women in 1930s film, concentrating on how women were objectified. The second section will focus on how 1930s cinema, pre-code, portrayed women as having to choose between a career and love. Section 3 will look at the role of women in 1930s film and theorise that some women, notably Norma Shearer, could transcend stereotypes. Finally, I will explore how women’s roles in the cinema evolved from the beginning to the end of the Depression, and section 4 will examine criticisms of women in 1930s cinema and Section 5 will be a conclusion. Annotated Bibliography Berry, S. (2000). Screen style: Consumer fashion and femininity in 1930s Hollywood. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press New. This book will be useful in assessing impact of the 1930s films as it details how Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich influenced women filmgoers as role models of self-determination, and shows why the public is fascinated with these strong-willed women and others. Dawson, J. E. (1995). Hollywood’s image of the working woman. Las Vegas: University of Nevada. This dissertation will facilitate to explore the roles, which women have taken on the silver screen, how women are portrayed, and psychological aspects and influence of films to women. Feuer, J. (1993). The Hollywood musical. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. This book will assist in understanding of the origin and evolution of the Hollywood musical, as well as how it has affected society over the years, especially the chapter ‘Dream worlds and dream stages’, which details how Hollywood musical provided audience with escapist entertainment from the difficulties of war and depression faced in 1930s. Kolbjornsen, T. K. (1998). ‘Dansingi Hollywood: punktnedslagi film-musikalenshistorie’, dissertation, Villanova University, Philadelphia, PA. This dissertation explores musical film aesthetically and how spectators are transformed by the experience of watching these Hollywood musicals such as Busby Berkeley shows in the 1930s, and an exploration of dance as an aesthetic sign and discussion on how women are transformed into kinetic ornaments. Lovasz, K. (2007). Technologies of self-presentation: Women’s engagement with mediated representation from the era of silent film to the Internet age. dissertation, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. In this dissertation, Lovasz explores identity theory, which explains how women relate to patriarchal culture, by exploring a woman’s imagined and virtual cultural experiences, including those of film. Davies, C. (1988). New women, new culture: The Women’s Weekly and Hollywood in Australia in the early 1930s. Dissertation Brisbane: Griffith University Press. This book is very important in this research as it explores how the new woman, from the period after the censorship policy came into play, came to be and how she affected culture, including how women were portrayed on the silver screen, and it examines how the Hollywood portrayal of women in the 1930s affected women in Australia. Siegel, M. B. (2009). ‘Busby Berkeley and the projected stage’, Hudson Review, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 106–114. In this article, Siegel discusses some of the films of Busby Berkeley, a filmmaker of the 1930s who pioneered dance movies, which reveals his projected dance dreams; therefore, it will assist in assessing 1930 films. Streb, J. L. (2004). Minna Citron: A socio-historical study of an artist’s feminist social realism in the 1930s. University Park: Pennsylvania State University. This dissertation will expound on the role of women in 1930s films, as it explores the work of Citron, a depression-era feminist artist, how her dual roles of homemaker and artist were affected by feminist concerns, how her body of work was woven into the social fabric of the Depression era and how her work reflected her feminist leanings. Watkins, J. (2005). From fallen women to risen heroines: Representations of gender and sexuality in American film, 1929–1942. Huntington: Marshall University. This thesis will assist in analysing portrayal of women in 1930s as it focusses on how the issues of economics and culture affected these films, as well as on the portrayal of gender, revealing how the portrayal of women became more conservative in the 1930s due to outside pressure. Mulvey, L. (1999). “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Film Theory and Criticism : Introductory Readings. Eds. Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen. New York: Oxford UP, 833-44. This text analyses the Madonna-whore complex and the role of women in pleasing men in Hollywood productions, which is crucial for this essay following the coming up of women’s role in film. Contents Introduction 6 Representation of Women in 1930s Film 6 Portrayal of Women in 1930s Film 8 Real-life Role of Women in 1930s Film 9 Criticism of Women’s Roles in 1930s Film 12 Introduction Since its inception in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, scholars have categorised the film industry as being among those industries that have evolved tremendously and women have played a central role in this evolution. The manner in which women are presented in films shows how these films reflect and reinforce the dominant ideology; although, in the period of the Great Depression, women seemed underrepresented, many later emerged as directors, writers, actors and audience members. Arguably, women in the film industry have often been celebrated more because of their appearance than their acting ability. In addition, irrespective of certain female stars’ legendary statuses, gender roles have been firmly reinforced by the roles these women, who are judged by their appearances, have played (Dawson 1995, p.71). This research paper provides a detailed analysis of how Hollywood portrayed women in film, focusing particularly on the 1930s, using Gold diggers of 1933 (D’Ambra 2011) as a framework. Four themes will be discussed: the representation of women in early 1930s film, the portrayal of women in 1930s film, and the real-life role of women and criticism of women’s role in 1930s films. The 1930s is widely known as the time of the Great Depression (1929-1939), which provides an interesting backdrop from which to explore how women were portrayed because of globally changing morals and cynicism. Representation of Women in 1930s Film Kaplan (1994, p.3) states that Hollywood cinematography in many instances objectified women for the pleasure of men. Mulvey (1989, p.56), argues that the role women played is worth looking at but not worth any other form of attention implying that women were insignificant people in the society, and their only relevance appeared in their sexuality as objects of pleasure for men (Kolbjornsen 1998, p.52-97). As these scholars indicate, during this period, men viewed women in limited dimensions, and many women were objects of sexual fulfilment, hence sexually active prostitutes, or pure and powerless Madonna, which was the first definition of the ‘Madonna–whore complex’ (Mulvey 1999, p.837). Arguably, it is for this reason that Gates (2011, p.23) states that the manner in which images of women are presented in Hollywood film aims solely at gratifying male viewers. This is evident in Gold diggers of 1933, in which women as filmic sex objects is displayed freely and fully. Ginger Rogers, Joan Blondell and Ruby Keeler play the major roles as Fay Fortune, Carol King and Polly Parker respectively, and appear as stereotypical bombshells, slender and beautiful, and they are dressed in skimpy costumes in many of their scenes. Further, Rogers and Blondell have platinum blonde hair in the film, which again presents them as sex objects. Aline MacMahon plays the role of the only female character not characterised in this way. She serves as the sole voice of cynicism and the unsentimental attitude that prevailed from the start of the 1930s due to the Great Depression. Further, she appears to have a superior intellect as compared to the other female characters. Aside from that played by MacMahon, female characters in the film can be said to be characterised as the Madonna–whore. For instance, they appear independent and the character of Lawrence Bradford views their morals negatively. As the embodiment of the 1930s high society members, Bradford expresses the elite’s opinion of the female role during this time. Interestingly, as the film ends, all the women become Madonna when they become wives and are no longer sexually promiscuous showgirls: Trixie marries Lawrence’s lawyer, Carol marries Lawrence and Polly marries Brad, thus transforming them from prostitutes into Madonna. In short, women’s roles in the 1930s were often stereotypical, with women portrayed in a sexualised manner for the benefit of men. The way women were depicted as choosing love instead of careers is a further clear indication of how they were stereotyped, an issue that is explored in the next section. Portrayal of Women in 1930s Film Scholarly research shows that the main role of films is to reinforce and reflect a society’s dominant ideology, where in the United States of America (hereafter, America) in the 1930s, the dominant perspective was male. As such, the patriarchal view that women must make a choice between love and a career was frequently the focus of 1930s film (Lovasz 2007, p.21-45). The underlying message of these films was that a woman had to choose having a career or having a romance (Gates 2009, p.29) and, ultimately, should choose love and sacrifice their career. Along these same lines, reflecting the earlier mentioned patriarchy of the era in the Madonna-whore complex; women were portrayed as easily manipulated sex goddesses, for example, as embodied by the various characters played by Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo (Kaplan 1994, p.118). These types of portrayals of women were ‘pre-code’, meaning that Hollywood films could, and did, show women’s sexuality overtly (Streb 2004, p.54). Pre-code in the above case is used to mean a standard by which films were produced in Hollywood, with depictions of women as sexual objects (Doherty 1999, p.3). However, the introduction of the code changed this through censorship (Doherty 1999, p.3). Hollywood was forced to portray women in a different way, which provided the opportunity for the portrayal of female characters to break away from the standard Hollywood patriarchal portrayals. This change is evident in Katherine Hepburn and Bette Davis films, such as State of the Union (1948) and A Stolen Life (1946) in which female characters are shown as being more than equal to men in the working environment (Smith 2008). Nevertheless, the pre-code ethos—that women must seek romance and sacrifice their career for love—is evident in the movie Gold diggers of 1933. As noted earlier, at the beginning and throughout most of the film, women are portrayed as independent, relying upon themselves and their female friends for support (Davies 1988, p.12-57). However, by the end, this has changed, as each of the women finds love, and is married to a wealthy man, meaning that these women’s financial problems, which are highlighted at the beginning of the film, are solved. Therefore, it can be argued that, in the 1930s, Hollywood did not portray women in America realistically (Smedley 2011, p.13). While real women were increasingly entering the workforce in greater numbers, because they had to support their husbands, Hollywood portrayed them as having to choose between love and a career. One theory is that Hollywood moved away from representing females as independent career women in an attempt to recapture the notion of the idealised housewife and feminine values (Dawson 1995, p.71). However, as explained in the next section, the Great Depression era also led to other roles for women in films; roles which were more in line with the female experience during this time. Real-life Role of Women in 1930s Film Watkins (2005, p.4) explains that the male-dominated society instilled, within female actors, a feeling that their roles did not reflect their real-life experiences and feelings. During the 1930s, women’s roles were exposed to discrimination, and the few who succeeded in their careers lacked a favourable environment in which to express their views (Kaplan 1994, p.26). In relation to this, women in the rest of society, other than the film, did not live their lives as depicted in the films. The films appear as misguided notions that Hollywood created just for the earlier mentioned pleasure of men; if not this, the entire depiction was to create a sense of male dominance over society (Feur 1982, p.6). Despite the fact that in many Hollywood films women were portrayed only through the eyes of men, in the late 1930s, a positive direction towards what scholars have termed the ‘real-life role’ of women began to be taken in depictions of females (Smedley 2011, p.13). During this time, a number of willing, strong and intelligent female actors, many of whom continue to be celebrated, took full control of the film industry. These women were empowered and self-governed and had reputable morals (Haskell 2002, p.65). They acted as role models for the ordinary American woman due to their admirable and rational natures and were strong willed and capable of developing their careers (Siegel 2009, p.105). For instance, the film series Free souls: The complicated women of pre-code Hollywood by Castro Theatre, a 2003 documentary exploring the provocative role of women between the years 1929 and 1934, is an example of their recognition (Scheer n.d.). As the Great Depression ended, the role of women in society in almost all aspects of life changed, and one reason for this change was the emergence of new ideologies in the education, social, cultural and economic sectors. The media—specifically, film—acted as the most effective medium through which to address these changes (Berry 1997, p.45). As a result, women entered the industry to explore their talent, intelligence, fashion and the diversification of beauty (Haskell 2002, p.68). Successful female actors encouraged women to feel empowered and fight for their rights in education and other fields. Many of the films produced during this time aimed at creating awareness about the discriminatory nature of a male-dominated society (Haskell 2002, p.68). Watkins (2009, p.85) explains that the Great Depression era led to the development of a wide range of characters for women. These included those portrayed by female actors such as Norma Shearer, who was a sophisticated liberal, and an example of a female actor who was transformed by the Great Depression. Watkins documents that Shearer was forced by the Great Depression to become an individual with an increased awareness of her sexuality (Scheer n.d.). Before the Great Depression, the famous Ziegfeld Follies producers turned her down for having squat legs and being a ‘dog’; however, during the Great Depression, she had a healthy career (Watkins 2005, p. 85). Shearer was an inspiring female role model and style icon because she embodied a courageous attitude and wore the fashionable bobbed haircut and casual outfits of her day (Kaplan 1994, p.20). Eventually, Shearer became one of America’s favourite female actors and many others imitated her. When re-examined, many of Shearer’s films are found to have themes that are still relevant to today’s culture. For instance, in the film The divorcee, produced in 1930, she raises the topic of unfaithful husbands (Net Industry n.d.). Previously, it was taboo for a woman to complain about their husbands, irrespective of their affairs; this is because it was believed that women had no control over the actions taken by their husbands. Such cultural notions were eradicated with the emergence of this new era in film, as married women began to work for themselves and make decisions, head institutions with men as junior staff and raise families as single parents. In the film, Let us be gay (1930), Shearer clearly proves that, in cases of dissatisfaction with marriage, women had the chance to seek better situations than that afforded by being a mere housewife, provided they felt comfortable (Talon 2011). This is evident when Shearer, acting as Mrs Katherine, divorces her husband and re-invents herself, venturing into fashion. Shearer is considered one of the trailblazers of cinema because she represented women who were independent and able to care for themselves. Over time, other female actors have emulated Shearer, discussing their career experiences in magazines and on television. These women inspired other women and sectors that had previously been considered purely male, such as the military, law and engineering industries, making them gradually more accessible to women (Kaplan 1994, p. 21). Criticism of Women’s Roles in 1930s Film The roles of women in the pre-code era have been described as both great and successful (Siegel 2009, p.110). However, the female actors portraying these characters have faced criticism for accepting their societal roles without showing society the challenges they faced because of their sex and, as they did not voice these challenges, they never sought to liberate women from negative cultural ideologies (Morse 2004). That said, film played a critical role in the establishment of women’s freedom this was because the media enabled people to see what women had endured in order to establish their careers. Shearer, who overcame great odds—including crossed eyes and coming from a broken home—to become a major star is a good example of this (Siegel, 2009, p.107). Despite efforts to end these stereotypes of women being sexual objects created for the pleasure of men and societal roles in abandoning careers for romance, some films continued to reinforce negative stereotypes and reverse the progress, such as The sex goddess in America (1930). It could be argued that if the films of the 1930s had reflected the female experience and embodied the ethos of the female actors playing the roles, these films would be greatly improved and would have been more of a catalyst for the feminist movement. Conclusion As this analysis has shown, Hollywood’s representation of women in the film industry of the 1930s was objectifying, with female actors cast to satisfy men’s sexual desires. Women were portrayed as worth being seen, but not worth being heard or allowed to express themselves. In addition, the film industry portrayed the stereotyped characters of domestic mothers and romantics. This can be seen in the film Gold diggers of 1933, in which the women finish in domestic roles, having earlier been portrayed as independent and self-sufficient. This is following the four aspects revolving around women in their representation in film, real life roles aside from film and portrayal of women in film, as well as criticism of women’s roles in films, all covering the period of the 1930s. However, this trend did not last; as women came to realise the strong discrimination against them, they took decisive action to change society’s perception of their abilities. As a result, female actors became role models to other women and inspired them to improve their lives. Bibliography Berry, S. (2000). Screen style: Consumer fashion and femininity in 1930s Hollywood. Minneapolis: Univ Of Minnesota Press New. Dawson, J. E. (1995). Hollywood’s image of the working woman. Las Vegas: University of Nevada. Doherty, T. (1999). Pre-code Hollywood: Sex, immorality, and insurrection in American cinema, 1930–1934, New York: Columbia University Press. Gates, P. (2011). Detecting women: Gender and the Hollywood detective film, SUNY Press: New York. Gates, P. (2009). “Conversation with scholars of American popular culture: Featured guest Philippa Gates”. Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture 1900 to the Present, vol. 8, no. 2. Haskell, M. (1974). From reverence to rape: The treatment of women in the movies 1st edn, New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Kaplan, E. A. (1993). Women and film: Both sides of the camera, London: Routledge. Kolbjornsen, T. K. (1998). ‘Dansingi Hollywood: punktnedslagi film-musikalenshistorie’, dissertation, Villanova University, Philadelphia, PA.Smith, K. (2008). Women in Hollywood. [Online] Available from http://ksmith-hollywoodwomen.blogspot.com/2008/12/stereotypical-roles-of-women-in-films.html Accessed 8/11/2012 Mulvey, L. 1989, Visual and other pleasures, London: Macmillan. Siegel, M.B. (2009). ‘Busby Berkeley and the projected stage’, Hudson Review, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 106–114. Smedley, N. (2011). A divided world: Hollywood cinema and émigré directors in the era of Roosevelt and Hitler, 1933–1948, Intellect, Bristol. Watkins, J. (2005). From fallen women to risen heroines: Representations of gender and sexuality in American film, 1929–1942. Huntington: Marshall University,. Watkins, T.H. (2009). The Great Depression: America in the 1930s, New York. Little, Brown and Company. D’Ambra, T. (2011). Gold Diggers of 1933. [Online] Available from. http://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/3-gold-diggers-of-1933-1933/ [Accessed 8/11/2012] Scheer, S. (n.d). A Review of Mick LaSalle's Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood (New York: Thomas Dunne Books-St. Martin's Press, 2000). [Online] Available from http://www.stevencscheer.com/lasalle.htm Accessed 8/11/2012 Net Industries. (n.d). The Divorcee (1930) –Overview, Synopsis, Critique. [Online] Available from http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/928/The-Divorcee-1930.html [Accessed 8/11/2012] Talon, Codemaster 2011, "You think I want him NOW? You can have him!", viewed 8 November 2012. < http://www.amazon.com/Let-Us-Gay-Norma-Shearer/dp/B002PAP6HA > Morse, A. (2004). Complicated Consciences. [Online] Available fromhttp://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/print.php?id=17-02-014-v [Accessed 8/11/2012] Mulvey, L. (1975). Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. [Online] Available from https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/MarkTribe/Visual+Pleasure+and+Narrative+Cinema [Accessed 8/11/2012] Feuer, J. (1993). The Hollywood musical. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Lovasz, K. (2007). Technologies of self-presentation: Women’s engagement with mediated representation from the era of silent film to the Internet age. dissertation, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. Davies, C. (1988). New women, new culture: The Women’s Weekly and Hollywood in Australia in the early 1930s. Dissertation Brisbane: Griffith University Press. Streb, J. L. (2004). Minna Citron: A socio-historical study of an artist’s feminist social realism in the 1930s. University Park: Pennsylvania State University. Read More