Sexuality Questions

Upload the posters for the 1933 King Kong film and the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still and comment on the representations of sexuality depicted in them.

 

 

 

 

 

Both posters represent sexuality in many ways. There is a clear protagonist who is saving the woman who is the 'damsel in distress' this suggests the representation that women are reliant on men and incapable of surviving on their own and protecting themselves. The low angle shot helps portray the representation of women is that they are weak and submissive as they are being held by the male figures, and are below them, aswell, as being obviously significantly smaller.  The flailing of her limbs implies that she is being melodramatic and emotional, a typical representation of females. In addition, she is being sexualised by the large amounts of skin on show from her provocative costume.Additionally, the men in both posters are represented as strong and powerful, and resilient. The evil aggressor, the ape or robot, is in some way posing a sexualised threat to the half naked but pure virginal woman who is seen as needing to be rescued from the masculine threat seeking to violate her. 

 

 

 

2. What reason is given in the article for the Sci-Fi genre including more challenging representations of female sexuality?

 During the early era of sci-fi women were rarely sexualised in film, however, the new  alien characters brought a new opportunity for presenting women in a different way that may not have been appreciated or accepted in characters of other genres. Extra-terrestrial beings were not as relatable as human characters and therefore it was perceived as acceptable to view them in ways that would seem distasteful and offensive had it been a human. Due to their unnatural characteristics they were often portrayed in a very sexual manner, many being associated with the protagonist through his love life. This new breed of characters proved fascinating for the audience and they would not have seen an issue in the over-sexualising of their costume and behaviour.

 

3. What are the two main ways that women have traditionally been depicted in terms of female sexuality?

 They were given the representation of openly offering a much more provocative representation of sexuality. They were provocatively dressed, with heavy eye make up and a seductive voice. The female characters followed mainly a narrative which included them attempting to seduce the hero of the story.

 

4. How have recent writers and directors changed representations of sexuality in television dramas?

 Recent writers and directors have changed the representation of sexuality in television dramas by not following the conventional heterosexual relationship. Instead they have changed the sexuality of the main protagonists and have represented them as homosexual.

 

5. What has television producer and screenwriter Russell T.Davies done to challenge depictions of sexuality in mainstream television drama?

He wrote a TV drama which was a ground-breaking but controversial about a group of young gay friends in Manchester.

 

 

6. Why is Captain Jack’s sexuality in Dr Who kept oblique?

Captain Jack's sexuality in Dr Who is kept oblique so that the audience can work out from some of his one-liners what sexuality he is. Also because Doctor Who is considered family viewing, and references to any kind of sexual behaviour, heterosexual or otherwise have to be kept oblique.

 

 

7. What technical aspect (camera, sound, mise-en-scene or editing) does the article suggest gives most hints to the viewer about Jack’s sexual orientation?

The article suggests that the audience should pay attention to the framing of Jack. He is occasionally framed in a medium longshot or medium close up in order to emphasise his physical attributes. Additionally, sound might also have a part to play in telling us how a character feels about another character, so incidental and other music might also play a part in the representation of sexuality.

 

 

8. Which technical aspect of the representation of Jack (camera, sound, mise-en-scene, editing) challenges traditional stereotypes of gay men?

 In contrast, the author argues that the costume element of mise-en-scene is a counter stereotype of his sexual orientation as it is very masculine. For example he regularly wears military attire and has the phisique of a hyper masculine character, another counter stereotype.

9. Why might some audience members be offended by Jenny and Vastra’s relationship in Doctor Who?

As mentioned before, some people would be offended that the only lesbian couple has one character as an alien since it implies that humans are incapable or shouldn’t be involved in homosexual relations with each other. The fact that it is only possible through the use of an extra-terrestrial being rather than a human could be seen as an insult to the homosexual community. Alternatively it is a plot point using central characters and the entire programme revolves around the lives of non-human’s it appears to be an acceptable compromise.

 

 

10. Find a still image from an episode Dr Who and annotate the mise-en-scene characteristics that give clues to the character’s sexuality – eg. setting, costume, body language, props, facial expression, positioning in the frame.