Laura Mulvey's Concept of the Male Gaze - Essay Example

Laura Mulvey's concept of the male gaze Your name:   Course name:         Professors’ name: Date: In order to demonstrate the concept of male gaze, this paper will use examples on how women are being portrayed in films or movies. This paper will first give an example of Shrley Barrett in the classic film, Love Serenade. Then, the paper will look into other films which portray the de-humanization of women in various forms including binding of the body, fragmentation, equating women body with objects, placing women in the role of animals, as so forth. Before talking about male gaze in Love Serenade (1996) film, it is important to first introduce the concept of gaze. Gaze is a concept that is used to analyze visual culture that deals with how an audience views the people presented in a film. This concept was coined by Laura Mulvey in 1975 in an essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”. In this essay, Mulvey stated that women in movies or films are seen as the objects of desire, rather than the possessors of gaze. Mulvey believes audience should view characters in a movie from a heterosexual male perspective (Mulvey, 1999). Gaze from a feminist’s perspective can be thought of in a three ways: first, how women look at themselves; second, how men look at women; and lastly, how women look at other women (Mulvey, 1999). Love Serenade (1996) is a film that is based on seductive power of character that is fueled by the material medium that is captured in the film. In this case is a 40 years old DJ and his 70’s playlist. Within this setup all is comfortable and normal with the actors, but for the observers, there are alarm bells going off everywhere within the film. DJ Sherry represents what most movies spit out, because his astonish performance as a DJ managed to win him admiration from two local sisters. In the film, the Hurley sisters are portrayed as desperate for men because when when DJ Sherry walks into the restaurant for the first time, Albert Lee try to introduce her sister (Vicki-Ann) to DJ Sherry that she was single and in need of a boyfriend. This shows that Dimity Lee was also tired to see his sister was still single for a long time. In the same strike, DJ Sherry and Dimity Lee characters are being portrayed as strong and honorable. There is no ambiguity; DJ Sherry is being portrayed as a good man. Nowadays, films consistently showcase two types of dignified gentlemen: the type that can be admired and emulated; and the type that is marriage material. In “Visual Pleasure and the Narrative Cinema,” Mulvey (1975) states that the absence of a penis in a woman’s body produce castration anxiety in a man that gaze upon a woman, “and that this gaze is the embodiment of two forms of distraction for the men unconscious: complete disavowal of castration by substitution of a fetish object or preoccupation with the re-enactment of the original trauma”. In the film script, Shirley Barrett did not confine the male gaze to demystify in order to objectify or desire to objectify. From the start of the film, Shirley Barrett clearly designates looks as a crucial component of the film. From the first contact, “was he handsome or not handsome?” the audience is forced to view DJ Sherry through another’s eyes. Audience in the movie participates in this gaze in a complicated way. According to Mulvey (1975), women in mainstream films are portrayed to provide visual pleasure to men, and the scene is set in a manner where the viewers are expected to be men. In the Love Serenade (1996) film, the male gaze is both fetishistic and voyeuristic. Mulvey (1975) concept of "to-be-looked-at-ness” portrays women that are included in films or movies in order to provide male audience with visual pleasure, as well as make them to have an erotic impact (Sturken and Cartwright, 2009). Mulvey (1975) has argued that key protagonist within a film or movie is male and the audiences are expected to be men. In her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, Mulvey (1975) has stated that: “the world is ordered by sexual unbalance, while pleasure in looking has been divided into passive females and active male (Pollock, 2006), and male will fantasy unto the female figure. In most films, women characters are portrayed as objects to be looked at and displayed, with their appearance being coded to portray a strong erotic and visual impact so as to be seen to connote to- be-looked-at-ness" (Mulvey, 1999) In Love Serenade (1996) film, the pose of two sisters is constructed in a way that they are looked at by male gaze. The pose of two sisters’ bodies is displayed for the male’s visual pleasure. The pose stress the two sisters long legs, their long, blond hair, their slim but well-endowed figures, skimpy outfit, and their coy expression that acknowledge that these two sisters were being looked at . In this film, male audiences get pleasure from looking at the two women, while the two women get their pleasure from being looked at. The sisters have power, but the power is gained through their ability to attract male attention, in this case DJ Sherry. Thus the two sisters’ power is contained within the patriarchal system. There are two different ways in which audience watch a movie or film: narcissism and scopophilia. According to Mulvey (1975), scopophilia means pleasurable or erotic looking. In other words, it means audience objectifying people in a movie and then subjecting them to a male controlled gaze (Sturken and Cartwright, 2009). It is the idea that the audiences in a movie are able to see but not be seen. Mulvey (1975) argues that there is a separation between the audiences and the characters in the movie (Mulvey, 1999). As part and parcel of scopophilia, lights in a movie or film play an important role because audience are able to sit in a darkened place watching a female character that cannot see them as well as inability of the other audience to see them (Mulvey, 1999). The darkness in a room or auditorium allows audience to watch without disturbance (Dworkin, 1989). Mulvey (1999) argue that Scopophilia is complete opposite of narcissism. Narcissism as outlined by Mulvey (1999) constitute male ego, audience identifying themselves with characters on the screen and losing self identity (Pollock, 2006). In narcissism, audiences in a film are able to identify with the male protagonist, and assume the male spectator (Pollock, 2006). Mulvey (1999) argued that a direct male gaze, from the character on screen, mostly a female character, to the spectators or audience, may enhance a feeling of empathy or identification, both is associated with narcissism (Messaris, 1997). An audience can see the emotion of a female character in a film and connect with her in a very real way (Messaris, 1997). Therefore, the audiences of a film are found to gain narcissistic pleasure from identifying themselves with the films protagonist, aspiration, admiration, or by identification. In most cases, audiences are found to place themselves in the shoes of the hero in the film. Further, Mulvey (1975) has been influenced by Freud, what a person unconsciously think (Pollock, 2006). For example, if a female character in a film or movie is not placed in a position of lower authority or objectified, then the audience in the film or movie will not feel as powerful. This unconscious idea is that men dominance and power over women lie squarely on his penis, and male will feel threatened if women don’t arouse it (Mulvey, 1999). In Love Serenade (1996) film, when Dimity Lee blurts out that his sister Vicki-Ann was looking for a boyfriend. By the looks of things DJ Sherry look in controlled because he asked Vicki-Ann if she was looking for a boyfriend. Thereafter, the two love bird started discussing whether fish have souls, and if they go to heaven. There is an extraordinary discovery at the scene, DJ Sherry is not just a fishy character but himself is fish. DJ Sherry speaks about being lonely, Vicki-Ann offered to ease his loneliness. Throughout the scene, DJ Sherry remains so impassive that his seduction tactics seems to make the two sisters notice him. As has become a commonplace in films produced in Australia, the film soundtrack is bloated with 1970’s songs; many of these songs have never been played on the radio for quite some time. In Love Serenade (1996) film, there’s a twist. The songs that have been used in the film match the scenes they have been used. Songs in films have a strong influence on the action in a movie or film, by establishing location, establishing realism, or aiding continuity (Messaris, 1997). From several studies, sound is thought to carry great deal of movie’s narrative information and emotive content relating to genre, enhance mood and structure, motivate reactions or cut, as well as guide audience attention (Pollock, 2006). Primary function for music in films is to serve the film narrative. Music in a film is not intended to be listened to in its own right. The love at first sight ideal in Love Serenade (1996) film has been expressed through non-verbal cues (Messaris, 1997). For example, in the scene where the characters enter into the restaurant, spot each other from a distance, and engage themselves in long glimpse toward one another. That particular scene was accompanied with music in the background to underscore immediate and strong attraction that exists between the two characters. References Dworkin, Andrea. “Introduction to the Second Edition of Pornography: Men Possessing Women.” New York City, March 1989. Sturken, Marita; Cartwright, Lisa. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. Oxford University Press,Inc., 2009. p. 94, 103. Pollock, Griselda (Ed.), Psychoanalysis and the Image. Blackwell, 2006. Messaris, Paul. “Visual Persuasion: The Role of Images in Advertising.” London: Sage, 1997. Mulvey, Laura: Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975, 1992), p. 14. Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. Eds. Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen. New York: Oxford UP, 1999: 833-44. Read More

From the start of the film, Shirley Barrett clearly designates looks as a crucial component of the film. From the first contact, “was he handsome or not handsome?” the audience is forced to view DJ Sherry through another’s eyes. Audience in the movie participates in this gaze in a complicated way. According to Mulvey (1975), women in mainstream films are portrayed to provide visual pleasure to men, and the scene is set in a manner where the viewers are expected to be men. In the Love Serenade (1996) film, the male gaze is both fetishistic and voyeuristic.

Mulvey (1975) concept of "to-be-looked-at-ness” portrays women that are included in films or movies in order to provide male audience with visual pleasure, as well as make them to have an erotic impact (Sturken and Cartwright, 2009). Mulvey (1975) has argued that key protagonist within a film or movie is male and the audiences are expected to be men. In her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, Mulvey (1975) has stated that: “the world is ordered by sexual unbalance, while pleasure in looking has been divided into passive females and active male (Pollock, 2006), and male will fantasy unto the female figure.

In most films, women characters are portrayed as objects to be looked at and displayed, with their appearance being coded to portray a strong erotic and visual impact so as to be seen to connote to- be-looked-at-ness" (Mulvey, 1999) In Love Serenade (1996) film, the pose of two sisters is constructed in a way that they are looked at by male gaze. The pose of two sisters’ bodies is displayed for the male’s visual pleasure. The pose stress the two sisters long legs, their long, blond hair, their slim but well-endowed figures, skimpy outfit, and their coy expression that acknowledge that these two sisters were being looked at .

In this film, male audiences get pleasure from looking at the two women, while the two women get their pleasure from being looked at. The sisters have power, but the power is gained through their ability to attract male attention, in this case DJ Sherry. Thus the two sisters’ power is contained within the patriarchal system. There are two different ways in which audience watch a movie or film: narcissism and scopophilia. According to Mulvey (1975), scopophilia means pleasurable or erotic looking.

In other words, it means audience objectifying people in a movie and then subjecting them to a male controlled gaze (Sturken and Cartwright, 2009). It is the idea that the audiences in a movie are able to see but not be seen. Mulvey (1975) argues that there is a separation between the audiences and the characters in the movie (Mulvey, 1999). As part and parcel of scopophilia, lights in a movie or film play an important role because audience are able to sit in a darkened place watching a female character that cannot see them as well as inability of the other audience to see them (Mulvey, 1999).

The darkness in a room or auditorium allows audience to watch without disturbance (Dworkin, 1989). Mulvey (1999) argue that Scopophilia is complete opposite of narcissism. Narcissism as outlined by Mulvey (1999) constitute male ego, audience identifying themselves with characters on the screen and losing self identity (Pollock, 2006). In narcissism, audiences in a film are able to identify with the male protagonist, and assume the male spectator (Pollock, 2006). Mulvey (1999) argued that a direct male gaze, from the character on screen, mostly a female character, to the spectators or audience, may enhance a feeling of empathy or identification, both is associated with narcissism (Messaris, 1997).

An audience can see the emotion of a female character in a film and connect with her in a very real way (Messaris, 1997). Therefore, the audiences of a film are found to gain narcissistic pleasure from identifying themselves with the films protagonist, aspiration, admiration, or by identification. In most cases, audiences are found to place themselves in the shoes of the hero in the film.

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