Freud, Hollywood and the male gaze

Summary

In this talk, Laura Mulvey revisits her 1975 essay 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,' where she critiques the gender dynamics in Hollywood cinema. Mulvey examines how films reflect societal power imbalances, focusing on the male gaze and its psychoanalytic roots. She explores the portrayal of women as objects of desire, while men control the narrative, and addresses the evolution of these representations in contemporary cinema. Mulvey also critiques the simplistic idea of a 'female gaze' and emphasizes a more nuanced perspective based on curiosity and understanding. Ultimately, she calls for a reimagining of cinema from a feminist viewpoint.

Takeaways

• 😀 Laura Mulvey's essay 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' (1975) became highly influential, introducing the concept of the 'male gaze' in film studies and beyond.
• 😀 The concept of the 'male gaze' has become a widely used term, but Mulvey warns it has also become overused and clichéd, losing some of its original theoretical power.
• 😀 Mulvey reflects on the changes in cinema over the years, with technological advancements and new platforms revolutionizing spectatorship and shifting how films are consumed.
• 😀 Despite changes in the medium, Mulvey's 1975 essay continues to resonate, especially regarding critiques of sexism in mainstream films, the underrepresentation of women directors, and the lack of strong female roles.
• 😀 Mulvey uses three questions to revisit her original essay: Why Freud? Why Hollywood? And what about the 'female spectator'?
• 😀 The 'male gaze' argument highlights how gender inequality in society is reflected in Hollywood cinema, where women are visualized as spectacles, often sexualized, while men control the narrative.
• 😀 The visual style of cinema itself contributes to gender dynamics, where female stars are often objectified and placed in passive roles, while male stars are depicted as active agents controlling the plot.
• 😀 Freud's psychoanalytic theories, especially his concept of the castration complex, play a significant role in explaining the representation of women in cinema as objects of male fear and desire.
• 😀 Hollywood’s production system, especially in its studio era, heavily influenced the representation of women as spectacle and sexualized objects, with men controlling both the narrative and visual pleasure.
• 😀 Mulvey challenges the idea of a 'female gaze' as a simple reversal of power. Instead, she proposes curiosity and a desire to know as key to understanding a woman's perspective, which may differ from the patriarchal gaze.
• 😀 As more women filmmakers create content, there is a growing exploration of women's visual imagination in cinema, with films like 'The Eternal Daughter' and 'Petite Maman' examining the relationship between mothers and daughters through an imaginative and curious lens.

Q & A

What is the significance of Laura Mulvey's essay *Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema*?

Laura Mulvey's essay, written in 1975, critically examines the sexual politics of Hollywood cinema, focusing on how gender imbalances in society are mirrored in the representation of men and women on screen. It introduced the concept of the 'male gaze,' arguing that films often depict women as passive objects to be looked at, while men are the active subjects controlling the narrative.

How did the concept of the 'male gaze' evolve over time?

The concept of the 'male gaze' initially emerged as part of feminist film theory to critique Hollywood's gender representations. Over time, it spread beyond film studies into other academic fields and even everyday language. However, Mulvey notes that while the term has become widely used, it has also been overgeneralized and turned into a cliché.

What was Laura Mulvey's initial expectation about the longevity of *Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema*?

Mulvey initially believed that her essay, written in the era of traditional film screenings, would eventually become an outdated, historical object of study as cinema technologies and viewing practices evolved. However, contrary to her expectations, the concept of the 'male gaze' gained increasing relevance in cultural discourse.

How does Mulvey view the current state of the 'male gaze' in contemporary culture?

Mulvey acknowledges that while the idea of the 'male gaze' has been a useful tool for critiquing sexism in mainstream cinema, it has also become overused and reduced to a simplistic identity, losing some of its original theoretical depth. She expresses concern that it is now often invoked in ways that oversimplify the complexities of gender and power.

Why did Laura Mulvey use Freudian psychoanalysis in her original essay?

Mulvey used Freudian psychoanalysis to decode the unconscious structures that shape gender representations in film. Psychoanalytic concepts like castration anxiety and fetishism helped her to explain how male fear and desire influence the visual construction of women in cinema. Freud's ideas also helped her to highlight how the male gaze is rooted in patriarchal unconscious fantasies.

What is the connection between Freud’s concept of castration anxiety and the portrayal of women in cinema?

Freud's concept of castration anxiety, particularly the fear and repulsion towards the female body, helped Mulvey understand how women are objectified in cinema. She argued that women are often depicted in a way that obscures their realness, instead presenting them as fetishized, sexualized objects that distract from deeper fears about sexual difference.

Why did Mulvey focus on Hollywood cinema in her analysis?

Mulvey focused on Hollywood because it was the most powerful and ideologically regulated film industry in the world. Hollywood films were highly formulaic and centered around gender roles, particularly the objectification of women. She saw Hollywood as a key space where the patriarchal psyche could be critiqued through its representations of gender and sexuality.

How does Mulvey describe the role of the male and female stars in Hollywood films?

In Hollywood films, the male stars often control the narrative and actively drive the plot, while the female stars are primarily visualized as objects of desire. Male stars are depicted with agency, while female stars are framed, lit, and presented in ways that emphasize their sexual appeal, thus reinforcing gendered power imbalances.

What does Mulvey say about the concept of a 'female gaze'?

Mulvey expresses skepticism about the concept of a 'female gaze' as a simple reversal of the male gaze. She argues that such reversals would only perpetuate power structures. Instead, she suggests that a woman's gaze could be characterized by curiosity and a desire to understand, rather than merely to dominate or possess.

What is the role of curiosity in the 'female gaze' according to Mulvey?

Mulvey suggests that curiosity, rather than sexual desire, could define a 'female gaze.' She associates this with a desire to understand and interpret the world, especially through the lens of women's lived experiences. This contrasts with the dominant male gaze, which is tied to power and objectification.