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Posted by
Zoë Smart March 8, 2013 -
1,488 views
So today was our critical studies in film class and we watched Orlando (Sally Potter, 1992, Adventure Pictures co-production).
I am just going to come right out and say it but I really didn't get it. I think to a certain degree it is quite difficult to get your head round a man who suddenly becomes a woman and there is no real explanation for it.
I found it very difficult to watch, but maybe that was just because it didn't follow a conventional Hollywood-type editing pattern.
My peers and I did not really know what "Queer Film Theory" was before today and were all rather confused that the main character only ever had heterosexual relationships. But it was soon explained to us that it is not necessarily a film of a homosexual nature, but that the way the film is presented is in some way queer i.e. not following conventional rules.
The discussion was very interesting and it was entertaining listening to our female lecturer tell us how she is into UFC mentioning cultural and film theorists who believe the difference between men and women is not natural but a learned process dependent on someones upbringing and how society expects them to behave (I am paraphrasing).
I must say I didn't really think I was into film theory but I found this really interesting but perhaps that is because they have spent a lot of time focusing on feminism and Freud's theories about a woman's castration causing men to feel threatened by there "lack of penis" therefore showing women as a sexual idol and so on.
I don't think there is as much as an issue in British and Hollywood films as to how a woman is portrayed, but if you disagree I would be most interested to hear your point of view. I realize that woman don't have the same freedom in other countries.
Hmm it would be interesting if Freud had ever met Butler or Gauntlett...
We also watched a wee bit of Victim (Basil Dearden, 1961, Allied Film Makers (AFM) ) Which was intriguing as it was discussing the issue of homosexual blackmail's being rife during the era. It was somewhat risky to make such a film at the time because in Britain homosexuality was illegal and you could be sent to prison for such a "crime". From what I saw the film looked excellent. There is a really funny line where the husband says something to the wife about her having a tiny brain so she can't understand and she just takes it! I guess this is going to lead back to feminism... (I'll stop while I'm ahead).
