A repository for FILM 310 students' "Film Stills" assignment.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Dress Up
When she is home alone, she likes to play dress up and put on her husband's clothes. What she doesn't realize is that someone is always watching her. I focused on the close-up and visual pleasure/scopophilia.
I think this is a brilliant use of the aspects of New Queer Cinema that we discussed but in a different light. We talked almost exclusively about the male in drag (outside of Katherine Hepburn) and I really appreciate this still. It explores the female in drag and places in the visual pleasure lens that usually preoccupied with the male in drag. It looks at the marginalized woman in drag as well as the gazer who would find voyeuristic/fetishistic pleasure in seeing her rather than a male.
I like how this photo, like Shey said, does use aspects of New Queer Cinema. The female in drag is an idea that goes nicely with aspects I have learned from other films such as Pandora's Box in which we see Countess Anna Geschwitz in drag as she is dancing with Lulu that the female can be portrayed in drag to portray a voyeuristic or fetishitic pleasure in seeing the female in drag.
Like the last two comments, I agree that this is a great example of NQC. I think that this can also be seen as the super woman and appropriation. Although the woman is secretly dressing up in her husbands clothes, she still feels like a powerful figure to me. She is exampling appropriation as she is not necessarily becoming the other, but almost watching the other by wearing his clothes (I hope that makes sense). Good job!
This is a very well done film still; I love especially that it captures what she likes to do while in the process and the particular shot it is with the blackened circle edges narrows in on her and successfully communicates someone is watching her wear his clothes.
I think this a really stunning image. I think that the NQC connection is definitely relevant, but I also see connections to Mulvey and the Visual Pleasure of Narrative Cinema. First of all the iris affect makes me think that this image could be seen through the lens of a camera, implying scopophilia and the presence of another watching. I also see an element of pleasure in the narcissistic gaze through the mirror. In that sense, I really like that the character is both in the mirror and off to the side. She is looking away from the mirror as she takes down her feminine demeanor and begins to transition into drag.
Orion: this is a very thoughtful and beautiful image, one that does just what I hoped such an assignment would achieve: that is, to allow a single image to carry tremendous weight and meaning. The masking works nicely to increase the sense of voyeurism here. It's clear that we are looking in on this very private moment. As we've talked about in class, the woman in drag is very often taken more seriously, unlike the man in drag, which often becomes only a source of comedy. That tone can be seen here. The small details also help make the shot: the rose-trimmed camisole, the shaving paraphernalia, etc.
I think this is a brilliant use of the aspects of New Queer Cinema that we discussed but in a different light. We talked almost exclusively about the male in drag (outside of Katherine Hepburn) and I really appreciate this still. It explores the female in drag and places in the visual pleasure lens that usually preoccupied with the male in drag. It looks at the marginalized woman in drag as well as the gazer who would find voyeuristic/fetishistic pleasure in seeing her rather than a male.
ReplyDeleteI like how this photo, like Shey said, does use aspects of New Queer Cinema. The female in drag is an idea that goes nicely with aspects I have learned from other films such as Pandora's Box in which we see Countess Anna Geschwitz in drag as she is dancing with Lulu that the female can be portrayed in drag to portray a voyeuristic or fetishitic pleasure in seeing the female in drag.
ReplyDeleteLike the last two comments, I agree that this is a great example of NQC. I think that this can also be seen as the super woman and appropriation. Although the woman is secretly dressing up in her husbands clothes, she still feels like a powerful figure to me. She is exampling appropriation as she is not necessarily becoming the other, but almost watching the other by wearing his clothes (I hope that makes sense). Good job!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very well done film still; I love especially that it captures what she likes to do while in the process and the particular shot it is with the blackened circle edges narrows in on her and successfully communicates someone is watching her wear his clothes.
ReplyDeleteI think this a really stunning image. I think that the NQC connection is definitely relevant, but I also see connections to Mulvey and the Visual Pleasure of Narrative Cinema. First of all the iris affect makes me think that this image could be seen through the lens of a camera, implying scopophilia and the presence of another watching. I also see an element of pleasure in the narcissistic gaze through the mirror. In that sense, I really like that the character is both in the mirror and off to the side. She is looking away from the mirror as she takes down her feminine demeanor and begins to transition into drag.
ReplyDeleteOrion: this is a very thoughtful and beautiful image, one that does just what I hoped such an assignment would achieve: that is, to allow a single image to carry tremendous weight and meaning. The masking works nicely to increase the sense of voyeurism here. It's clear that we are looking in on this very private moment. As we've talked about in class, the woman in drag is very often taken more seriously, unlike the man in drag, which often becomes only a source of comedy. That tone can be seen here. The small details also help make the shot: the rose-trimmed camisole, the shaving paraphernalia, etc.
ReplyDelete