Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Female Director, Female Protagonist, Feminist Film?
Cleo from 5 to 7 is our first film directed by a woman. In addition it has a female protagonist. But does that mean this film has a feminist perspective? Are there any feminist ideas in this movie and if so what are they? Are there any elements in this film that might preclude or at least challenge a feminist interpretation?
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The simple fact that a film has a women as a director is not enough to label it as a film with a feminist perspective. Every person has their own style of directing, which changes without regard to gender. I don't think it's possible distinguish a film directed by a women from one directed by a man. A film with a female protagonist is not enough to label the film as feminist.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this film mocks in a way the excessive feminine qualities of Cleo. At the beginning of the film, she is concerned for nothing more than her looks and her music. The scene where she tries on the different hats in the shop plays to the stereotype that women enjoy nothing more than cloths shopping. If the goal of Agnes Varda had been to produce a feminist film, it would have been absent of any female stereotypes.
Cléo 5 to 7 is definitely not a feminist film. Yes, it is directed by a woman and tells the story of a woman. There may not be a huge emphasis on the male characters in Cléo, but the female characters are not shown as products of feminism.
ReplyDeleteIn Cléo 5 to 7, the female characters, especially Cléo, do not show a need for women's rights, freedom, equality, etc. Cléo is not overly independent and she is not emotionally or physically strong. Instead, Cléo is shown to be very whiny and ditzy. She complains about her fears throughout the entire film. She feels a need to be overly materialistic (as seen in the scene at the hat store). These qualities are more antifeminism than feminism because they do not show strong qualities of a woman. Therefore, Cléo 5 to 7 cannot actually be a feminist film.
This is a difficult problem to tackle, interpret and answer, because of how multidimensional and intricate an argument can be. Firstly, one must be aware of the fact this film was created in 1962 at the start of the second wave of feminism. Although today we do not view some parts as being feminine, back in the 60’s it may have created a shock or controversy. Although from a modernist standpoint I would argue this film overall does not have a feminist perspective. There are some feminist qualities such as having a female protagonist in a very strong role and showing the strength of Cleo at the end when she faces her problems head on. The film also delves into the role of women in relationships and the pain women feel. During Cleo’s conversation with Jose, it portrayed men as the problem of relationships, because Jose takes Cleo for granted and is unappreciative of her love. However, there are some anti-feminist qualities in the film. The film showed Cleo purchasing an expensive hat in order to calm her nerves, which shows how materialistic she is. It was also peculiar to see Cleo’s unhappiness in her relationship but is ultimately dependant on men. She eventually fell for Antoine and it was only through him, a male companion, which she was able to summon the courage to go to the hospital directly and ask for the results. This shows she is not so independent after all. Furthermore, it is clear how much Cleo relies on Antoine for emotional support in handling the news about chemotherapy. As a result of her dependence on men Cleo is actually in a weak role, so overall this movie does not have a feminist perspective.
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