My discussion questions are centered around our reactions to the films we are watching both from the student (intelligent thinker) stance and the general audience (entertain me) stance.
1.) Have any of the films shown highlighted a preconceived notion of Normal or Fair that you never gave a second thought until now? Was there a specific moment in a film that brought about this reflection and has it changed your way of thinking for more than that split second?
2.) What aspect of these films are more important to you as a viewer, the background of the film as in Daughters of the Dust or the film itself i.e. technical or narrative aspects as in XXY?
3.) Did films that questioned technical or narrative norms (the 'norm' being Hollywood) effect you more or less than films that questioned social norms or put people into submissive/ tertiary roles?
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Discussion Questions...
1. Thinking through the films we have seen so far, is it possible to extract from them a new, non-patriarchal definition of 'The Gaze?'
2. Filmically, is the act of making oneself seen equivalent to subjecting oneself to 'The Gaze?'
3. Considering the notion of identity politics, as we look at ourselves through the prism of the material we have encountered, how do we identify *first* and why? As woman? As man? Racially? Sexually? What is the importance of attaching or un-attaching a naming/label to ourselves and others?
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Discussion Questions for The Apple
Here are the questions I had for last week's discussion
1.) How does the use of documentary fiction help to comment on the role of women in Iranian society in the late 1990's?
2.) How can a film portray an accurate depiction of women while being subject to the rules of state and self censorship in Iran?
3.) How is space handled in the film? Particularly the distinction between public and private space.
Thanks,
Jim
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Apple Discussion Questions
These are from Elana:
1. Do you see any ethical problem with Samira Makhmalbaf ‘s decision to expose the private life of the Naderi family members to the public? The Apple is considered a docufiction. Considering the fact that the girls were little and socially retarded at the time the film was being made and their mother was blind and did not speak Persian, the only person with whom Samira could strike an agreement regarding participation in the film was the uneducated father of the family. In other words, did the father realize what he was getting into when he was signing a release form, if any? Throughout the film the mother curses a lot, which puts her in an unfavorable light. Did the woman realize that she was being filmed at those moments? Were those scenes staged and agreed upon, or were they documented with/without permission from the family? What do you think about the ethics of shooting a film like this?
2. What are the meanings of such symbols as the apple and the mirror in the film? Have you found any other symbols or symbolic representations in it (the watch, the hejab, hopscotch, the flowers, the railroad, the ladder, the bars and walls, etc.)?
3. How are women represented in the film: the mother of the family, the twins, the social worker, the female neighbors, the girls in the park? What spaces do they share (physical and social)? How are men represented in the film: the father of the family, the boys in the street, the seller of vegetables and the seller of the watches? What spaces belong to them? What conclusions can you make about gender roles in Iranian society upon watching the film?
4. What did not meet your expectations as a viewer brought up within a Western culture, while you were watching the film? For me, for example, it was very strange to see the social worker knock at the neighbors’ doors and ask them for a saw.
5. What political questions does the film touch upon (for example, religious faith vs. social progress; the importance of women in bringing about changes in Iranian society)? What class issues does the film bring up?
6. What cinematic techniques (shots, perspectives, etc.) does Samira use to convey the main ideas of the film?
1. Do you see any ethical problem with Samira Makhmalbaf ‘s decision to expose the private life of the Naderi family members to the public? The Apple is considered a docufiction. Considering the fact that the girls were little and socially retarded at the time the film was being made and their mother was blind and did not speak Persian, the only person with whom Samira could strike an agreement regarding participation in the film was the uneducated father of the family. In other words, did the father realize what he was getting into when he was signing a release form, if any? Throughout the film the mother curses a lot, which puts her in an unfavorable light. Did the woman realize that she was being filmed at those moments? Were those scenes staged and agreed upon, or were they documented with/without permission from the family? What do you think about the ethics of shooting a film like this?
2. What are the meanings of such symbols as the apple and the mirror in the film? Have you found any other symbols or symbolic representations in it (the watch, the hejab, hopscotch, the flowers, the railroad, the ladder, the bars and walls, etc.)?
3. How are women represented in the film: the mother of the family, the twins, the social worker, the female neighbors, the girls in the park? What spaces do they share (physical and social)? How are men represented in the film: the father of the family, the boys in the street, the seller of vegetables and the seller of the watches? What spaces belong to them? What conclusions can you make about gender roles in Iranian society upon watching the film?
4. What did not meet your expectations as a viewer brought up within a Western culture, while you were watching the film? For me, for example, it was very strange to see the social worker knock at the neighbors’ doors and ask them for a saw.
5. What political questions does the film touch upon (for example, religious faith vs. social progress; the importance of women in bringing about changes in Iranian society)? What class issues does the film bring up?
6. What cinematic techniques (shots, perspectives, etc.) does Samira use to convey the main ideas of the film?
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Questions for Course
Here are my original questions plus yours. Feel free to add to these questions as well as reflect on any of them...
Why is it necessary that we have a class devoted to women and film?
How are women framed in, through and by film?
Why do such representations matter?
How do they inform our understanding of gender in our everyday lives?
How have scholars understood films by women? How have women filmmakers challenged, shaped and changed the form, content and style of movies?
How important is the language of feminism to contemporary filmmaking?
How important is the language of filmmaking to the progress of feminism?
Can the camera make gender neutral?
How do representations of women differ in mainstream v. alternative/independent cinema?
How do films by women differ in their portrayals of female v. male protagonists.
What are the social ramifications of a phallocentric film industry?
Does the gaze change based on the culture of the filmmaker or the audience?
How/has the industry changed since the feminist film movement?
What comes next for women filmmakers?
How is mainstream filmmaking reinforcing gender roles and heteronormativity?
Why is it necessary that we have a class devoted to women and film?
How are women framed in, through and by film?
Why do such representations matter?
How do they inform our understanding of gender in our everyday lives?
How have scholars understood films by women? How have women filmmakers challenged, shaped and changed the form, content and style of movies?
How important is the language of feminism to contemporary filmmaking?
How important is the language of filmmaking to the progress of feminism?
Can the camera make gender neutral?
How do representations of women differ in mainstream v. alternative/independent cinema?
How do films by women differ in their portrayals of female v. male protagonists.
What are the social ramifications of a phallocentric film industry?
Does the gaze change based on the culture of the filmmaker or the audience?
How/has the industry changed since the feminist film movement?
What comes next for women filmmakers?
How is mainstream filmmaking reinforcing gender roles and heteronormativity?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
What do you think?
http://www.onpointradio.org/2010/01/a-big-year-for-hollywood-women [Radio program]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102300194.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/movies/13dargis.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
Take a look/listen at the above links. Do you think representations of women in Hollywood have changed for the better? Do they provide more realistic portrayals of women? What about diversity and age? Does it matter that there are still very few women directors in mainstream cinema?
In the radio program one of the contributors talks about how women get a chance to make one Hollywood film and if it isn't a success then they bounce back to wherever they come from (t.v., etc.) yet men can fail many times and keep getting work in Hollywood. Why do you think this happens?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102300194.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/movies/13dargis.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
Take a look/listen at the above links. Do you think representations of women in Hollywood have changed for the better? Do they provide more realistic portrayals of women? What about diversity and age? Does it matter that there are still very few women directors in mainstream cinema?
In the radio program one of the contributors talks about how women get a chance to make one Hollywood film and if it isn't a success then they bounce back to wherever they come from (t.v., etc.) yet men can fail many times and keep getting work in Hollywood. Why do you think this happens?
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