TCF112/Feminism and Film

General Feminism

• To challenge sexism in a society that's still patriarchal
  • Sexism = anything contributes to the subordination or exploitation of women
  • Patriarchal (patriarchy) = male-dominated society
    • matriarchy = female-dominated
• Sexual Politics
  • Kate Millett (1969)
• 2nd Women's Movement (1960-)
  1. Equal job opportunity
     • Equal pay for equal work
     • Equal opportunity
  2. Day care
  3. Rape & violence towards women
  4. Abortion
  5. Image of women in media

Feminist Film Criticism

1. Sociological interpretation of "stereotypes"
   • Direct reflection of society
   • Expression of repressed desires
2. Rediscovery of women directors
   • Auteurism favored male directors
   • Dorothy Arzner
   • Dance, Girl, Dance
3. Pornography
4. Woman-as-Spectacle
   • Laura Mulvey, "Visual Pleasure & Narrative Cinema" (1975)
   • Freudian psychology (psychoanalysis)
     • Film viewing = voyeurism (in Freudian terms)
     • Power relationships

Feminist Filmmaking

1. Documentary
   • Deal with feminist issues (outlined above)
   • Didactic
   • Some feminist docs. are autobiographical
2. "Socialist Realism"
   • Not advocating socialism/communism
   • Fictional films with a message
3. Women's cinema as counter cinema
   • "Counter" to classical style
   • New style to fit new content