In 2001, Michael Haneke directed a film called, The Piano Teacher. Haneke’s attitude, as conveyed to the spectator, is not to rail against pornography, per se, but to rail against its impact as generated by a capitalist patriarchy. This stems from a similar modality introduced by Linda Williams1 in which she “...moves beyond the impasse of the anti-porn/anti-censorship debate to analyze what hard-core film pornography is and does.” (Slade 656). Haneke’s method portrays a patriarchal approach to a cinematic narrative, but does so through the gaze of a woman and her scopophilia. “Scopophilic, arises from pleasure in using another person as an object of sexual stimulation through sight...developed through narcissism and the constitution of
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Watching others have intercourse in their car, while they, in turn, are watching a film. In doing this, she finds the "Transmission of power...[The] pleasure of their exercise...in the gaze of those involved...the pleasure of the surveillance of pleasure” (Foucault 186). After urinating in response to their actions, Erika, caught by the male counterpart, flees while he chases yelling obscenities. Accentuating the theme of the female disrupting the patriarchy and showcasing her mistaken notions about gender roles. Shielding and managing overwhelming feelings, Erika reverses control of the erotic act. This just underscores her coping mechanism as expressed in the public bathroom where she will transition from an asexual lifestyle to a sexual one.
In the Playing Field chapter, she uses reason to control her libido. Perversion occurs because of her misrecognition of the hardcore film seen in the porn shop. Subsequently, she expresses feelings toward Walter through fellatio and uses her intellect to control them. Also, there is no climax reached which supports Haneke’s divergence from the mainstream media’s raw portrayal of sex to a more abstract vision. Castration of the symbolic phallus in an earlier home bathroom scene allows Erika to transfer it to the letter which she alludes to in the next
Watching others have intercourse in their car, while they, in turn, are watching a film. In doing this, she finds the "Transmission of power...[The] pleasure of their exercise...in the gaze of those involved...the pleasure of the surveillance of pleasure” (Foucault 186). After urinating in response to their actions, Erika, caught by the male counterpart, flees while he chases yelling obscenities. Accentuating the theme of the female disrupting the patriarchy and showcasing her mistaken notions about gender roles. Shielding and managing overwhelming feelings, Erika reverses control of the erotic act. This just underscores her coping mechanism as expressed in the public bathroom where she will transition from an asexual lifestyle to a sexual one.
In the Playing Field chapter, she uses reason to control her libido. Perversion occurs because of her misrecognition of the hardcore film seen in the porn shop. Subsequently, she expresses feelings toward Walter through fellatio and uses her intellect to control them. Also, there is no climax reached which supports Haneke’s divergence from the mainstream media’s raw portrayal of sex to a more abstract vision. Castration of the symbolic phallus in an earlier home bathroom scene allows Erika to transfer it to the letter which she alludes to in the next