Kubbrick Gender Roles
Where are the female roles Kubrick?
Every film created by Stanely Kubrick takes the audience on a long and extensive journey. However, several of his films have a common issue of placing the male gender in roles of superiority and portraying the female as inferior. I find this very surprising as Kubrick typically likes to incorporate controversial topics such as racial issues and sexuality. For example, in Kubrick’s film The Killing (1956), Timothy Carey makes a rude racist remark to the polite African-American man who was trying to be a friend to Carey. This painted Carey in a bad light and made the audience feel sympathetic for the African-American man. It is surprising to me that an intelligent man like Kubrick would not choose to showcase …show more content…
gender equality, but rather support the unfair treatment and objectification of women in cinema.
Full Metal Jacket is famously known for its two-part structure. The transition into the second part of the film displays the issue of presenting females as an object to men. The first shot of part two, and the first time we see a female figure, she is walking down the street swaying her hips and playing with her hair. As he transitions to second act, a Vietnamese female walks into the frame wearing a short skirt. The song “These Boots Are Made for Wallkin’ plays as the non-diegetic sound.
The female’s verbal exchange with the marine men is heard in a broken English accent saying statements such as “Me so horny” and “Me love you long time.” The scene continues as the men try to negotiate the cheapest price possible for sexual favors from the female.
As for Kubrick’s film A Clockwork Orange (1971), his representation of females is still one of inferiority in comparison to the male characters. The majority of the time we see a female in the film, they are being raped by several men. For example, a scene towards the beginning of the film depicts a group of men forcing a naked female onto the floor of a stage. Kubrick’s decision to place the setting on top of a stage relates to the idea that the men are putting on a show for the audience. Except the show is forcefully sexually assaulting a female without her …show more content…
consent.
2001 A Space Odyssey (1968), directed by Kubrick showcases no major female characters.
The only figures that make important decisions throughout the film are men. The only time we witness a female interaction in the two-and-a-half-hour film is during one scene. This scene takes place with Dr. Floyd meeting with the Russians in outer space. Their dialogue is not even in English and spoken in mostly Russian. Another example of unimportant female roles can be seen in Kubrick’s film Barry Lyndon (1975). Barry Lyndon played Lady Honoria Lyndon for a fool. For example, while Barry Lyndon would be drinking and partying, Lady Honoria would stay home and attend to her son and other responsibilities. Also, Lady Honoria’s actions throughout the film were mostly controlled by men telling her what to do. The last scene we witness her son pass her bills to sign while Lady Honoria willingly signs all of them.
In Kubrick’s film, Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), the first time we see a female, she is acting as a receptionist for her male partner whom she is sleeping with. The woman is then seen talking on the phone while wearing very provocative lingerie. Stanley Kubrick places the female in the rule of thirds against a mirror. This mirror adds an extra dimension as we see more than one side to her. This mise-en-scene exaggerates her minimal clothing
attire.
Kubrick’s depiction of women as objects of desire that can be obtained regardless of consent, show cinemas history with the objectification of women. Could it be that by bringing this negativity towards women to light, that Kubrick was trying to show how society is so negligent to the unfair treatment of women. Kubrick’s films such as, The Killing, A Clockwork Orange, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and Barry Lyndon all encompass a repeating theme of gender inequality
Every film created by Stanely Kubrick takes the audience on a long and extensive journey. However, several of his films have a common issue of placing the male gender in roles of superiority and portraying the female as inferior. I find this very surprising as Kubrick typically likes to incorporate controversial topics such as racial issues and sexuality. For example, in Kubrick’s film The Killing (1956), Timothy Carey makes a rude racist remark to the polite African-American man who was trying to be a friend to Carey. This painted Carey in a bad light and made the audience feel sympathetic for the African-American man. It is surprising to me that an intelligent man like Kubrick would not choose to showcase …show more content…
gender equality, but rather support the unfair treatment and objectification of women in cinema.
Full Metal Jacket is famously known for its two-part structure. The transition into the second part of the film displays the issue of presenting females as an object to men. The first shot of part two, and the first time we see a female figure, she is walking down the street swaying her hips and playing with her hair. As he transitions to second act, a Vietnamese female walks into the frame wearing a short skirt. The song “These Boots Are Made for Wallkin’ plays as the non-diegetic sound.
The female’s verbal exchange with the marine men is heard in a broken English accent saying statements such as “Me so horny” and “Me love you long time.” The scene continues as the men try to negotiate the cheapest price possible for sexual favors from the female.
As for Kubrick’s film A Clockwork Orange (1971), his representation of females is still one of inferiority in comparison to the male characters. The majority of the time we see a female in the film, they are being raped by several men. For example, a scene towards the beginning of the film depicts a group of men forcing a naked female onto the floor of a stage. Kubrick’s decision to place the setting on top of a stage relates to the idea that the men are putting on a show for the audience. Except the show is forcefully sexually assaulting a female without her …show more content…
consent.
2001 A Space Odyssey (1968), directed by Kubrick showcases no major female characters.
The only figures that make important decisions throughout the film are men. The only time we witness a female interaction in the two-and-a-half-hour film is during one scene. This scene takes place with Dr. Floyd meeting with the Russians in outer space. Their dialogue is not even in English and spoken in mostly Russian. Another example of unimportant female roles can be seen in Kubrick’s film Barry Lyndon (1975). Barry Lyndon played Lady Honoria Lyndon for a fool. For example, while Barry Lyndon would be drinking and partying, Lady Honoria would stay home and attend to her son and other responsibilities. Also, Lady Honoria’s actions throughout the film were mostly controlled by men telling her what to do. The last scene we witness her son pass her bills to sign while Lady Honoria willingly signs all of them.
In Kubrick’s film, Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), the first time we see a female, she is acting as a receptionist for her male partner whom she is sleeping with. The woman is then seen talking on the phone while wearing very provocative lingerie. Stanley Kubrick places the female in the rule of thirds against a mirror. This mirror adds an extra dimension as we see more than one side to her. This mise-en-scene exaggerates her minimal clothing
attire.
Kubrick’s depiction of women as objects of desire that can be obtained regardless of consent, show cinemas history with the objectification of women. Could it be that by bringing this negativity towards women to light, that Kubrick was trying to show how society is so negligent to the unfair treatment of women. Kubrick’s films such as, The Killing, A Clockwork Orange, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and Barry Lyndon all encompass a repeating theme of gender inequality