Introduction
Dictionary.com defines this sociological term as the assumption in visual and creative arts that the default or desired audience consists of heterosexual males, and inclusion of women in narrative or art should seek to please this audience with the objectification or sexualization of these depicted women (Definition of male gaze | Dictionary.com, 2022). So basically, this is seen in the cases where men are portrayed as the heroic do-ers, while women are objectified, often giving emotional support to these "heroic" men.
What is it?
British film theorist Laury Mulvey, in her essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, wrote about this concept, raising a whole lot of interpretations, and also studies from both sociological and media point of view. According to her, this imbalance is taking control of the cinematic industry, for the benefit of male viewers (Sampson, 2022). This inequality is causing the idea of "men are the ones who look, while women are the ones being looked at". In fact, this theory suggests that males are the main viewers of any film work, while women are being considered as simply secondary. Giving a look at the society we live in, we see this happening all around us, and this makes more sense to why it happens in the film industry (Sampson, 2022).
Application of theory - James Bond
Without any doubt, the first film that comes to my mind, or films, is Ian Fleming's James Bond. This series in itself is named upon this character, which is always good looking, attracting women, and objectifying them on the go. Zooming into 1973's Live and Let Die film, we can see Solitaire as this objectified woman, providing visual pleasure whilst giving also some sexual fantasies (Éternel, 2017). This female figure, like in any other James Bond movie, is an asset to the plot, since it contributes to the emotional, romantic and visual part of it (Éternel, 2017). This figure, Solitaire in the case of live and let die, manages to pause Bond's mission for a moment, by creating this relationship which stands by the side of the movie (Éternel, 2017). What I make out of this as well is the fact that we see Bond all focused and strong during the whole movies, except for the part when the female figure comes in the scene. This even adds up to the male gaze theory from two perspectives. The first one being that the woman is portrayed as the temptation, mainly from her intriguing looks, and secondly that the woman is the bad one, which distracts the film's hero from his work.
A scene that I would like to focus on is that part where Bond tricks Solitaire to an intimate (or even, sexual) affair (below clip). He uses her card trick against her, without her knowing that all the cards in the pile are that of The Lovers. One can immediately notice Solitaire falling into vulnerability, and Bond with that look of having complete control of the woman figure. Another notable thing at the end of this scene is Bond spreading all the cards on the table, facing upwards, which can be treated as a statement that he fooled this woman, showing her powerless next to him.
Bibliography
www.dictionary.com. 2022. Definition of male gaze | Dictionary.com. [online] Available at: <https://www.dictionary.com/browse/male-gaze> [Accessed 21 January 2022].
Leonard, K., 2021. What is the Male Gaze? Definition and Examples in Film. [online] StudioBinder. Available at: <https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-the-male-gaze-definition/> [Accessed 21 January 2022].
Rukas, D., 2022. The Male Gaze, Homosexualization, and James Bond Films. [online] Angelfire.com. Available at: <https://www.angelfire.com/film/articles/bond.htm> [Accessed 21 January 2022].
Sampson, R., 2022. Film Theory 101 - Laura Mulvey: The Male Gaze Theory - Film Inquiry. [online] Film Inquiry. Available at: <https://www.filminquiry.com/film-theory-basics-laura-mulvey-male-gaze-theory/> [Accessed 21 January 2022].
Éternel, E., 2017. ‘The gaze’ and James Bond movies. [online] Erwin Éternel. Available at: <https://erwineternel.coventry.domains/study-archive/the-gaze-and-james-bond-movies/> [Accessed 21 January 2022].
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