These are a copy of some of the original notes I made from my film viewing for my essays.
10
- Older man, younger more beautiful woman
- Black servant
- In car scene lots of women seen objectively through the mans eyes (the male gaze to view women)
- We as the audience are meant to sympathise with the husband when his wife throws him a surprise party and he's not satisfied.
The April Fools
- Older man, business suit, going for a promotion on respectable job
- Female first seen from the male perspective - up the stairs - sexual view
- He's meant to be masculine because he doesn't like art, fashion etc.
- Wife is meant to be viewed as bad because she doesn't support her husbands job move and wants lots of material things
- Sexual freedom of the late 1960s shown through Catherine leaving with him
- They don't actually have any conversation, it's very awkward between them.
- Men do masculine activity of fencing, the women drink tea and talk
- Catherine has wanted to leave husband but only chooses to do so when she's had an experience with another man - needs someone to rely on. In constant need of a man there.
- Representation of toad is meant to be like a fairy story. Brubaker is bad before he meets Catherine, or not his true self?
- He naturally attracts women - it's not that he's sexually attractive it's the new powerful job?
- An affair is seen as okay if it's love?
- Wife is very domesticated which were meant to view as bad but Catherine doesn't have a job either - she is shown to be dissatisfied in her stagnant life though to contrast the wife
- Classical rom-com montage of spending the day together and falling in love
- Controlling husband who 'allow's her to go and flirt but tells her off when something happens and resents it - doesn't care about her happiness but clearly wants to own her and thinks he has rights over what she does and what he allows her to do
- Husband is physically forceful with Catherine - doesn't let her go when he's trying to talk to her
- He admits he had an affair but doesn't think it's wrong he did, but believes she shouldn't? Double standards and no respect for her.
- Uses adopting a child to persuade her to stay - plays on her being female and meant to be maternal. Says she would be a terrible person of she left this child without a mother.
- It's not bad that Brubakers leaving his child though? Not even mentioned?
Just Friends
- Pretty girl, chubby boy friendship cliche
- Friendzone established - nice guy, girl who doesn't notice him like that and goes for the jocks
- The nice guy has more feminine qualities - loving, crying.
- Years later and we see him as much more masculine because he's good looking and lost weight. Therefore he can get a girl, who's dressed like a 'slut' and is having a joke made at her because of it. She's an object in the film to prove his new masculinity, not a character.
- His manliness is shown through sex and sport
- Dumb blonde celebrity cliche, famous for doing nothing
- He hasn't come home since college - forgotten who he is?
- Lesbianism seen as inappropriate
- Girl is still at home, working behind a bar. Hasn't done anything with her life so were meant to view him as better now, he has the upper hand in the relationship.
- She's first seen again from the male gaze
- Treats the celebrity girl terribly because she's 'stupid' but we're still meant to view him as the nice guy. This is just comedy relief?
- He tries to act cool to get with her - playing 'mean'
- Her working behind the bar is part time to fund her career. She is very clever but he assumes he in a better job - masculine attitude to jobs. Her job is still stereotypicaly 'female'
- When he's fussy around food lots of derogatory gender terms used 'little girl' 'pussy' - terms show that being a typical girl and feminine aspects are seen as negative and something we shouldn't want to be.
- Eventually shows sensitive side to win her
- The other guy is seen as a 'dickhead' for seeing lots of women - which was what Ryan was doing at the beginning? It's now seen as bad because it involves a girl who isn't a 'slut' and who we're meant ot care about.
- Domesticated home girl with the family is seen as attractive. Not jet setting like the guy
- She's a 'prick tease' for being pretty and being best friends with a boy - idea that she knew she was playing with him and did it on purpose? Blame goes to girl.
13 going on 30
- Plain girl friends with dorky chubby guy, wants to be in with the popular pretty girls
- Girl wants to change who she is so she is cool
- Matt is sensitive and sweet which are seen as uncool and is in love with her - classic trope
- Flash-forward in New York, successful business woman, sexual freedom
- Matt has grown up, lost weight and is now 'handsome' - still artistic but this is now seen as cool
- Jenna became cool and got everything she wanted, losing Matt in the process
- Jenna is pleased she has boobs - pleasure in womanly figure, meant to be sexually funny
- The hokey player boyfriend is very masculine into sports, sex and is overly confident, can easily get any girl.
- Trope of fat woman as the bumbling assistant
- Finds out her friend is a 'bitch' so has to go it along - becomes more successful when she starts acting like her 13 years old self
- Jenna and Matt get along very naturally, conversation flowing, make each other laugh
- She's cheating and that seen as bad but him kissing her while he's in a relationship is seen as romantic?
- Matt's fiance is meant to be viewed as bad because she wants him to move for her job. Something that women do a lot for men but unacceptable and bad girlfriend when it's the other way round.
- Matt refuses to back out of his wedding even though he likes Jenna and has kissed her - is the cowardliness shown as chivalrous?
- Film ends with Jenna making the right decision but the flash-forward we see them as domesticated in the suburbs with her unpacking boxes - comfortable view of a woman to end a film as the loving wife not in a new job etc. after an 'adventure' we must return to our classical feminine spheres.
For the second wave feminism film I chose The April Fools because it was set in a better era than 10 and fitted the brief better. For the post-modern feminism film I chose 13 going on 30 as it has a lot of the tropes I want to focus on - the sensitive nice guy, the career 'bitch' character, the classical ending whereas Just Friends has some of these but they're a little more blurred and I especially wanted to focus on the career path that 13 going on 30 has.
