Essay Comparing Carrie And Dressed To Kill, By Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma, is a Hollywood director, who is famous for creating and directing horror films. De Palma has directed some of the most controversial and best known horror films of all time, taking inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock. Brian De Palma directed the movie Carrie, inspired by the book by Stephen King, which is about a young woman who is denied society’s freedoms because her religious mother does not let her indulge in things because they may be a sign from God. When Carrie gets her period, things start to change for Carrie, who learns to grow up and learns she has special powers to combat her bullies. Carrie has many similarities to the movie Dressed to Kill, which is also directed by Brian De Palma. Dressed to Kill, is about a physiatrist
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In the films, Carrie and Dressed to Kill, Brain De Palma characterizes women as being sexual objects, to incite the male gaze, when they are actually being the most valuable characters in De Palma’s films by embracing their feminine performance.
Dressed to Kill and Carrie, both show the two females characters being “taunted” by men, when they are actually more dominant than men, who normally have an “authority figure.” The first clip that is important to Dressed to Kill, is when Liz is accused of murdering Kate Miller in the beginning of the movie. Liz defends herself and insists that she did not kill Kate Miller. The detective does not believe her and doesn’t care to look into other suspects, considering Liz’s job. In the book of Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, written by Erving Goffman, the author states, “Sometimes the traditions of an individual’s role will lead him to give a well-designed impress ion of a particular kind and yet he may be neither consciously nor unconsciously disposed to create such an impression.” This means that the detective is unwilling to accept what Liz has to say because her job says the opposite. Liz is very determined to liberate herself, so does the investigation work herself.
In the films, Carrie and Dressed to Kill, Brain De Palma characterizes women as being sexual objects, to incite the male gaze, when they are actually being the most valuable characters in De Palma’s films by embracing their feminine performance.
Dressed to Kill and Carrie, both show the two females characters being “taunted” by men, when they are actually more dominant than men, who normally have an “authority figure.” The first clip that is important to Dressed to Kill, is when Liz is accused of murdering Kate Miller in the beginning of the movie. Liz defends herself and insists that she did not kill Kate Miller. The detective does not believe her and doesn’t care to look into other suspects, considering Liz’s job. In the book of Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, written by Erving Goffman, the author states, “Sometimes the traditions of an individual’s role will lead him to give a well-designed impress ion of a particular kind and yet he may be neither consciously nor unconsciously disposed to create such an impression.” This means that the detective is unwilling to accept what Liz has to say because her job says the opposite. Liz is very determined to liberate herself, so does the investigation work herself.