Between Gazes

Camelia Elias

interventions in feminist interventions in feminist filmmakingfilmmaking

How to formulate an understanding of a How to formulate an understanding of a structure that insists on our absence even structure that insists on our absence even in the face of our presence? (Ruby Rich) in the face of our presence? (Ruby Rich)

What is there in a film with which a woman What is there in a film with which a woman viewer identifies?viewer identifies?

How can the contradictions be used a as a How can the contradictions be used a as a critique?critique?

How do all these factors influence what How do all these factors influence what one makes as a woman filmmaker, or one makes as a woman filmmaker, or specifically as a feminist filmmaker?specifically as a feminist filmmaker?

methodsmethods

go against narrative illusionism and be in favor of go against narrative illusionism and be in favor of formalism formalism

construe other representations of women:construe other representations of women: formulate a feminine aestheticformulate a feminine aesthetic a new language of desirea new language of desire

avoid a politics of emotion and seek to avoid a politics of emotion and seek to problematize the female spectator’s identification problematize the female spectator’s identification with the on-screen image of womenwith the on-screen image of women

engage in a process of self-definitionengage in a process of self-definition present the possibility of envisaging oneself as a present the possibility of envisaging oneself as a

subjectsubject

identificationidentification

““is not simply one physical is not simply one physical mechanism among others, but the mechanism among others, but the operation itself whereby the human operation itself whereby the human subject is constituted” (Laplanche subject is constituted” (Laplanche and Pontalis, and Pontalis, The Language of The Language of Psycho-AnalysisPsycho-Analysis 1973) 1973)

deaesthetisizingdeaesthetisizing

““to ask of … women’s films: what formal, stylistic to ask of … women’s films: what formal, stylistic or thematic markers point to a female presence or thematic markers point to a female presence behind the camera?, and hence to generalize and behind the camera?, and hence to generalize and universalize, to say: this is the look and sound of universalize, to say: this is the look and sound of women’s cinema, this is its language – finally only women’s cinema, this is its language – finally only means complying, accepting a certain definition of means complying, accepting a certain definition of art, cinema and culture and obliquingly showing art, cinema and culture and obliquingly showing how women can and do “contribute”, pay tribute, how women can and do “contribute”, pay tribute, to “society”. Put another way, to ask whether there to “society”. Put another way, to ask whether there is a feminine or female aesthetic, or a specific is a feminine or female aesthetic, or a specific language of women’s cinema, is to remain caught language of women’s cinema, is to remain caught in the master’s house, and there … to legitimate in the master’s house, and there … to legitimate the hidden agendas of a culture we badly need to the hidden agendas of a culture we badly need to change” (T. de Laurentis, “Aesthetic and Feminist change” (T. de Laurentis, “Aesthetic and Feminist Theory: Rethinking Women’s Cinema”)Theory: Rethinking Women’s Cinema”)

feminist film poeticsfeminist film poetics

the film needs to define all points of the film needs to define all points of identification (with character, image identification (with character, image camera) as female, feminine, and feministcamera) as female, feminine, and feminist

the film should not be just what it says but the film should not be just what it says but be about what is shown and how it’s be about what is shown and how it’s shownshown

the film should focus on gestures the film should focus on gestures the film should render a presence in the the film should render a presence in the

feeling of a gesture, to convey a sense of feeling of a gesture, to convey a sense of an experience that is subjective, yet an experience that is subjective, yet socially codedsocially coded

revisionist viewsrevisionist views

Gertrude Koch: Gertrude Koch: ““the issue remains whether films by the issue remains whether films by

women actually succeed in subverting this women actually succeed in subverting this basic model of the camera’s construction basic model of the camera’s construction of the gaze, whether the female look of the gaze, whether the female look through the camera at the world, at men, through the camera at the world, at men, at women and objects will be an essentially at women and objects will be an essentially different one” (“Ex-Changing the Gaze: Re-different one” (“Ex-Changing the Gaze: Re-visioning Feminist Film Theory”, 2004 in visioning Feminist Film Theory”, 2004 in Feminist Film TheoryFeminist Film Theory, Simpson et al.), Simpson et al.)

revisionist viewsrevisionist views

Teresa de Laurentis: “the emphasis must Teresa de Laurentis: “the emphasis must be shifted away from the artist behind the be shifted away from the artist behind the camera, the gaze or the text as origin and camera, the gaze or the text as origin and determination of meaning, toward the determination of meaning, toward the wider public sphere of cinema as a social wider public sphere of cinema as a social technology: we must develop our technology: we must develop our understanding of cinema’s implication in understanding of cinema’s implication in other modes of cultural representation and other modes of cultural representation and its possibilities of both production and its possibilities of both production and counterproduction of social vision” counterproduction of social vision”

en-genderingen-gendering constructingconstructing defining defining

the female subjectthe female subject heterogeneously across multiple heterogeneously across multiple

representations of class, race, language, and representations of class, race, language, and social relationssocial relations

the ‘other’ subjectthe ‘other’ subject homogeneously fixed in class, race, language, homogeneously fixed in class, race, language,

and social relationsand social relations

heterogeneous elements in heterogeneous elements in TitusTitus

the use of languagethe use of language the use of setsthe use of sets the use of musicthe use of music the use of costumesthe use of costumes the use of ideologythe use of ideology