He goes on to say that this is something that we have now been made aware of but yet nothing seems to have changed. This idea of the male being the gazing eye and the woman being the one looked at has filtered down into society and this is idea is being reconstructed within the media and films in particular.
In films the ‘ideals’ of the male and female figure is a common trend where the male is always the Hero, and the female is always the sexual object there to be looked at. The gaze evokes two different structures of power within film and the genders where ‘Men act and women appear’. J Berger
J .Berger says about the behaviour of a woman in today society ‘she has to survey everything she is and everything she does, because how she appears to others, and ultimately men, is of critical importance for what is normally thought of as the success of her life’. He goes on to suggest that women are conditioned from childhood to believe they are to survey themselves and that they will be surveyed by others. This in turn makes them correct themselves into being what they want to be seen as.
The Gaze within films appeal to the 3 different levels of our consciousness and unconsciousness, ego, super ego, and ID.
The Gaze appeals to our egos because this is the side of us that we show and we behave in accordance to the way we want to be seen. Hence the ‘hero’s’ within films are always men and the assumed spectator is always male. This allows the spectator to live his ‘ideal’ through a film as this appeals to his ego, and this is the way he wants to be seen.
The Gaze is also apparent in our unconsciousness super ego because this is where others don’t see us and this is a part of our true self which we don’t allow to come out. Hence this is the part where women grow up and have life experiences, they watch films with the ‘ideal’ female figure and then they watch themselves and fashion their behaviour in to becoming what they want to be seen as.
The Gaze within films also appeals to our ID, as this is where our deepest desires are about sex, pain, violence and death this is the part of us that we suppress as we are told not to enjoy it. We see it as acceptable to take enjoyment in watching others do it on a sub-conscious level as we are not doing it ourselves. But we can’t be seen to enjoy this on a conscious level. This is where we are able to watch films and satisfy our desires without the guilt which is also Mulveys theory.
'Le Vial' The Rape
The Dolce and Gabbana's advert was made an example of during the lecture of how the gaze can work. In this Ad we can identify with a set-up which could be interpertated as a gang rape, something which might appeal to the inner ego of the 'male gaze'. The media and advertising in general offers the 'male' spectator a way of thinking about desire and Sigmund Freud argues these desires stem from childhood.
'The Gaze' seems to be most apparent in classic hollywood films but have filtered down into contemporary films, but in my research I found a film which I could argue goes againsts Bergers quote to describe 'The Gaze' where he states 'Men act and women appear'.
Kill Bill Vol.1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVam1qOmlEo&feature=related- Trailer
This film is based on an ex gang member of the Deadly viper assasination squad, who was once betrayed by her boss Bill. Before the film starts there is a flash back of the past where we find The 'Bride' who is the main Character in the film finds she is pregnant and so for a better life she decided to leave the gang and start a family off with someone else. But once Bill her boss finds out he decided to go and kill her with the rest of the female gang members on her wedding day.
Years later 'The Bride' wakes up in hospital and doesnt know what has happened to her but soon realizes what has happened. So for the rest of the movie she goes on a search for Bill which the intentions of killing him for taking her baby away which just so happened to be his.
I do think that 'The Gaze' is apparent within this film as the one who is driving the plot is a male 'Bill' and although we haven't seen him he has much presence and credibility as he is controlling all of the other females within the film.
In the beginning of the film we can identify with a set-up almost like a 'gang rape' where we see the gang moving in to spoil 'The Brides' day. In their eyes she betrayed Bill the ultimate 'male figure' within the film and as her punishment she is beaten up and finally shot. They take away her life for her make her own decisions without a 'mans' authorisation, because she is his property.
But as Berger suggests 'Men act women Appear' (p.72) is not part of this film as the main characters throughout are female and they do alot of acting and fighting, whilst the other men in the film dont have much presence.
I think the main Character The Bride is 'Fighting' for her own right as an independant woman who has been surpressed by this male for most of her life. I also think there is the idea that every woman will do anything to protect her child and will kill anyone without even thinking about it to take revenge for doing a wrong to her child.
Throughout the whole of this film we are also given a way of fullfilling our inner desires where we see violence and killing, which we are said to supress by our egos as we are told it is wrong to enjoy. But to see the Bride get her revenge after what Bill has done, as a 'female' you can relate to how she must feel and you do get a sense of enjoyment watching it.
Bibliograpy
IMDB. Normski3, beth-243, elyseface. Kill Bill Vol 1. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266697/synopsis. [Assessed 10 months ago]
Lecture notes
Berger, J. (1972) ‘Ways 0f Seeing’, London, Penguin
J. Berger. Ways of seeing. Chapter 3. British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books. 1972. London
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