Feminist Film Theory

Feminism is based on the belief in society that women are unequal to men. Feminists argue that the media reinforces this idea that women are unequal to men by representing a small range of images of women. Feminism is the movement that includes both women and men who want the world to be equal with no boundaries. These boundaries being discrimination and biases towards gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status and economic status.Often film is used as a tool to counteract these stereotypical images of women.   

The feminist film theory focuses on the function of female characters as a reflection of societies view of women. These characters would be the stereotypical female characters we would expect to see in films.

One example on a stereotypical female character shown in films is 'the male gaze'. This is when women are shown as an image and the man is the bearer of the look. Laura Mulvey, a feminist film theorist, coined at the term 'male gaze' in 1975. She believed that film audiences have to view characters from the perspective of an heterosexual male. Jonathan Schroeder argued in 1998 'to gaze implies more than to look at - it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of gaze'.

'Freud' is the combination of our society and looking as a pleasurable act that creates film as an outlet for female sexual exploitation. This means in the narrative there would often be sexual diversions in active and passive rolls.

'Femme Fatale' characters are female characters who use there power to trap male characters. These characters are often popular in the genre 'film noir'. Male characters who are usually seduced or manipulated by these characters usually end up in bad conditions. The words 'femme fatale' are actually french for 'fatal woman'.

Feminist films however are set out to specifically to discus women's experiences connected to the female gender.  Feminist films are not films that just feature women as the main roll, they have to discus issues about feminism and gender. Examples of feminist films are Jennifers Body and Thelma and Louise. The film industry was always traditional male orientated with the biggest percent of directors being men. Times now however a slowly changing and more women are starting to get involved in the film industry.

In the film 'Scream' the death scene of Drew Barrymore's Character 'Casey' can relate to the idea of feminism. In this scene the female character Casey can be seen as the Male gaze.  She is shown as the image whilst the person she is speaking to the phone, obviously a male voice coming from the phone, can be scene as the bearer of the look.

Her Character is shown in very light coloured clothes whilst her killer is shown wearing black. This shows makes her out to be very innocent whilst her killer is in black to show he is bad. Another technique shown in this film is the repeated use of a high scream coming from the female character. This is seen in many horrors and when happens it reminds us that a women is the one scared as a man wouldn't be able to usually scream in this way.

When She is being stabbed, she is shown to being stabbed down at her chest in the direction of her breasts. This indicates to us that she is being killed in this  way because she is a women.