Week 6 Psychoanalysis & the Gaze

 This week, we discussed Freud and how his ideas translate over to visual arts, specifically-film. Through out the years, the typical viewer for films and media has been men. Recently however, the number of women in the US has risen above men, so directors and film makers have had to adjust their output accordingly. This combined with the changes in what is socially acceptable, have made films more appealing for everyone. One example of how things have changed through the years is seen in the Star Wars films. Leia starts as an object for the young men to desire and want, but quickly becomes a character that can hold their own. This character, eventually being revealed to be the main characters sister, certainly makes an interesting complex when looked at through the lens of the castration complex. The castration complex is an idea proposed by Freud, that the male will have his penis removed by the father as a result of sexual interest in the mother. The castration complex when addressed in film is done through camera angles, to illustrate the woman's features. As seen in Rear Window, the view of Jeff's apartment  and out of Jeff's apartment, reflect that of the typical cinema viewer at the time. Seeing out of Jeff's apartment and viewing the world across is similar to how the audience is viewing as an outsider which makes us connect with Jeff more. This turns Lisa into an object not only for Jeff obsession, but for the audience as well. Certain camera actions also affect how the audience views the female character. Focus on features of the female body and following the woman as she walks across the room all have an association with castration complex. In a castration complex, the fear of the penis being cut off by the father and how Jeff views Lisa from his window privately, are connected.
Princess Leia's Star Wars: Rogue One double says she's up for a young Leia movie | GamesRadar+
Laura Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” 1975 

Comments

  1. Chris PageOctober 1, 2020 at 8:22 AM

    I like how you used Leia from Star Wars to address the castration complex and I think you made very good points in being able to correlate the two. Do you think film might become more or less appealing to audiences based on social acceptance growth?

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    1. SoarxisscaredOctober 4, 2020 at 9:57 PM

      Film is already becoming more appealing on social acceptance growth. While it's not perfect, as the population of these groups grows and expands, the demand for products with characters that look like them grows and expands.

      Delete
  2. Rachel ChapmanOctober 2, 2020 at 5:07 PM

    I really like how you focused on one argument of the essay. It made your blog easy to understand what you are conveying. Castration complex makes complete sense when you used Star Wars because incest between two siblings. Do you think Leia character changed only because she was not longer sexually available to the main character? Making the decision to make her a character that can hold her own still in the male’s view of a woman.

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    Replies
    1. SoarxisscaredOctober 4, 2020 at 10:15 PM

      I think Leia's character changed because the writers wanted to remove themselves from the typical, "hero gets the girl" cliche. Science fiction in general has a history of being progressive, or at least pushing more progressive ideals, even when its creators are not. The castration complex is interesting when presented with a character that isn't a mother or complete stranger to the main character

      Delete

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