First off, thank you for finding this little corner of the internet. I’m hoping this blog will stir up debate and I look forward to reading the comments you should all post…
It is hard for me to think of an area in my life where films haven’t had some sort of impact. Going beyond simply enjoying films, I genuinely see movies as a kind of lens that informs and adds interpretation to so many life experiences. A powerful film, just like a powerful book, stays with you, allowing you to extend your experiences, to escape, to learn, and to reflect.
True, this is a pretty idealistic view of films. True, movies’ real purpose is to make money and for the most part they do it by manipulating our emotions or filling our heads with illusions of grandeur. Film is just a medium, and movies are products. But throughout the process there is also intent.
The role of film criticism then is to judge how well that intent was executed – does the movie work? But that isn’t the only question film critics can/should be asking. Another important question is "whose intent/product are we critiquing?”
In the world of feminist film theory, this question reigns supreme, and in trying to better understand films and feminist theory I thought it would be interesting to try it out myself – to write some thoughts down and see what people think. Traditionally it seems as though film criticism, especially a perspective like feminist film criticism, doesn’t extend far beyond academia. Sure there are famous film critics writing to the masses, but we tend to think of them more as film reviewers. My goal here is to try and find a place where the two can meet – trying to recognize the intention behind feminist film theory, and the accessibility of film reviews.
Feminism is a lens for understanding how society works, but it also strives to change the parts of society that work in unequal ways. Sorry if this sort of explanation seems too basic, but what I’m trying to say is that there is a conversation between the theory and action of feminism, and using films as my topic I’m hoping this blog can work as a voice in that conversation, and maybe in the process get the word out about some interesting flicks.
Thanks again for stopping by,
Danny
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Congratulations on your blog Danny^^. A good initiative. You know how I love films, so i'll try to read it as frequently as i can.
ReplyDeleteyou wrote "movies’ real purpose is to make money". Here is a big difference between France and the US, that i learned about in film studies : in the us, filmmaking is considered as an industry whereas in France (at least at the beginning and still today to a certain number of directors), it is primarily considered as an art (hence their very relative success !!). You should see some French movies (hum especially how they deal with nudity in comparison with other countries). Anyway, excited to read your prose^^. Gambatte...
Lucie
Thanks Lucie! I'm glad you brought that up about cinema in France. The tension of whether to consider film as an art vs product exists in the US too, and it would be interesting to hear the dialogue between a French film student and US film student in terms of how they view their profession/passion. As for reviewing a French film do you have any recommendations? I really loved "Tell No One," but I want to see something new! Let me know what you think!
ReplyDeleteD
Hmmm… so you write in your “about me” section that you want people to call you out on your privileged perspective. You are a white heterosexual Women’s Studies major. You sound quite liberal, quite progressive, quite morally good. But my question is, what does this blog mean to you? You are probably doing it for a class, but you are obviously a Women’s Studies major for a reason… you likely want your academic path to reflect your personal beliefs regarding feminism and the place and value of women in the world. Sure we can analyze film from a feminist perspective, but wasn’t it Ghandi who said, “Be the change you want to see in the world?” What do films matter when we can’t even live our purported values in our own personal lives?
ReplyDeleteDJS...
ReplyDeleteso much joy to find you on here and hear from you. ah, to go back to the long ago days of talking about what we're learning and going through, etc.
i dont follow film at all, really, even pop culture film/movies. i'm more of a reader/blogger. but tony and i both have been/are dabbling in feminist theory and critique, as we seek to have minority view points and experiences speak into our lives.
Tony is reading "Transforming a Rape Culture" right now, which i read in college in a women's studies class. Check that out if you haven't. In that class we also watched Iron Jawed Angels, about the suffrage movement.
i look forward to connecting more with you! holler at us if you're up here.
peace.
ead/eap
anon,
ReplyDeletealright - you got me, this is partially for a class. i had been thinking about starting a film review blog for a while now, and after having spent a few months reading feminist film theory i started thinking that it would be interesting to write from that perspective.
the class assignment was to find a way to make feminist theory and feminist activism interact. i know the question then is how could a blog be activism, right? honestly i don't know the answer to that - i'm kind of learning as i go. it just seemed that there was a disconnect between academic criticism of film (especially feminist) and the everyday consumption of film. People talk about all the harm movies/tv/media in general has caused women (self-esteem, restrictive gender roles, eating disorders, etc), but the conversation never goes beyond pointing fingers - it seems like there is room for a deeper discussion.
as for what i think about this blog - or what it means to be a women's studies major... i guess the short answer is that after having tried out other majors, other philosophies, none have felt more palpable than feminist studies. with every course or book i read those values you mentioned become more and more grounded in who i am/the choices i make. i'm at the onset of learning about feminisms and understanding how to incorporate activism into my life - and if this isn't activism then it is my attempt at thinking out loud about two things i'm genuinely interested in: feminisms and movies.
thanks for your post anon
d
Danny I like your blog!
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to see what all the majors are doing for their projects!
PS I LOVED how in your profile you explained YOUR experience - - the fact that pro-feminist seems 'not enough', but that you are afraid you may not be able to call yourself a feminist due to the fact that you are male, and that "being male means being privileged..."
Anyways nice work, :o) and Good Luck!
-Caroline