Film

Abstract

Michele White claimed that classical Hollywood cinema and contemporary media forms commonly depict female as viewed object who are available for the pleasurable and controlling look, or gaze, of spectators(White,2017). The topic will extend to concepts of race, gender, rights, and sexual preference. The essay has offered a glimpse non-restricted discussed object, such as classical Hollywood cinema and African film, focusing on Asian cinema industry to explore what factors impact the gaze relationship in Asian cinema and the cause of gaze difference. Instead of Hollywood cinema which emerges the sense of superiority of white guy and the racism between blacks and whites, the gaze in Asian cinema mainly reflected in gender differences as well as traditional cultural differences. In this paper, the Korean film The Handmaiden(2016) and Hong Kong film The Lady Improper(2019) are selected as the main analysis objects, and a number of Asian films as auxiliary analysis cases. Analyzing the gaze relationship in Asian films from the perspective of difference of spectators and the difference of the spectators and object on creating gaze relationship.

Keywords: Gaze, Asian cinema, Queer Theory, Gender

I. TOPIC

Focusing on the Asian films, this paper discusses what factors influence Gaze mainly in Asian films, or what reasons lead to Gaze differences.

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II. LITERATURE REVIEWS

White, M. (2017). Gaze. In L. Ouellette & J. Gray, Keywords for Media Studies (pp. 75-77). NYU Press.

The article is a chapter from the book Keywords for Media Studies, elaborating the role of Gaze as a term in Media. The paper introduces the concept of gaze based on Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”(Mulvey, 1975), adding the view from Terrel Carver who mentioned the term “heterosexual male gaze” which is closely related to women’s body, desire and identity. Sexual orientation can also influence the change of viewing perspective. For instance, the viewing relationship of lesbian and queer group often reflects their self-identity. The paper shows gaze in horror movies to explain how the camera positions can create horror character and scary atmosphere. Additionally, Michele White suggests the relationship between gaze and social regulation and architectural structures raised by Michel Foucault (1979). In a word, this paper only mentions some general idea and carious expressions of Gaze in media without in-depth discussion.

HEDREN, K., MISTRY, J., & SCHUHMANN, A. (2015). ‘WOMEN, USE THE GAZE TO CHANGE REALITY’. In J. MISTRY & A. SCHUHMANN, Gaze Regimes (pp. 182-187).

The article is a section of book Gaze Regimes about Film and feminisms in Africa. African female filmmaker Katarina Hedren interprets a common narrative technique in African cinema is women are often depicted as victims and lower social state women, according to their history and development of country. What is worth discussing view raised in the interview is female character are marginalized in general. Due to female and African are two typical groups with lower social state, black women are more marginalized more, as well as poor black women, black lesbian and black queer. That is, there are stereotypes about how women are portrayed in films. Therefore, the film that breaking trough the stereotyped images of women, Dajamila Sahraous’s Barakat!, are highly praised, which have many scenes about giving women the right to expend voice of women and talking with men actively. Although the paper expounds the phenomenon of female gaze in African cinema, the impact of history and culture are the worthing discussed point and can be apply to analysis Asian cinema as well.

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III. METHODOLOGY

Introduction of the two case studies:

The film named The Handmaiden(2016) is a Korean version of novel Fingersmith, directed by Park Chan-wook. The story is a fraud happened around Lady Hideko, count and handmaiden Sook-Hee. In order to get the property of Japanese noble lady, count pretendedly marries her. Sook-Hee born in a thief family is sent to Lady Hideko as handmaiden. Their emotional entanglements and unexpected ending make film charming.

The Hong Kong film The Lady Improper(2019) directed by Jessey Tsang Tsui-Shan, talking about the life of a lady was a virgin who already married five years. What makes Siu Man lose herself is her husband leaving and losing job. She only can go back to the Hong Kong traditional restaurant held by her father. What does she really need and pursue need to be explored by herself.

Why these two films:

The Korean film The Handmaiden(2016) is an appropriate case in this topic, covering the situation that the article intends to analyze in depth. First of all, the film involves two types of love line—the normal heterosexual relationship and budding between Count Fujiwara and Lady Hideko. Meanwhile, there is lesbian love line between Lady Hideko and Sook-Hee. Treating the female gaze relationship from two different perspective of love relationship, it can be found that the female identity will be different. It can be simply classified as follows: heterosexual women are in the position of “to be looked”, while men are in the dominated position in heterosexuality. However, for the lesbian relationship, the film shows that two girls get along with equality, mutual care with each other and getting close gradually. Secondly, although the film is adapted from the novel Fingersmith written by Sarah Waters, as well as there is an English version filmed by BBC, the significant reason why I chooses the Korean version as case study is that the film is directed by a male director rather than shot by a TV station based on the novel’s interpretation. Director Park Chan-wook incorporates his understanding of the narrative, his interpretation of the relationship between the lady and the handmaiden, as well as adding cultural and historical elements and backgrounds of South Korea and Japan. Therefore, it is worth discussing to analyze this film from the perspective among director, camera, characters and audiences. It can also be seen that people tend to look women under the influence of South Korean and Japanese culture and society.

The Hong Kong film The Lady Improper(2019) focuses on analyzing Gaze from the reconstruction of female image and identity in a specific circumstance. The film mainly reflects that Hong Kong women who growing up and living in an oppressive social environment, have comprehending about how to treat self-identity, self-release, self-examination，and being looked by others. I suppose it is a characteristic of female images in Kong Kong movies, which can compare with the women who are often portrayed as marginal figures in African films(Mistry, Schuhmann & Ruckteschell, 2015). Therefore, taking this film as a case study, the specific relationship between “gaze”, the construction of gender consciousness, and local history and culture can be obtained.

Analyzing and Case study

Case study1—Korean film The Handmaiden 小姐(2016)

In the construction of heterosexual relationships in the film, the situation of women being looked is mainly passive and cannot resist.

In ordinary heterosexual relationship clues, the scenes of the public perspective are frequently appeared. For instance, Lady Hideko is required to entertain the guests who visit to her home. At this time, the camera depicts her to be sexy, charming and welcoming image. When the earls are watching Lady Hideko who is preparing to reading book or performing standing in the middle, she would take off her coat at first, revealing a striking red dress and putting on gloves. All the actions, the tone of reading book and facial expressions with grace and dignity. In addition, the men stared at lady Hideko with a possessive expression. In the heterosexual relationship clues, taking the love line between Lady Hideko and count Fujiwara as an example, the Lady Hideko photographed by the camera is shy, cautious and curious about the outside world. That is, she was obedient, curious, and easily deceived by the honeyed words of the count Fujiwara. Similarly, Anita Mui (Flower), who is portrayed as a famous prostitute in Hong Kong film Rouge(1988), cannot be with her beloved because her identity is not recognized. In the Japanese movie And Your Bird Can Sing(2018), Shizuka Ishibashi is regarded as a lady who is afraid to express her opinions in the romantic relationship with the male character Tasuku Emoto. So she does not confirm and receive a certain love relationship in the end.

Interestingly, there is also a lesbian relationship in the movie between Lady Hideko and Sook-Hee. In this relationship, the two girls switched state of “to be looked” into looking and being looked coexist. They develop possessive thoughts about touching each other's bodies. For instance, lady Hideko is gradually inseparable from or dependent on Sook-Hee, and even wants to see her when sleeping. And Sook-Hee also wants to occupy what lady Hideko owned. An erotic scene breaks the traditional young lady and handmaiden. It leads women image from a passive role in gaze relationships to an active role, which is an image of bravery.

Case study2 — Hong Kong film The Lady Improper 非分熟女(2019)

Hong Kong film The Lady Improper(2019) portrays an image of a submissive lady. In her father’s gaze, Siu Man should become an obedient girl. In her husband’s gaze, she is a woman who cannot meet his sexual needs. In other words, Siu Man looked by the audiences cannot hold the dominant position in her life, while, the person who holds the dominant position is a patriarchal. The significant reason for the result is that she grew up and lived in Hong Kong, a city with a very stressful life. Chasing and accommodation have created a character that Hong Kong women worry a lot in their love life. In addition, it is also related to the influence of male superiority in Hong Kong and traditional Chinese ideology.

What makes the film narrated rather different is it is directed by female filmmaker. Female director looks the role of Siu Man from a female perspective, which is different from male directors shooting female character. Although female directors have also used charming shots like pole dancing to create charming scenes for men, they have created an ironic effect. In other words, as long as women are not confident inside, it is futile to do more superficial efforts. Therefore, when female director looks female characters, they are willing to create them into positive images and encourage the audience to respect the status, identity and special relationship of women. An opposite example, Hidden Man(2018) directed by Jiang Wen, one of the female Tang Fengyi acted by Xu Qing lives forever under the control of the man and cannot turn it over in the end. The Chinese film Blind Mountain(2007) filmed by Li Yang describes a special case that Chinese women are trafficked to remote villages and live forever under the control of patriarchal ideology, without right to choice their own life and voice for themselves.

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Conclusion

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

White, M. (2017). Gaze. In L. Ouellette & J. Gray, Keywords for Media Studies (pp. 75-77). NYU Press. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1gk08zz.26

HEDREN, K., MISTRY, J., & SCHUHMANN, A. (2015). ‘WOMEN, USE THE GAZE TO CHANGE REALITY’. In J. MISTRY & A. SCHUHMANN, Gaze Regimes (pp. 182-187). Wits University Press. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.18772/22015068561.20

Women's Studies Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 1/2, Looking Across the Lens: Women'sStudies and Film (Spring - Summer, 2002), pp. 6-14

Pullen, C. (2016). Conclusion. In Straight Girls and Queer Guys (pp. 169-171). Edinburgh University Press. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt1bgzbtn.13

Pullen, C. (2016). The Hetero Media Gaze. In Straight Girls and Queer Guys - The Hetero Media Gaze in Film and Television (pp. 16-40). Edinburgh University Press. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt1bgzbtn.7