Wednesday 23 April 2014

How far does a spectators gender affect their viewing experience in cintemporary cinema


How far does a spectators gender affect
      their viewing experience in contemporary cinema?


Introduction 

Gender does affect a persons viewing of a film, when watching films they are sometimes genderised with the way they are portrayed. The four critical approaches are psychoanalysis,mirror stage,male gaze and spectatorship. in this essay i will comparing and analyzing two films Black swan and Clockwork Orange. 

Paragraph 1 

When looking at psychoanalysis in the black swan it is very strong with most parental influences on Nina. Nina’s mother in black swan is very protective over her daughter and only wants the best for her. In the film Nina was self harming, she started to scratch her back with her nails, when her mother was helping her get undressed she saw it and dragged Nina in to the bathroom, she then cut Nina’s nails. The messages of this are that her mother has got a hold over Nina treating her like a child. Another big part in Nina’s life is that she doesn't have a father figure. Girls are generally a daddies girls, so according to freudian theory is that a girl will always try to find a man like her father. he also says that a girl will want to sleep with her father. So when watching the black swan you will see the Nina looks to her dance director as her father using him to help her through. Also when looking at the deeper meaning of Nina’s character as she is a virgin this stops her from letting go when her director kisses her, the freudian theory backs up this argument. When watching these parts in the black swan you could say that it doesn't attract a male audience, especially not fathers of daughters. 


Paragraph 2 

In black swan you will notice a lot of mirrors through out the film. This is what they call a mirror stage, when you as a person sees yourself differently to somebody else seeing you. In black swan the directors office has got mirrors in it making him a man who isn’t really confident with the way put look at him as he needs mirrors to help him. Nina looks in mirrors all the time a good example is that she is called a whore on a mirror when she is given the part of the swan queen. Message here is that people see her a whore but she doesn't she herself as his. In relation to audience experiences is that this is complete your own. It will affect male and women differently as they both have different views and will proceed things differently.   

Paragraph 3 

When the dances are in changing rooms this is a male gaze part as there are no men, this is where men would like to see women. This would affect audience viewing as most women are not really bothered when they see women in changing room. When Nina bits the directors lips this is a sexual action. This would affect the men in the audience when watching his. Women may think she is asking for it and that she shouldn't do it. 




Paragraph 4 

I can relate to the black Swan Nina when her mother is very protective and pushes Nina in to being the black swan. It is like her mum is living her threw her daughters success in dancing as she didn’t make it. Emotionally I can connect as the stress you are under to preform having your parents constantly pushing you to preform. I feel i can align with Nina as well as she tries to prefect her dancing to make it prefect, i am like that i wont stop until it is prefect. In relation to gender I do think that this is more of a women's film, they can relate to the bitchiness of the other dances. I think that men will find it hard to pick up some of the deeper meaning i have made in my essay, a small minority of men may understand the film such as daddies with daughters they can relate to the way that a girl always needs her dad around. 


Conclusion 

In conclusion to my points i have made men will not understand this film as women will. There are more parts the film that women will understand and they will be able to connect with. Gender itself doesn’t  affect the film, both sexes can watch the film and interrupt there own messages. 



Blackswan grid