Miami, Florida Mar 5, 2023 (Issuewire.com) - For years, the entertainment industry has attempted to counteract society's prevalent patriarchal ideological avenues. From the birth of the screwball to the very image of Marlene Dietrich, the fight for diverse female perspectives in the film is not new. Going back to Theda Bara, it has been a struggle for as long as the medium of film has existed.
Dominant cinema employs subconscious systems in which the image of a woman serves as a signifier of the sexual 'other,' confirming the man's status as the subject and maker of the narrative in which the female is engrossed. These techniques are incorporated into the structure of the gaze and narrative itself via point of view, framing, editing, and other time and space manipulating procedures.
The term "male gaze," coined by feminist thinker Laura Mulvey, has acquired some notoriety. Most people think it is just the director pointing a camera at a female body. Instead, the male gaze pervades every aspect of the filmmaking process. A script written by a man restricts the story to either the overarching perspective of a male protagonist or a shallow attempt to emulate a female perspective that is at best reduction and at worst malicious.
Male actors continue to be paid more than their female co-stars, putting them in an automatic position of power in a capitalist society where a person's wage is equated to their worth. Most importantly, male producers almost always favor certain stories over others based on personal preference. Above all, this pervades the industry and is a flawed system in which the decisions of a few determine culture accumulation.
In a recent sit-down interview, she was asked what she thought about the prevalence and impact of the male gaze in film. An excerpt from that interview follows: "Growing up, I always had a feeling that the movies I watched were not about me, but rather about me through the eyes of a man. I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's thinking Holly was a fickle character, not realizing she was misunderstood by the men in her life who tried to fit her into boxes she didn't belong in. That is why I became interested in film. I want to see justice served for the Hollys of the world."
About Marada Pictures
Sarah Lazow is best known as the producer of The Weekend. The film received positive reviews at the Toronto Film Festival and has helped establish Lazow as a force to be reckoned with.
Media Contact
Sarah Lazow millaraylevine@gmail.com
