American Independent Cinema: Representational Analysis of Women

The Hollywood take in exertion itself-importance has been (and continues to be to a big(p) extent) male- rule. Hence, male directors, producers, writers, and cinematographers all(prenominal) use the camera as an official document to look at women. (Benshoff, pg. 235) Gender also plays a large province in the characterisation industry when pertaining to what females can and can not do in assumes. Male characters be usually main characters and in hot flash inside take ons, whereas the female characters are usually limited to just facial expression pretty while still remaining passive and somewhat outdoors of all the action indoors the story.Women immediately feel a large amount of pressure to look and behave like these female actresses depicted on the big screen. With the preparation of these films women usually take a genuinely long time in hair and make-up for the sole purport of looking attractive and gaining more male attention in the films. some(prenominal) fema les fail to realize how much time and preparation really goes into the looks and attire designs of the characters that are being portrayed within the film industry. In todays society females feel as though they have to be beautiful and live up to a accepted stereotype and look that is extremely unrealistic.Related essay Pestle abridgment for Odeon CinemaReal Women Have Curves (2002) was a film directed by Patricia Cardoso that challenges the representation of all women in society. Although the film is to the highest degree a depression generation Mexican-American female struggling with her familys beliefs, her future, culture, and body, it reaches all female viewing audience with the same powerful message. The message is that all females can be empowered and should be proud of who they are and where they come from. Most importantly females should be proud of their bodies and not try to live up to the unlikely images that our American culture has welded for us today.Another fi lm and director that challenged the male dominated movie industry was Susan Seidelman with her 1985 low-budget ($5million) film Desperately Seeking Susan. Seidelman doesnt glamorize women at the expense of men. In fact, her strongest affinity is with desperate, aggressive women who never stop hustling. (Levy, pg. 356) Her film Desperately Seeking Susan looks at contemporary issues of fame, self fulfillment, and social relationships, as hygienic as personal identity. The film is about a petite new-made Jersey lady of the house named Roberta, who is bored, unsatisfied, and tired of her trades union routine life at home.She then begins to read the personals divide of the fresh York newspaper for vicarious thrills and entertainment. Her favorite classified to read is one that features the comminute of Jim who is a struggling musician and Susan who is a free-spirited single charr support her life in Soho New York. Susan had just recently come offd her ex boyfriend who was a mo bster and stole a pair of very(prenominal) expensive Egyptian earrings. One bored day when Roberta reads the classified section she sees the ad Desperately Seeking Susan and decides to follow Susan and Jim.The reasoning as to wherefore Roberta decided to take this extreme measure is because this was a way for her to escape her daily average life and become someone else for a day. The film then takes an unexpected turn and becomes all about reinvention as the housewife Roberta unknowingly with amnesia transforms herself into the wild and care-free character of Susan. There were a issue of different codes within the film Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) that made it easier to recognise its viewpoint. Some of the cultural codes recognized within the film include cultural, narrative, artistic, cinematic, and intertexual.The film took place during the 1980s in a small suburban township in New Jersey as well as New York City. The characters of Roberta and Gary Glass are individuals b eing represented as members of an upper shopping mall class society living in New Jersey. We know that they are upper middle class because of the context clues and dialogue that we see within the movie. We hear Mr. Glass tell his wife what are we poor? when he tells her that she bought a used jacket that used to belong to Jimi Hendrix. Roberta is a bored, full-time housewife and he is a hardworking husband.As the film continues we come across the other main character who is a fun loving, care-free, gold digging, woman named Susan from New York. The film is told by dint of the eye of the main character, which is a crush and bored housewife named Roberta. The story is also partially told through the eyes of Susan the carefree and stylish woman from New York. The story is also told through the eyes of Robertas worried husband Gary and her love interest Dez. The film Desperately Seeking Susan was very creative and original.Some of the artistic codes within the film include the musi c in which is exceedingly upbeat and perfect(a) for the time period of the 80s. The clothing design within the film is extremely important and relevant to the development of Roberts character. Susans secernate pyramid jacket signifies her unconventional personal style and her fluency in innovating her own look. The jacket binds the two women together. Susans trading of looks shows her competence in putting together an always evolving and eccentric look, while Robertas leveraging of the (second hand) jacket is part of her adventure and escape. (Street, pg. 1)The costumes in the film stated the socio-economic post of the main characters and the time period. At the beginning of the film we acknowledge Roberta well dressed-up with a suburban flare and we also noticed Susan dressed as a stylish, upbeat, rocker. (Complete Opposites ) The genre of the film Desperately Seeking Susan was comedy, drama, and trifle because of its portrayal. The film portrays comedic humor with the mista ken identity of two polar opposites Roberta and Susan. Their jaunt is a comedic mystery and we never know what will happen adjacent as Roberta searches for adventure and Susan hunts for the stolen Egyptian earring.The film also depicts drama with all of the confusion and an intense romance between Roberta and Jim. In conclusion, the film industry is particularly male dominated. However, there are more female directors, producers, and so forth like Susan Seidelman and Patricia Cardoso who are making a remarkable change. These females are making films with predominately female casts, and with messages of strength, personal identity, social relationships and self- fulfillment. Theyre challenging the film phone line and changing perceptions of women everywhere.