I noticed how much the film stayed aware of the two genders throughout the story. Assumptions about the male and female genders were made often and very directly (i.e. things were not being slyly implied to viewers, but rather directly stated). For example, when Orlando says “There are three words I could use to describe the female sex, but all three are not worth expressing.” Similarly, when Orlando looks in the mirror at his new, female body and says “Same person, different sex,” statements like these leave little room for interpretation.

I wanted to point out one of the many androgynous moments in the film. It is at the beginning of the film before the Queen dies, and she tells Orlando: “Do not fade. Do not wither. Do not grow old.” In the Queen’s advice for Orlando, sex is irrelevant. She does not say, “Be the best man you can be,” but rather gives a life lesson that could be taken by either a man or a woman.

I think the film also emphasizes how if a person could experience what life is like from the perspective of both sexes, they would become a much more sympathetic (or rather empathetic) person.

Unfortunately I had to miss class today, and I was very sad about it because I had a lot to say about the critical reviews of ‘The Help’ we watched.

‘The Help’ of course takes place in a historically tragic time for African Americans. Black maids during this period suffered great brutality, and that in no way should be forgotten/underplayed. Many maids at the time suffered physical abuse, rape, and were even killed. This is historical fact. However, as Mimi pointed out in her post, what about the maids who weren’t?

Looking back on history we tend to accentuate the obvious traumas of the time, and for good reason. However, what were the lives of maids like who were in the middle ground? Who certainly weren’t experiencing the worst that racial discrimination had to offer at the time, but at the same time were not technically being treated fairly either? These maids did exist. Their stories are far from picture perfect, and yet are not catastrophic. The lives of Aibleen and Minny are lives of backhanded discrimination and degradation. Should these lesser stories not be told?

Many are offended by ‘The Help’ being ahistorical, but I am offended by those who call ‘The Help’ ahistorical. A major danger in fiction is claiming that “the part” must represent “the whole.” For example, Lena Dunham has often been criticized for her HBO television show, “Girls.” People are offended, saying that she is making a huge generalization about young, single girls in NY and is depicting this lifestyle in a certain way. I thought her answer to these critiques was flawless. She said, “No… I am not trying to represent the lives of women in New York, I am telling the stories of these four characters.” There is a major difference.  These are the stories of Aibleen. Skeeter. Minny. Celia. Hilly…. not every married white woman and suffering black maid during the Civil Rights Era in Mississippi.

Quentin Tarantino is the master of the revenge-fantasy. The amount of backlash he receives from his films is arguably more then any other director has faced in history. However, has the man ever claimed that Inglourious Basterds is an accurate representation of World War II? I believe to my core that it is possible for us, as viewers, to lose ourselves in the freedoms of fiction while still remembering the historical realities of the time period these pieces take place in. Maybe Minny would have received a far more severe punishment for her shit pie, but its damn good watching her feed it to Hilly, right?

Can the realities of history and the fantasies of fiction be mixed? Is it allowed?

‘The Help’ is one of my favorite movies. It is one of those movies where no matter how many times I watch it I can always count on it to bring me to tears (multiple times).

The plot of this film is based on a true story and is an adaptation of a novel. The story is obviously very progressive for something that takes place in the 50’s. In “The Case of the Missing Mother,” Kaplan pointed out an aspect of the film that I love, but had never thought of before. Kaplan discussed how strong female relationships are things that disturb and intimidate the patriarchy. However, if these strong bonds persevere they can lead to great successes.

The female relationships in the movie are so powerful because they are completely mutual. Although the black, female characters appear inferior, they give the white women just as much as the white women give them. For example, in one of the final scenes we see how far both Celia and Minny have come: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j0c-W-xVlE They are both supportive of each other and make the other more confident.

The same is true for Skeeter’s relationship with Aibleen and Minny. Both give the other courage. Skeeter follows her dreams of “writing about something she cares about” and not succumbing to the “role” her patriarchal society expects of her.  Aibleen and Minny find the courage and power to speak out against the discrimination and unreasonable lifestyle they lead.

Men play little to no role in the film (in my opinion). The story and characters demonstrate the power female relationships have as long as they are not battered down by societal fears and expectations.

In her article, Kaplan discusses how women have been represented in media, particularly in film. She defines representation as “mediations embedded through the art form in the dominant ideology.” The infamous “gaze” has always been male. It is something that has represented the power of action and of possession that is lacking in the female gaze. Kaplan asks many questions:

• Is it possible to structure things so that women own the gaze?
• Would women want to own the gaze if possible?
• What does it mean to be a female spectator?

Kaplan claims that in order to revert the objectifying representations of women in film, we need to ask these questions as often as possible. Asking these questions is half the battle, and holds a lot of power.

Kaplan also discusses how most fantasies follow a dominant-submission formula. However, she wonders: does the dominant force in any situation have to be associated with masculinity? At the end of her article, she leaves us with a lesson. She tells us that it is dangerous to view society in black & white binaries such as male/female, dominant/submissive, matriarchy/patriarchy.

Therefore, I pose this question in regards to The Last Seduction: Does Bridget, our protagonist, violate these boundaries? For example, is she a perfect representation of dominant/female?