In classical Hollywood cinema, the film serves as a reflection of the social and cultural aspects of the period and as a result it illuminates discourses of gender which operates within society. In Arthur Penn’s 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, the characters aid in reinforcing the “unconscious of patriarchal society” (Mulvey 14). American society is structured upon a patriarchal system which recognizes the male as the authoritative figure with power over the female and mainstream cinema helps to reinforce these ideas onto the audience (dictionary). Using Laura Mulvey’s Theory of ‘the Gaze’, I will demonstrate how Arthur Penn’s depiction of the characters Bonnie Parker, Blanche Barrow and Clyde Barrow aid in perpetuating hegemonic ideologies of
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Blanche is portrayed as submissive, passive and under the man’s control. In contrast to Bonnie’s character who is seductive and sexualized; Blanche is compliant, domesticated and accurately performs her accepted gender roles (Lunstad 22). Married to Buck Barrow, Blanche opposes joining Bonnie and Clyde on their bank robbery sprees, however; she is forced to by her husband (Penn 1967). This scene exemplifies the way mainstream society’s view of the woman as passive is permeated through popular cinema (Lunstad 22). According to Mulvey, the male character in the film lives out his fantasies through silencing the image of the woman (Mulvey 15). Blanche signifies how the woman does not represent a character who is essential to the plot, but rather serves as a ‘narrative device’ to the male role (Lunstad 8). Evidently, her role in the film is only to further “the gangster’s goal of rise to power” (Lunstad …show more content…
Laura Mulvey states that through the ‘male gaze’, the active male “projects his fantasies onto the female’s figure” (Mulvey 19). In this sense, the sole purpose of the woman in the narrative is for the male’s gaze (Mulvey 21). Clyde Barrow as controller of the erotic look is exemplified in the first scenes of the film. The camera is positioned on a close-up of Bonnie’s lips as she applies her lipstick and licks her lips sexually (Penn 1967). Similarly, in the scene that follows, the camera slowly moves out from a close-up of Bonnie to display parts of her naked body to the audience; without revealing everything to the camera. She proceeds to the bedroom window where she stands nude from the waist up (Penn 1967). The camera shot in this scene is taken from the stance of Clyde to illustrate ‘the gaze’ being projected to the female figure in the window (refer to appendix C). This suggests that the female is the sexualized object on display for the male spectator (Mulvey 21). The gaze of the male protagonist in the film works to illustrate the way patriarchal order is illuminated within mainstream
Blanche is portrayed as submissive, passive and under the man’s control. In contrast to Bonnie’s character who is seductive and sexualized; Blanche is compliant, domesticated and accurately performs her accepted gender roles (Lunstad 22). Married to Buck Barrow, Blanche opposes joining Bonnie and Clyde on their bank robbery sprees, however; she is forced to by her husband (Penn 1967). This scene exemplifies the way mainstream society’s view of the woman as passive is permeated through popular cinema (Lunstad 22). According to Mulvey, the male character in the film lives out his fantasies through silencing the image of the woman (Mulvey 15). Blanche signifies how the woman does not represent a character who is essential to the plot, but rather serves as a ‘narrative device’ to the male role (Lunstad 8). Evidently, her role in the film is only to further “the gangster’s goal of rise to power” (Lunstad …show more content…
Laura Mulvey states that through the ‘male gaze’, the active male “projects his fantasies onto the female’s figure” (Mulvey 19). In this sense, the sole purpose of the woman in the narrative is for the male’s gaze (Mulvey 21). Clyde Barrow as controller of the erotic look is exemplified in the first scenes of the film. The camera is positioned on a close-up of Bonnie’s lips as she applies her lipstick and licks her lips sexually (Penn 1967). Similarly, in the scene that follows, the camera slowly moves out from a close-up of Bonnie to display parts of her naked body to the audience; without revealing everything to the camera. She proceeds to the bedroom window where she stands nude from the waist up (Penn 1967). The camera shot in this scene is taken from the stance of Clyde to illustrate ‘the gaze’ being projected to the female figure in the window (refer to appendix C). This suggests that the female is the sexualized object on display for the male spectator (Mulvey 21). The gaze of the male protagonist in the film works to illustrate the way patriarchal order is illuminated within mainstream