Mulvey's 'Narrative Cinema and Visual Pleasure' and Darren Aronofsky's 'Black Swan' (2010)
The psychological horror film "Black Swan" (Darren Aronofsky, 2010) is one which is particularly interesting in my view in terms of psychological theories relative to cinema and feminism, explained in Laura Mulvey's critical study of cinema, "Narrative Cinema and Visual Pleasure" (1975). The narrative of the film follows professional Ballerina Nina Sayer as she seems set to finally be cast in a main part in the opening show of the new season, Swan Lake, by her creative director Thomas. This however, seems to be jeopardised by the arrival of the company's new dancer, Lily, who's relationship with Nina throughout the film blossoms into a twisted friendship come rivalry as Lily is cast as Nina's alternative. The film itself is interesting in terms of it's relationship with psychology and the audience, from the outset highlighting Nina's constant strive for perfection due to the relationships that she has with her mother and with Thomas himself, who seems to be cold towards her childish nature and evident schoolgirl crush. Her strange relationship with Lily is merely the tipping point to her succumbing to her mental turmoil and obvious psychological illnesses. One way that Aronofsky conveys this to the viewer is through the use of subtle hints such as the use of mirrors, and the unrecognisable slips between an antonymous view as an audience watching, to directly watching her psychotic episodes through point-of-view camera work. Albeit, this in itself is not suggestive of intended or unintended misogyny within the film, this becomes more obvious through the development of the narrative and the characterisation of what makes a woman inherently 'good' or 'bad, and application of 'the male gaze' through the lens when male directors unintentionally or intentionally treat women in an an objectifying or voyeuristic manner.
"In the male gaze, woman is visually placed as an "object" of heterosexual male desire"(Janice Loreck, 2016).
The scene from "Black Swan" that I have decided to analyse is one which I feel particularly stood out to me when thinking about the male gaze and it's prevalence in cinema even to this day, the erotic scene. The scene begins with the familiar chase, the camera tracking Nina and Lily down the hallway and into Nina's bedroom, where they barricade the door; "it's called privacy I'm not twelve" (Darren Aronofsky, 2010). We then witness an exchange between the pair, which appears to be heated, before the scene cuts to a close-up shot of Nina cornering Lily and beginning another, passionate exchange. This in itself is the first example within this scene of the use of the male gaze within cinema, with the two women having an unstable relationship in the first instance, the likelihood of them realistically having sexual relations would be incredibly slim; this could be seen as fanatical or even a fantasy on the director's behalf, as the viewing almost borderlines the sexual narrative of pornography. "The cinema seems to have evolved a particular illusion of reality in which this contradiction between ego and libido has found a beautifully complementary fantasy world" (Laura Mulvey, 1975), the manipulation of this situation that plays before us on screen highlights the fanatical approach to the female libido and ego, and especially reinforces the idea that as Nina embodies Odile (the black swan) her behaviour becomes more promiscuous and erratic, thereby relating to outdated views that these behaviours make a woman 'bad'.
When the scene becomes more heated, we see the voyeuristic nature of the camera and mainstream cinema towards the female body, and the objectification that this thereby incurs. The shots used are the first indication, using close-up and extreme close-up shots in order to capture the reactions of both women; The camera focuses on Nina's (Natalie Portman) face for a couple of seconds at a time, but rather that cutting to Lily's (Mila Kunis) straight away, the time is taken to pan down the breasts, stomach and hips, illustrating the female form to the body in a smooth and concise motion, but never actually displaying Portman's face in the same shot as her body. This acts to dehumanise her, taking her body to be an object to be displayed, rather than directly relating to the recognisable human features or emotions relative to intimacy and sex. This decision by the director directly puts us, as the viewer, in the position of 'the male gaze', and experience what is referred to by Mulvey in 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' as pleasure in looking; here the pleasure is taken in conveying Portman's body in such a way that is appeasing to the eye, rather than portraying the exchange in an accurate manner. This is affirmed by the overstated reactions and seductive looks into the camera by Kunis as she performs oral sex, a fanatic and unrealistic expectation that has been brought about both through the image of the 'perfect' woman and 'perfect' sex and the prevalence and promotion of this by studios, directors and film fans of all descriptions, and whilst this could be disputed by presenting the argument of 'the female gaze' which is becoming ever more obvious in film, it begs the question of whether misogynistic views in the film industry have truly changed.
Bibliography:
"In the male gaze, woman is visually placed as an "object" of heterosexual male desire"(Janice Loreck, 2016).
The scene from "Black Swan" that I have decided to analyse is one which I feel particularly stood out to me when thinking about the male gaze and it's prevalence in cinema even to this day, the erotic scene. The scene begins with the familiar chase, the camera tracking Nina and Lily down the hallway and into Nina's bedroom, where they barricade the door; "it's called privacy I'm not twelve" (Darren Aronofsky, 2010). We then witness an exchange between the pair, which appears to be heated, before the scene cuts to a close-up shot of Nina cornering Lily and beginning another, passionate exchange. This in itself is the first example within this scene of the use of the male gaze within cinema, with the two women having an unstable relationship in the first instance, the likelihood of them realistically having sexual relations would be incredibly slim; this could be seen as fanatical or even a fantasy on the director's behalf, as the viewing almost borderlines the sexual narrative of pornography. "The cinema seems to have evolved a particular illusion of reality in which this contradiction between ego and libido has found a beautifully complementary fantasy world" (Laura Mulvey, 1975), the manipulation of this situation that plays before us on screen highlights the fanatical approach to the female libido and ego, and especially reinforces the idea that as Nina embodies Odile (the black swan) her behaviour becomes more promiscuous and erratic, thereby relating to outdated views that these behaviours make a woman 'bad'.
When the scene becomes more heated, we see the voyeuristic nature of the camera and mainstream cinema towards the female body, and the objectification that this thereby incurs. The shots used are the first indication, using close-up and extreme close-up shots in order to capture the reactions of both women; The camera focuses on Nina's (Natalie Portman) face for a couple of seconds at a time, but rather that cutting to Lily's (Mila Kunis) straight away, the time is taken to pan down the breasts, stomach and hips, illustrating the female form to the body in a smooth and concise motion, but never actually displaying Portman's face in the same shot as her body. This acts to dehumanise her, taking her body to be an object to be displayed, rather than directly relating to the recognisable human features or emotions relative to intimacy and sex. This decision by the director directly puts us, as the viewer, in the position of 'the male gaze', and experience what is referred to by Mulvey in 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' as pleasure in looking; here the pleasure is taken in conveying Portman's body in such a way that is appeasing to the eye, rather than portraying the exchange in an accurate manner. This is affirmed by the overstated reactions and seductive looks into the camera by Kunis as she performs oral sex, a fanatic and unrealistic expectation that has been brought about both through the image of the 'perfect' woman and 'perfect' sex and the prevalence and promotion of this by studios, directors and film fans of all descriptions, and whilst this could be disputed by presenting the argument of 'the female gaze' which is becoming ever more obvious in film, it begs the question of whether misogynistic views in the film industry have truly changed.
Bibliography:
- Aronofsky, D., (2010), 'Black Swan', Cross Creek Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures.
- Loreck, J., (2016), 'Explainer: what does the 'male gaze' mean and what about a female gaze', theconversation.com, article available from:https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486
- Mulvey, L. (1975), 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema', pgs 57-67, Screen Film Journal, London.
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