Alien - Film Viewing

5

We viewed the 1979 film Alien in class. Again I viewed this film through the light of gender identities as this is what I will be focusing around for my project.

- Woman is asking to leave where they are exploring, men are persuading and making the decision to go on. Stereotypical gender roles of women as passive and men as aggressive and the decision makers.

- The least intelligent character is the first to die. Role of  'stupid' man to show the group what they're up against.

- Two clear women in film. One woman panicking and one woman being strong and giving instructions. Not much light and shade.

- Women viewed as sentimental when she goes back for the cat. Risks life for it - women are motherly and maternal and can't leave something helpless. Viewed as senseless and idiotic in the film.

- The man jumps infront of the woman to save her so he dies first - volunteer to die = brave

- The woman is clearly strong and capable against the alien but when she gets attacked by a man then other men have to save her.

 - She is the character that said the first man infected by the alien needed to be quarantined but no-one listened as she wasn't being compassionate and this was viewed as bad (especially as she is a woman) By then end we know that her decision would have been right all along. but it's not admitted by anyone.

- After she has first escaped she takes her clothes off which could be seen as belittling achievement as we see her sexually as a character after all she's done. When she first takled the alien she tied her hair up - a symbol of hiding her femininity to take on the masculine role of fighting. Once that's done we need to remember she's a woman so we see her in few clothes. Mirrors societies view that women can't just be clever/brave  without using their body as a tool. There is no need for her to be in her underwear as it doesn't add anything to storyline.

- When she needs to be empowered and take on a males role again she is in a spacesuit so her gender identity is more masculine again.

 - Afterwards she is back in skimpy clothing to reinforce her gender role - even though she's done something brave and strong to be a comfortable gender role as a woman she must then be seen as back in the place of nurturing the cat and being a 'woman'