Gender and Sexuality in Darling and Secret and Lies - Essay Example

Gender and Sexuality in Darling and Secret and Lies

From the era of the Swinging London to the economic progress of the 1990s, the UK has exhibited vast shifts in treating gender differences. Two different films from these decades with dissimilar directors depicted convergences and divergences in their representation of gender and sexuality. Darling, directed by John Schlesinger, illustrates how the boredom of a beautiful, young, married model, Diana Scott (Julie Christie), reflected the social conditions of the 1960s. Thirty years later, Secret and Lies, directed by Mike Leigh, demonstrates that some women, including those in the minority, have experienced improvements in their social stature although not necessarily achieving complete gender equality inside their homes and society in general. Both films exhibit sexual permissiveness, space and livelihood as means to gaining power, and the desire to both fit in and break traditional gender roles; however, the directors have differences in their male representation and moralistic tone.

Schlesinger and Leigh capture the sexual liberation of two decades which is particularly prominent for women and homosexuals who did not have the same freedom before. Sexuality is shown in the context of the Swinging London’s age of permissiveness wherein women’s sexual permissiveness may be explained by their desire for independence and power (Murphy 155), which were denied to them in traditional contexts, especially in marriage and corporate settings. Diana is bored with her married life which motivates her to break it in order to enjoy the thrill of an extramarital affair. However, the moment her lover, Robert Gold (Dirk Bogarde), gets serious and they settle into the usual husband-and-wife mold, Diana becomes uninterested in him. Robert fondles her and she sees herself in the mirror as. She looks shocked and probably disappointed that she left one tedious cage only to choose the same old prison cell of a monotonous monogamous relationship. Consequently, Diana starts another affair, this time with someone as promiscuous as she is, Miles Brand (Laurence Harvey). The desire for power and control drives Diana to use sex to her advantage, whether it means getting movie roles or simply satisfying her desire for superiority over other women.

Leigh also shows the same sexual permissiveness in how Roxanne Purley (Claire Rushbrook) enjoys premarital sex in the same way her mother, Cynthia Rose Purley (Brenda Blethyn), did in her youth, resulting in two unplanned pregnancies. Like Cynthia, Roxanne dismisses the possibility of being pregnant and hates how her mother advises her about using contraceptives. Medium close up shots of their faces as they smoke include both the strained expressions of their eyes as well as the impatience they have for another. The last thing they want is to feel controlled by another person on a matter as personal and intimate as sexual affairs. Likewise, homosexual sex is included in Darling. Robert interviews Londoners about what they think is wrong in society and one male adult notes the increasing openness of homosexuality, including the open way they ask for sexual favors. By this time, homosexual individuals are becoming more confident in expressing themselves, while society responds with a mixture of disgust and tolerance. Schlesinger and Leigh altogether demonstrate how the usually sexually repressed groups of society have uncovered newfound freedoms in their times.

Besides heightened tolerance for licentious sexual practices among women and homosexuals, Schlesinger and Leigh depict the role of space in attaining power for female characters. Diana moves from a small home to a spacious apartment and fill it with her personal property, including her gold fish. If as a married woman she loses power when she yields decision-making to her husband, she gains it as a promiscuous mistress with her own house. Her space means her rules. Furthermore, Diana uses space to seduce men. In a train with Robert who is already asleep, Diana sits beside him and plays with his nose. Clearly, she wants his attention and he responds by kissing her passionately. She uses the same strategy with Miles when she walks on top of a table to persuade him to open the safe so she can look at important documents. She walks closer to Miles, thinking she can influence him with her sensual approaches. To dominate masculine personal space is an important strategy for Diana to become powerful. While Monica Purley (Phyllis Logan) is not wanton like Diana, she likewise uses space to gain power. Being barren, she feels less of a woman. In connection, she is extremely frustrated that she has monthly menstruation yet unable to have children. To access power, she is a control freak in her home and marriage. She stencils designs into her home and buys a house with many rooms despite being childless. Though her stencils are beautiful designs, they tend to fill up every space to the point of making the home claustrophobic. Furthermore, the way she talks down to her husband, Maurice Purley (Timothy Spall), emasculates him. In a sense, her increased control takes away her spouse’s power in their marriage. Diana and Monica both leverage space for their own particular desires for power over their lives and other people.

Livelihood is another important source of power for women. Because Diana can make her own money, she can make decisions on her own, including leaving her apartment with Robert. Likewise, by making more money, she increases her power too. She gets tired of Miles and marries a prince. During this time, money offers her extensive movement. Darling depicts the subjugation women feel in modern Britain and how they escape its moral confines through pursuing movement and participating in consumerism (Luckett 240). Diana keeps on moving from one house to another while wearing the best clothes, shoes, jewelry, and apparel along the way. She looks regal in her white dress as her husband says goodbye to her and leave for Rome. In the same manner, Hortense Cumberbatch (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) has power because she is a successful optometrist. She does not even think of marrying or having children because her job and middle class status offer her protection from social stigma compared to how Cynthia feels for her daughter. Cynthia thinks that Roxanne is wasting her life although she herself is clueless on what a good life means. Furthermore, as part of the working-class, Cynthia feels downtrodden. She works in a factory doing monotonous work which can partially explain why she is miserable and her despair creeps on her family as well. Furthermore, when she first meets Hortense, she is an emotional wreck. The middle shot of them facing the camera shows her constantly groveling like a child, which is opposite to the calmness of her daughter. Leigh portrays Cynthia as immature and unable to handle the situation, somehow indicating that her psychological behaviors suggest the impact of poor economic conditions on a woman’s self-esteem. The films explore the impact of economic ability on women’s sense of identity and confidence in life.

Apart from financial capability, Schlesinger and Leigh underscore the attempts of women to both fit in and resist traditional gender roles. Diana tried to be a happy wife with her first husband and claims she has loved him for being a nice man. However, they have different ideas of a good time and grow apart quickly. Furthermore, though Diana is a mistress, she insists that Robert should perform his parental duties by visiting his children as often as he could. She dislikes the idea of breaking homes, which is ironic, yet it implies how a part of her respects conventional family values. At the same time, Diana demonstrates great childcare attitudes. She can play with her nephew and stepchildren with true happiness. Even her eldest sister admires how good she is with kids. In a way, Diana seems to be the perfect mother. On the contrary, she also breaks conservative gender norms. She sleeps with men to get what she wants and appears to be morally unbothered with her wanton ways. In addition, though she loves children, she aborts her own child. The hypocrisy of her love for kids appears: She can only enjoy the company of young ones if they are not her own as it means they are out of her complete responsibility.

Like Diana, Cynthia is a paradox of a woman. She shows that she cares for Roxanne by meddling with her job and love life. As a nagging mother, she sincerely believes that she looks after the welfare of her child. Nonetheless, Cynthia is also a neglectful and insensitive mother. First, she does not even look at Hortense when she was born as the former was too scared of the responsibility. Granted that she was very young, she should have at least gazed at her own blood before giving her away. As a result, she is not even aware that she bore a black daughter, which gave a bad impression to Hortense that her mother definitely did not want her. Second, Cynthia has poor emotional intelligence. In the living room, she and Roxanne have a heated conversation. Cynthia complains about Maurice not calling her which irritates Roxanne who desires silence. Instead of giving her the peace she desires, Cynthia talks about getting the best guy if she were her daughter’s age but she did not because her mother died and she took care of Maurice and her grandfather as well as got pregnant with Roxanne, whom she calls her “downfall” (Secret and Lies). She clearly resents the gender-based responsibilities she took at a young age which infuriates Roxanne. Her mother wants her to settle down without realizing that she detests the life of a mother as Cynthia is evidently unhappy as one. The mid shots show them in their tensed states as Cynthia drinks alcohol and Roxanne smokes while trying to focus on the TV. Both are far from each other and signify their emotional distance too. They may be women but they are not connected emotionally in a deep manner at all. Schlesinger and Leigh illustrate how women in the 1960s and the 1990s try to absorb traditional gender roles although most would rather challenge them completely.

The directors are different in their takes of masculinity, however. Schlesinger shows that most men are promiscuous. Robert is already married yet as he watches Diana on TV, he shows sexual interest already through his facial and bodily expressions. The same can be said about Miles and Prince Cesare (José Luis de Villalonga). They all lust after Diana who use them in return to get whatever she wants, most especially power and wealth. Likewise, Robert is vindictive because Diana hurt his ego. He pretends to still love her and then pushes her away to hurt her. Male ego is more important to these male characters than love and loyalty.

Maurice, however, is different as a male character due to his lack of desire for domination. Although he earns enough to be part of the upper middle class, he exhibits “masculine anxiety and alienation” (Hallam 266) in his married and family life. When he visits Cynthia after a long time, the latter weeps and embraces him tightly. Embarrassed, he hugs her, which shows that he is uncomfortable not with displays of affection but in being the giver of strength in the family since his sister is the eldest. Furthermore, Maurice is alienated at home for he cannot have children. The picture of two kids hanging in his office underlines how much he would have wanted to have his own children but he cannot due to his wife’s sterility. Nonetheless, contrary to the male characters of Darling, Maurice remains loyal to his wife and sister. He accepts their bad attitudes and treatment of each other although he gets tired of their senseless bickering too. Leigh then shows the existence of men who respect women, including their strengths and weaknesses. Men who do not flinch at the sight of confident women are part of Leigh’s narratives.

The two films are also different in how they represent a moralistic tone. Schlesinger seems to look down on women like Diana who are too free in making their decisions. In the end, Diana loses love and liberty. She may be a princess but she feels the emptiness of her life. Ironically, as she pursues the best man for her, she only returns to the same traps of her gender by being married again. Schlesinger could be saying that for a woman who desires everything, she will have nothing in the end. Oppositely, Leigh shows life as it is for these women and men in his story. He believes that cinema should have elements that are products of their "dramatic environments" (O’Sullivan 4). In the café, Cynthia and Hortense sit together with the first wearing white and the other in black which produces a contrast of two emotions "the black-on-black daughter grieving for her abandonment, the white-in-white mother trying to preserve the patina of innocence" (O’Sullivan 63). Leigh is careful to not demonize the mother but show her as she is. At the same time, the daughter is not overdramatic but capable of controlling her anger. The emotions and behaviors they display underline the spectrum of reactions to abandonment and parenthood. Likewise, Leigh allows Cynthia to redeem herself as she tries to become a better mother to both Hortense and Roxanne. Even Roxanne lightens up when she realizes the value of having a sister. The bonds of women, their sisterhood, are potent and give power to these females to accept and love each another despite their many flaws. Leigh then has a more sentimental idea of gender, whereas Schlesinger provides a dark picture for immoral women who do not deserve a second chance at love.

Gender and sexuality are both important issues in Darling and Secret and Lies as women and men challenge and embrace social mores. Darling has a moralistic tone about wanton females, however, while Secret and Lies concentrates on the realism of complex human characters. Both films leave a strong message that women are still boxed in stereotyped roles in modern times but they can increase their social and political power through their control of wealth, space, and sisterhood.