Theory Research
Marxist Film Theory
Marxism is a theory developed by philosophers, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 19th Century. The theory suggests the class system within society is the cause of struggle and should be eradicated.
Marxist Film theory was originally expressed by in the 1920's by Russian filmmakers such as 'Sergei Eisenstein' and many more. Films influenced and inspired by the Marxist film theory have their plots driven by groups of people as opposed to a protagonist or an antagonist.
There tends to be an unbiased structure which has been put in place to promote ideologies, which are more often than not political.
Sources:
https://mistahsaxton.weebly.com/marxist-theory.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxist_film_theory
Marxism is a theory developed by philosophers, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 19th Century. The theory suggests the class system within society is the cause of struggle and should be eradicated.
Marxist Film theory was originally expressed by in the 1920's by Russian filmmakers such as 'Sergei Eisenstein' and many more. Films influenced and inspired by the Marxist film theory have their plots driven by groups of people as opposed to a protagonist or an antagonist.
There tends to be an unbiased structure which has been put in place to promote ideologies, which are more often than not political.
Sources:
https://mistahsaxton.weebly.com/marxist-theory.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxist_film_theory
Examples of Marxist Film Theory
Hunger Games
'The Hunger Games' has clearly been inspired by Marxist film theory due to the plot being driven by a group of people as opposed to one, in addition to this there are underlying political ideologies within the film. The economical gap between social classes within the film is made blatantly obvious from the beginning and consistently throughout, this can be related to current social classes and the divisions that separate them. Snowpiercer The film 'Snowpiercer' is a perfect example of a film which has been inspired and heavily influenced by the Marxist film theory, the movie poster's tagline: 'fight your way to the front' is evidence of an underlying presence of a society segregated by class which is depicted by the different carriages on the train. Within the dystopian world the movie is based in, the main character 'Curtis' who is played by actor 'Chris Evans' is tasked with leading an uprising against those in power and by extension, the class system itself. This relates to Marxist film theory because of the clear presence of ideologies and political viewpoints the film is attempting to convey, alongside this the viewpoints are similar to those put forward by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 19th Century. The Maze Runner This film is based in a dystopian society where a virus has overrun the world and a massive corporation called 'Wicked' has enslaved, wiped the memory of young adults and placed them inside of the massive maze without any form of instructions. As I have previously stated, an aspect of Marxist Film Theory is the underlying promotion of political issues; this is present within this film: the ideologies of slavery and child labour. |
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Masculine Film Theory
The main ideologies behind masculine film theory are: men are represented as the peak of physical beauty in many films and therefore creates a false and unrealistic standard for the rest of men to blindly attempt to achieve; examples are 'Conan the Barbarian' and the 'Rocky' movie series.
Sources:
http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199791286/obo-9780199791286-0048.xml
https://sites.lafayette.edu/fams202-sp15/2015/03/29/masculinity-and-film/
http://ala-choice.libguides.com/c.php?g=436772&p=2977464
The main ideologies behind masculine film theory are: men are represented as the peak of physical beauty in many films and therefore creates a false and unrealistic standard for the rest of men to blindly attempt to achieve; examples are 'Conan the Barbarian' and the 'Rocky' movie series.
Sources:
http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199791286/obo-9780199791286-0048.xml
https://sites.lafayette.edu/fams202-sp15/2015/03/29/masculinity-and-film/
http://ala-choice.libguides.com/c.php?g=436772&p=2977464
Examples of Masculine Film Theory
Conan The Barbarian
Made in 1982, Conan the Barbarian was played by actor and bodybuilder 'Arnold Schwarzenegger' who at the time was considered the peak of physical beauty by both men and women. Throughout the movie the character 'Conan the Barbarian' wore no shirt in an attempt to convey the raw physical strength the character possessed; this mostly appealed to a female audience whilst creating an unrealistic standard of fitness for the rest of men to blindly attempt to achieve. Rocky The main character of the film, 'Rocky Balboa' was played by actor and bodybuilder 'Sylvester Stallone'. The character is a boxer and similar to 'Conan the Barbarian' has a multitude of shirtless scenes for the same reason. Raiders Of The Lost Ark The main character 'Indiana Jones' was played by actor 'Harrison Ford'. Unlike the previous two films I have mentioned, this actor was not a bodybuilder, however the character was portrayed as manly, brave and heroic. Whilst the previous characters were presented as physically perfect, 'Indiana Jones' was shown to be morally perfect and the ideal hero of the story, which would appeal to both a male and female audience with aspirations of replicating these traits. |
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Postmodernist Film Theory
The general concept of this theory is to differ from the modernist approach in film, it aims to replace modernist theories and implement postmodernist ideologies in film. Postmodernist films are typically presented in the form of storytelling and utilizes popular culture in an attempt to create interest.
Sources:
http://filmtheory.org/postmodernism-in-films/
The general concept of this theory is to differ from the modernist approach in film, it aims to replace modernist theories and implement postmodernist ideologies in film. Postmodernist films are typically presented in the form of storytelling and utilizes popular culture in an attempt to create interest.
Sources:
http://filmtheory.org/postmodernism-in-films/
Examples of Postmodernist Film Theory
Pulp Fiction
The movie 'Pulp Fiction' does not possess and linear narrative and has therefore, to an extent, been conveyed to the audience in a storytelling-like structure. As the postmodernist film theory suggests, this creates interest and in-turn keeps the audience engaged with the film. Adaptation The film 'Adaptation' was released in 2002, directed by Spike Jonze and stars Nicolas Cage. It incorporates postmodernist film theory by having the main character 'Charlie Kaufman' overwhelmed with personal issues such as sexual frustration and self-loathing. Issues such as these create interest and encourages the audience to anticipate the film's plot. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is a romantic comedy starring Jim Carrey. The film is centered around the concept of erasing memories with the use of technology; within it, the film has a tendency to change scenes rapidly, this is an aspect of a postmodernist film and can cause the audience to feel confused. |
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Cognitive Film Theory
This theory aims to portray to the audience the mindset and understanding of an individual within a film, it is basically the concept of how someone reacts to certain situations and is able to adapt to said situations due to knowledge gained from experiences or the media.
Sources:
http://filmtheory.org/cognitive-theory-on-films/
https://melaniemenardarts.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/cognitive-film-theory/
http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199791286/obo-9780199791286-0142.xml
This theory aims to portray to the audience the mindset and understanding of an individual within a film, it is basically the concept of how someone reacts to certain situations and is able to adapt to said situations due to knowledge gained from experiences or the media.
Sources:
http://filmtheory.org/cognitive-theory-on-films/
https://melaniemenardarts.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/cognitive-film-theory/
http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199791286/obo-9780199791286-0142.xml
Example of Cognitive Film Theory
12 Angry Men (1957)
12 Angry Men is considered to be a cult-classic film, featuring 'Henry Fonda' and directed by 'Sidney Lumet' in 1957. As the title suggests it features 12 members of a jury who are attempting to unanimously determine the verdict of whether or not the young man on trial is guilty of murder and should therefore be punished by death. Within this film, cognitive film theory is consistently portrayed through the actions and decisions made by the characters. In the film the 12 men decide to call a preliminary vote to determine how many of them believe the young man is guilty; after the votes were privately cast and tallied, the characters and audience discovered 'Henry Fonda' stood alone in believing the young man may have been innocent. The rest of the film shows the arguments made and body language of the characters in an attempt to convey the process of the rest of the characters eventually changing their minds to innocent. |
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Feminist Film Theory
Feminism is a political movement which aims to create equal rights for women and ultimately gain equality on all fronts between the two genders.
Feminist film theory as we currently know it was heavily influenced by women's rights movements in the 1960's and 1970's. The main ideologies behind the theory is that women should not be in cinematography for the sole purpose of being sexual gratification for men; this relates heavily towards the 'male gaze' theory suggested by Laura Mulvey. Women are stereotypically seen as being the 'damsel in distress' and helpless without the aid of a man, the feminist film theory attempts to break this stereotype and and put forward the idea of equal rights within cinema for both genders.
The Male Gaze
Laura Mulvey developed a theory called the 'male gaze' which suggests women's bodies and more specifically their 'curves' are highlighted in most media that appeals to men.
Reflection Theory
Reflection Theory is the result of several theories put forward by Molly Haskel and MarJorie Rosen. The theory suggests the way in which women are portrayed in films is directly correlated to how women are portrayed in modern society.
"Haskel claims that violence towards women in film represents society's reaction towards feminism. Reflection theory can certainly be proven just as Haskell and Rosen did since many women roles feature only minor characters without development and mostly sex scenes." - http://aapj1102.blogspot.com/2009/11/feminism-and-reflection-theory.html
Counter Cinema
Counter Cinema was proposed in the 1960's and suggested an alternative method of mainstream cinema (more specifically Hollywood) and divulged into a broader range of culture and ideologies.
"Counter Cinema is used in many ways, be it as a political weapon or an agenda. They oppose linear structures of mainstream cinema and often deal with issues that perpetuate cinematic realism, cultural stereotypes, sexism, capitalism and neocolonialism"
"Most of the conventional Hollywood cinema was directed towards a specific audience, mainly white people. Most of the actors and collaborators were white. There was hardly any representation of different cultures. Cultural and racial stereotypes ran deep various factors such as films being perceived as political weapons in the backdrop of political uprisings, revolutions and a massively strong leftist movement all over the world." - http://filmtheory.org/counter-cinema/
Classic Film Narrative
Modern films that fall under the category of a 'classic film narrative' do not show the film's production and therefore can present an artificial portrayal of women as attractive and a realistic standard for all women.
The Female Spectator
A criticism of 'Mulvey's' theory on 'the male gaze' is the exclusion of female spectatorship or a 'female gaze'. In a later essay 'Mulvey' attempted to correct her generalised beliefs stated through her 'male gaze' theory: she claimed some of the female spectatorship may prefer or unconsciously identify with the passive role of the stereotypical woman and some may even go as far as identifying with the typical masculine point of view.
The Female Masquerade
Overtime it has become somewhat of a stereotype that women are more able and flexible at identifying with the other gender. The female Masquerade was initially suggested by Johnston in 1975; by extension the theory assumes emotional investments results in over-identification.
The Female Look
In the early 1980's it seemed the concept of the female look was impossible; according to Ann Kaplan (1983) despite the fact that women are able to identify with the male character of a film and adopt certain characteristics from said character, they are still women and because of this the desire for identification, whether conscious or subconscious, means nothing; she argues the gaze in not necessarily male. Gertrud Koch (1980) suggested women had the capabilities to enjoy the image of female beauty in film.
Female Subjectivity
Female subjectivity is constantly developing and being reproduced, narration in film is one of the main ways in which this happens. According to De Lauretis, the main function of narrative within film is to lead women into femininity regardless of their want (lack of consent); she believes "the desire of the female character is impossible". Cinematic techniques in regards to a film's narrative are similar to society in the 1900's oppressive nature towards women; these techniques could be seen as symbolic of this.
Female Desire
According to Kaja Silverman, female dialect in films influenced by the masculine film theory are often reduced to screams, unintelligible nonsense or simply silence.
Sexual Difference In Its Discontents
An issue with the sexual difference within psychoanalytical films is the lack of focus on differences other than gender, such as sexual difference, culture and race.
Feminist Theory And Race
A major complaint from a variety of black feminists was the focus on sexual differences as opposed to racial differences (despite not being black, Jane Gaines is an example). Most woman in films during the 1900's who were portrayed as beautiful were typically white, this resulted on the male gaze unintentionally exclusively applying to white women and disregarding black women.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_film_theory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_gaze
http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486
http://www.annekesmelik.nl/TheCinemaBook.pdf
Feminism is a political movement which aims to create equal rights for women and ultimately gain equality on all fronts between the two genders.
Feminist film theory as we currently know it was heavily influenced by women's rights movements in the 1960's and 1970's. The main ideologies behind the theory is that women should not be in cinematography for the sole purpose of being sexual gratification for men; this relates heavily towards the 'male gaze' theory suggested by Laura Mulvey. Women are stereotypically seen as being the 'damsel in distress' and helpless without the aid of a man, the feminist film theory attempts to break this stereotype and and put forward the idea of equal rights within cinema for both genders.
The Male Gaze
Laura Mulvey developed a theory called the 'male gaze' which suggests women's bodies and more specifically their 'curves' are highlighted in most media that appeals to men.
Reflection Theory
Reflection Theory is the result of several theories put forward by Molly Haskel and MarJorie Rosen. The theory suggests the way in which women are portrayed in films is directly correlated to how women are portrayed in modern society.
"Haskel claims that violence towards women in film represents society's reaction towards feminism. Reflection theory can certainly be proven just as Haskell and Rosen did since many women roles feature only minor characters without development and mostly sex scenes." - http://aapj1102.blogspot.com/2009/11/feminism-and-reflection-theory.html
Counter Cinema
Counter Cinema was proposed in the 1960's and suggested an alternative method of mainstream cinema (more specifically Hollywood) and divulged into a broader range of culture and ideologies.
"Counter Cinema is used in many ways, be it as a political weapon or an agenda. They oppose linear structures of mainstream cinema and often deal with issues that perpetuate cinematic realism, cultural stereotypes, sexism, capitalism and neocolonialism"
"Most of the conventional Hollywood cinema was directed towards a specific audience, mainly white people. Most of the actors and collaborators were white. There was hardly any representation of different cultures. Cultural and racial stereotypes ran deep various factors such as films being perceived as political weapons in the backdrop of political uprisings, revolutions and a massively strong leftist movement all over the world." - http://filmtheory.org/counter-cinema/
Classic Film Narrative
Modern films that fall under the category of a 'classic film narrative' do not show the film's production and therefore can present an artificial portrayal of women as attractive and a realistic standard for all women.
The Female Spectator
A criticism of 'Mulvey's' theory on 'the male gaze' is the exclusion of female spectatorship or a 'female gaze'. In a later essay 'Mulvey' attempted to correct her generalised beliefs stated through her 'male gaze' theory: she claimed some of the female spectatorship may prefer or unconsciously identify with the passive role of the stereotypical woman and some may even go as far as identifying with the typical masculine point of view.
The Female Masquerade
Overtime it has become somewhat of a stereotype that women are more able and flexible at identifying with the other gender. The female Masquerade was initially suggested by Johnston in 1975; by extension the theory assumes emotional investments results in over-identification.
The Female Look
In the early 1980's it seemed the concept of the female look was impossible; according to Ann Kaplan (1983) despite the fact that women are able to identify with the male character of a film and adopt certain characteristics from said character, they are still women and because of this the desire for identification, whether conscious or subconscious, means nothing; she argues the gaze in not necessarily male. Gertrud Koch (1980) suggested women had the capabilities to enjoy the image of female beauty in film.
Female Subjectivity
Female subjectivity is constantly developing and being reproduced, narration in film is one of the main ways in which this happens. According to De Lauretis, the main function of narrative within film is to lead women into femininity regardless of their want (lack of consent); she believes "the desire of the female character is impossible". Cinematic techniques in regards to a film's narrative are similar to society in the 1900's oppressive nature towards women; these techniques could be seen as symbolic of this.
Female Desire
According to Kaja Silverman, female dialect in films influenced by the masculine film theory are often reduced to screams, unintelligible nonsense or simply silence.
Sexual Difference In Its Discontents
An issue with the sexual difference within psychoanalytical films is the lack of focus on differences other than gender, such as sexual difference, culture and race.
Feminist Theory And Race
A major complaint from a variety of black feminists was the focus on sexual differences as opposed to racial differences (despite not being black, Jane Gaines is an example). Most woman in films during the 1900's who were portrayed as beautiful were typically white, this resulted on the male gaze unintentionally exclusively applying to white women and disregarding black women.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_film_theory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_gaze
http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486
http://www.annekesmelik.nl/TheCinemaBook.pdf
Examples of Feminist Film Theory
Mad Max: Fury Road
'Mad Max: Fury Road' portrays the films influence from feminist film theory through the character 'Furiosa'. Unlike the typical women in films where the main character is a man, 'Furiosa' has short hair and masculine traits to her physique, such as slightly muscular arms and legs, minimal cleavage shown in her costume and an extremely independent and self-sufficient personality. Ghostbusters (2016) This film is a remake of the original 'Ghostbusters' which was made in 1984 and featured 4 men as the 'Ghostbusters'; in contrast to this, the remake features four women as the main characters and to take it a step further, a male actor with an ideal physique plays the main characters' receptionist. With feminist film theory in mind, this is a step towards gender equality within cinema. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope A New Hope was directed by George Lucas and released in 1977. The character 'Princess Leia' who was played by actress Carrie Fisher is initially portrayed as weak and dependent on the other male characters to rescue and protect her. When in her holding cell, the male gaze is clearly present due to her thin clothing and provocative position when lying down, however when the main characters are cornered and in danger, 'Princess Leia' takes one of the 'blasters' and shoots a vent open as a form of escape and proceeds to move towards it while shooting the approaching 'Stormtroopers' and claiming "Well somebody has to save our skins!" This scene drastically changes the portrayal of the character and clearly conveys the films attempt to create a strong, independent female character a female and male audience alike can cheer on and be inspired by. |
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Mad Max: Fury Road
I have decided to analyse in depth the film 'Mad Max: Fury Road' through a feminist lens in regards to the feminist film theory. I plan on taking a look at the cinematography used, actors chosen to play certain roles and how aspects of the film theory apply to the film, for example the male gaze, reflection theory and counter cinema.
The post-apocalyptic, dystopian film ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ was directed by George Miller and released in 2015. 'Mad Max: Fury Road' mainly portrays the film’s influence from feminist film theory through the character 'Furiosa' who is played by actress ‘Charlize Theron’. The character is seen to have a masculine build, short hair and an independent mindset, this contests theories such as masculine film theory and suggests the film is heavily influenced by feminist film theory. The male gaze can be applied to this film through 'Immortan Joe's' five wives (who are all played by attractive actresses and models) and in particular, the way they're dressed when 'Max' first interacts with them. The fact that all five women are pregnant reinforces the concept that they are seen as sexual objects by the men in the film. This contrasts with the atmosphere created by 'Furiosa' and therefore further emphasises her independent and strong-willed nature. |