Laura Mulver and 'Some Like It Hot'

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that criticizing film is a very recent phenomenon, and potential critics are testing all possible avenues of criticism and methods of analysis. The writer discusses that Laura Mulvery tried, in her essay 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema', to base a feminist analysis of film in Sigmund Freud's theories of penis envy and sexual deviation. The writer relates that the problem of analyzing the film "Some Like it Hot" in relation to Laura Mulvey's writing is that she does not prove her point very well in her essay. The writer concludes that this essay does not claim that narrative film has had no effect upon perpetuating anti-feminist attitudes, but maintains that when people become aware through media literacy, it has little effect.

From the Paper:

"Ultimately, the creator(s) of the narrative, whether in a book, a poem or any other medium, will both mirror and attempt to modify the culture of their audience. The techniques used by directors and cinematographers enhance the narrative messages and themes, but are not responsible for them unless the messages and themes of the visual form of the film are in direct opposition to those of the narrative. In this sort of case, which is very rare, the audience may leave with many different impressions, according to the baggage they bring with them (Rosenblatt 1935), and how they viewed the film, as in paying more attention the narratives of either the visuals or the text. One possible example of this technique is the film "Apocalypse Now", directed by Francis Ford Cuppola, where Cuppola often had visuals on the screen which contradicted the text, in addition to using camera angles, frames and other cinematographic techniques to negate the message of the text."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Andrew, Dudley. Concepts in Film Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984. Questia. 30 Dec. 2006 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=21290764>.
• Bowman, Barbara. Master Space: Film Images of Capra, Lubitsch, Sternberg, and Wyler. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992. Questia. 30 Dec. 2006 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=27285768>.
• Cohan, Steven. Masked Men: Masculinity and the Movies in the Fifties. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1997. Questia. 30 Dec. 2006 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=98074761>.
• Cook, David A. A History of Narrative Film. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996. Questia. 30 Dec. 2006 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=105303866>.
• Hobbs, Renee. "The Seven Great Debates in the Media Literacy Movement." Journal of Communication 48.1 (1998): 16-32. Questia. 30 Dec. 2006 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=96438519>.

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