FirsT DrafT..
‘You can’t force a woman against her will’[1]- with reference to ‘House of Flying Daggers’ (2004 d. Zhang Yimou), have women become the protagonists in action/adventure movies OR are they still perceived as inferior to men?
"Narrative plays on conflict, on surprise, on role reversal."[2] The text ‘House of Flying Daggers’ directed by Zhang Yimou evidently portrays the changing roles of women, but more specifically East-Asian women, in action/adventure movies. The text is centered on a Chinese action genre however there are also elements of romantic love story forming. Women in the film are perceived differently to what audiences are normally used to viewing, as they are the ones which drive the narrative forward, however there are still elements of voyeuristic pleasures for the assumed ‘male spectator’[3]. As the film is distributed by Sony Picture Classics, the audience will feel more intrigued to watch it, due to Sony being a respected brand. This also suggests the film will not be associated with the art-house genre, due to its high-budget made available by Sony. In addition to this mainstream audiences can be said to be its primary target audience, however, how far is this text a representative for the changing roles of women in action/adventure movies?
Our first meeting with the main female protagonist, the apparently blind Mei (Zhang Ziyi), is in a brothel house. This seems typical of an East-Asian woman during 859 AD, the period when the Tang-dynasty was in power, whereby males were the rulers and exploiters, and there roles were far more masculine (e.g. officers) which would further involve them demonstrating their dominance over frail women. ‘At this time, male dominance was guaranteed and maintained by certain norms’[4] as women were meant to obey their male-counterparts and portray their fidelity towards them; furthermore they were expected to show skill in needlework, which would reveal their ability to be domesticated and worthy housewives. As the plot for the critically acclaimed ‘House of Flying Daggers’ commences, Mei is assumed to be a member of the notorious House of Flying Daggers, a self-proclaimed organization out to disrupt the legislations of the already corrupted government of China, in order to help the poor. However, when Mei is asked to perform the first dance in the brothel house, her elegance overshadows her wit and ability to fight, therefore creating doubts about her involvement with the Flying Daggers. Nonetheless, the government officials still suspect her to have answers of the whereabouts of the House of Flying Daggers. After she has been captured and taken into questioning; she stubbornly refuses to open her mouth, thus forcing Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a local deputy, to slyly gain her trust (by helping her escape prison) in hope of her leading him to the hide-out of the Flying Daggers. The entire text is constructed in a linear form in order to help audiences focus, without shifting through time. Furthermore, sub-titles are also available for non-speakers of the Chinese lingo; this confirms how the film was intended to be seen by western audiences as well as eastern.
Laura Mulvey[5], a British feminist film critic, introduces her theory in her book ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.’(1975) Many aspects of her theory are relevant to my study, for example, she suggests that male spectators are assumed when a text is produced; therefore women are encouraged to have qualities of being looked-at-ness, whereas the main protagonists will be male in order to allow the ‘male audience’ to identify with them. In the ‘House of Flying Daggers’, there are a various scenes where the main woman protagonist, Mei, is dressed to impress and in contrast to this there is a semi-naked scene of her bathing herself in an exotic lake; which adds a fantastical effect. Furthermore, Mei seems to be constantly revealing her shoulders (when she and Jin have sex), and this seems to be portrayed as desirable and is also a fetishished body part. On the other hand, my text also tries to challenge this view of ‘male spectators’, as Mei is also involved in combat, where she begins to look ‘rough’ and not as appealing. This in some ways could link to Freud’s theory of ‘penis envy’[6], where women apparently idealise men and want to interact in the ways they do; furthermore she handles daggers and swords (phallic objects) when she is contributing in the large combat in the bamboo forest, which enforces the idea of patriarchal society.
Our interpretations of the female and male roles are proven to be false, as women are the ones that play an active part and regulate forthcoming events; this enables audiences to identify with them and also demonstrates the subversive nature of the film. Due to this very distinctive approach by Yimou, where there is an obvious role-reversal; audiences would enjoy viewing something a little more unconventional compared with other eastern-cinema in the past, for example ‘Enter the Dragon’ (d. Robert Clouse, 1973)[7]. When considering films such as Enter the Dragon, where we have Bruce Lee as the main protagonist; the audience will realise that the women present in this film are there to fill the roles of slaves and worshippers of the men. This signifies male dominance and the patriarchal society that existed in the 1970’s in China and Japan. However, Nanako Kurihara documentary ‘Ripples of Change’ (1993) contemplates on ‘Japanese women’s liberation movement in the 1970’s and its influence on contemporary Japanese society.’[8] Nonetheless, seeing as this social change had not been reflected in Enter the Dragon, clearly underlies how women were still perceived as subordinate to men and inferior in society. We see a resemblance to this in the ‘House of Flying Daggers’, where the first time we see women is inside a brothel. They are under the control of men, and also seductively dance to be rewarded by applause. Their looks and posture are their main focus, and the male are the on-lookers of this stunning beauty. This applies to Laura Mulvey’s theory where she undoubtedly states that males are the assumed spectators and therefore women are encouraged to have qualities of being looked-at-ness, whereas the main protagonists will be male in order to allow the supposed male audience to identify with them.
Alternatively, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (d. Ang Lee, 2000)[9] also stars Zhang Ziyi. Her character involves her being in combat scenes; and once again her role helps to drive the narrative forward. She is a princess who turns into a warrior and also a very significant character to the whole plot. As Ziyi’s particular character in this movie is similar to that of hers in ‘House of Flying Daggers’, audiences are able to create a sense of familiarity with her and therefore already expect her to be involved in many high-flying stunts, due to both films having a epic ‘structural intertextuality’[10]. This idea suggests that 'a text's unity lies not in its origin but in its destination'[11], therefore audiences are the ones that make their own interpretations of a text with the contents on-screen. Another text which portrays a woman in a lead role is Takashi Miike’s 1999 film ‘Audition.’[12] However, we see this text diverts from the typical Chinese cinematic style of incorporating martial arts and instead adopts a Hollywood narrative approach. The plot, in brief, begins with a widower (Ryo Ishibashi) in search of a new wife (Eihi Shiina) by holding auditions. It turns out that the woman he has taken a liking to, has a hidden agenda and a sadistic side which he soon becomes exposed to. Miike’s presentation of Shiina is atypical as she is involved in a very active role; however her character is that of a love-obsessed woman looking to be accepted. In comparison to this, ‘House of Flying Daggers’ also associates this love factor with Mei. Although she is an active female, she is the cause of an unexpected love triangle between Jin and Leo (Andy Lau) which later forces her two ‘lovers’ to be locked in fight to the death. This demonstrates how women’s roles are becoming influential on film narratives.
As Chinese cinema is beginning to utilise narrative styles from Hollywood, i.e. continuity editing, Hollywood are relating the Chinese artistic culture in their movies. ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ (d. Quentin Tarantino, 2003)[13] is one of the major blockbusters to hit screen, which depicts women in a much stronger and ‘masculine’ manner. Here we have Uma Thurman; arguably objectified in her leather skin tight outfit as appealing to Mulvey’s suggested theory, however her lack of make-up and concern for her looks allows both female and male audience to appreciate and admire her more so for her capability to defend herself against her enemies. Additionally, she handles a samurai sword (these weapons of single destruction bring homage and honour to the warrior that carries them[14]), which in some aspects may be seen a phallic object, suggesting her only sense of power originates from a masculine item, on the other hand, this could portray her control over events and also over men, as she is in fact deciding what the sword can and cannot do; she is liberated and independent. Similarly in the ‘House of Flying Daggers,’ Mei’s beauty seems to be the topic of discussion in the mind of audiences, however this portrayal of her is soon altered as in the latter part of the movie she must wear male clothing, which makes her look a little less attractive. This subtly drifts from the theory of the ‘male gaze’ as the attention is diverted from her beauty onto her ability to fight. Nonetheless, to audiences, it seems as though she is still trying to pursue her male partner, Jin, as during an emotional conflict between the two she questions his feelings towards her. This seems typical of her womanly character; however this is proven to be a façade where she fools Jin by pretending she has fallen for him, only to achieve her own goals and get what she wants. This cunning nature that she possesses shows her superiority and control of emotions, a feature that many people would fail to notice in a woman. This overall makes her character more dominant and soon audiences begin to identify with her; they ‘become an active part of the textual formations of the film’[15] shown from a woman’s point of view.
The representation of women in eastern cinema is becoming unique compared with Hollywood. When analyzing movies from the western culture in 1950’s, actresses such as Marilyn Monroe would fulfill the males’ desire by having the qualities to be-looked-at-ness. Contemporary cinema focuses on this issue; texts such as ‘Charlie’s Angels’ (d. McG, 2000) are significant of this portrayal of women however it seems as their active participating does not override their quality of appealing to the male gaze. It may seem that they are moving away from passive roles; however the question still remains, if they are so active then why are they controlled by a male, Charlie? Mei, on the other hand, although apart of an underground organization is in the control of another woman, the assumed brothel owner. This again proposes how women in this film are perceived as superior and ore authoritative than the males. As a woman is the leader of the alliance, it shows how woman are moving away from the patriarchal society and forming, in some ways, a sub-culture.
Throughout the movie, middle class Chinese men and women are being represented in a quite deceitful, yet very active role. Women are shown in glamorous brothels which show them to be a fantastical place. They are portrayed as honorary, reliable and people who take much pride in their culture. Their clothes symbolise their wealth and music represents harmony. However, there are obvious signs of a corrupt government and therefore makes you question whether they are peaceful or violent people. Yimou may have wanted to represent them in this way to show how they in some ways differ from the rest of the world when it comes to their fighting techniques but also show similarities in the way their political system works. This representation could be fair and accurate but most certainly is exaggerated as away of assuring the text will be entertaining. Furthermore, the entertainment factor is vital to a successful film therefore making unique storylines is almost inevitable. Showing women in roles which play with audiences’ expectations of them fabricates an exclusive experience for the readers of the film. 'Mulvey argued that the only way to annihilate that "patriarchal" Hollywood system was to radically challenge and re-shape the filmic strategies of classical Hollywood with alternative feminist methods,'[16] therefore women being the main protagonists in action movies is an interesting approach and one which will intrigue many audiences due to its originality.
However, the ‘House of Flying Daggers’ can not be specifically categorised to one genre, as there is a mixture of stories being told. The movie is action, adventure, love and an epic fantasy. This is similar to other texts directed by hang Yimou, such as Hero (2002), as this move contains elements of action, adventure and drama. In the ‘House of Flying Daggers’, there are many intimate moments where the protagonists reveal their feelings for one another by either holding hands or even kissing. However, the iconographic images of the swords, daggers and even shots of blood reveal the action and adventure side to the film. This hybridism emulates the confusing path the film take in terms of who the main protagonist is and events which occur; furthermore the theme of appearance and reality is challenged. Yimou may be using this technique to outline a betrayal of protagonist’s behavioral characteristics in relation to the audience expectations of them in the later stages of the movie through disguise or deceit, occurring from certain events. This allows Yimou to show Mei as sly and manipulative, a feature in women which audiences would not normally identify with or accept but is excused in this text due to the narratives convoluted structure. Additionally, many of the characters adapt to the recommended character profile of Vladimir Propp’s theory[17]. However, we see that many flip and change their given profile, for example, we firstly identify Jin as the Hero and Leo as the dispatcher but as we progress into the movie it becomes apparent that Mei is in fact the Hero, whereas Leo becomes the Villain (and in some cases the false hero). This is a clear binary opposition (Claude Lévi-Strauss[18]) between good vs. evil, where we see that the hero does prevail as Leo is killed by Mei. This reinforces the failure of the dominant ideology of males being the dominant as Mei presented as the hero, and moreover eradicates a male lead.
As previously mentioned, the aspect of a love-story is also present in the movie, and Yimou takes many mediated approaches to ensure this is established by audiences. Yimou uses many angles and shots in the ‘House of Flying Daggers’ but above all he likes to take advantage of ‘close-up’ shots. To signify the love between Mei and Jin and the love that Leo has for Mei, Yimou decides to show the intimate movement of hands meeting and touching. During one of the main fighting sequels in the bamboo forest, the main colour on screen is green. This connotes the build-up on envy and jealousy that the fighters have enraged; either for between the two alliances or the lovers. At this point the non-diegetic music is speedy and adopts instruments from the Chinese culture. The beats of the drums become deeper to intensify an action and this is complimented by the fast-action shots and angles. However, as we approach the ending of the film, there is an intense battle between Jin and Leo over the dying Mei. During there quarrelling, there is significance in the weather change and this connotes the duration that Jin and Leo have been battling for. Furthermore, this could also portray the upcoming tragedy as the weather dramatically turns from a bright spring day to a blizzard. As this is the most important battle, there are various slow motion and close-up shots, especially concentrating on ones facial expressions to convey the heartbreak. The music saddens at these points to exaggerate the action and also to give the ‘love-story’ authenticity. It would seem as if Mei is included in this scene to represent the emotions being conveyed, however, when looking into more depth, one will realise that even though she is not highly involved in the final battle, she is still the one who gets the last shot; she makes the final decision about which one of the men lives or dies. This is a very important decision and it is interesting that Yimou elects Mei’s character to make the final choice, instead of either Jin or Leo killing each other.
To conclude, women’s roles in film are changing significantly as a way to reflect society’s changing attitude towards them. There active roles and transition in the way that they were perceived in earlier films has been made evident in recent action/adventure genres. This originality presented by directors portrays them as inferiors to their male counterparts and also challenges Laura Mulvey’s theory of the ‘Male Gaze’ where she assumes that women are included in films solely to be objectified to allow male audiences to be subjected to scopophilia.
[1] ‘House of Flying Daggers’
[2] http://www.stp.uh.edu/vol63/88/Campus2/8821098/8821098.html
[3] Mulvey, Laura (1975): Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.
[4] http://www.chinavoc.com/history/tang/women.htm
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Mulvey
[6] Young-Bruehl, Elisabath (1990): Freud on Women. London: The Hogarth Press
[7] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/
[8] ‘Ripples of Change: Japanese Women's Search for Self’ (d. Nanako Kurihara, 1993)
[9] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190332/
[10] http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem09.html
[11] Barthes, Roland (1977): Image-Music-Text. London: Fontana
[12] http://www.tartanvideo.com/ht_asia_extreme.asp
[13] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266697/
[14] http://samuraiswords.gungfu.com/
[15] Fuery, Patrick (2000): New Developments in Film Theory. Hampshire: Macmillan Press LTD
[16] Mulvey, Laura (1975): Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.
[17] Propp, Vladimir (1928): Morphology of the Folk Tale
[18] http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/klmno/levi-strauss_claude.html
Bibliography
Works Cited
Moving Image Texts:
· ‘Audition’(d. Takashi Miike, 1999)
· ‘Charlie’s Angels’ (d. Mcg, 2000)
· ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ (d. Ang Lee, 2000)
· ‘Enter the Dragon’ (d. Robert Clouse, 1973)
· ‘Hero’ (d. Yimou Zhang, 2002)
· ‘House of Flying Daggers’ (d. Zhang Yimou, 2004)
· ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ (d. Quentin Tarantino, 2003)
‘Ripples of Change: Japanese Women's Search for Self’ (d. Nanako Kurihara, 1993)
Books:
· Barthes, Roland (1977): Image-Music-Text. London: Fontana
· Fuery, Patrick (2000): New Developments in Film Theory. Hampshire: Macmillan Press LTD
Mulvey, Laura (1975): Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.
· Propp, Vladimir (1928): Morphology of the Folk Tale
Young-Bruehl, Elisabath (1990): Freud on Women. London: The Hogarth Press
Internet:
· http://www.stp.uh.edu/vol63/88/Campus2/8821098/8821098.html
http://www.chinavoc.com/history/tang/women.htm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190332 /
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem09.html
http://www.tartanvideo.com/ht_asia_extreme.asp
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266697/
http://samuraiswords.gungfu.com/
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/klmno/levi-strauss_claude.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Mulvey
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/
Works Consulted
Moving Image Text:
‘Game of Death’ (d. Robert Clouse, 1978)
‘Kill Bill: Vol. 2’ (d. Quentin Tarantino, 2004)
‘Lord of The Rings’ – trilogy (d. Peter Jackson, 2001.2002.2003)
‘Ong-Bak’ (d. Prachya Pinkaew,2003)
‘Red Sorghum’ (d. Zhang Yimou, 1987)
Books:
· Johnson, Lesley and Lloyd, Justine (2004): ‘sentenced to everyday life’ Feminism and the Housewife. New York: Berg
· Leaming, Barbara (1998): Marilyn Monroe. London: Orion Books LTD
Internet:
http://www.laalternativepress.com/v03n17/film/antani.php
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?DVDID=10546
http://www.totalfilm.com/cinema_reviews/lara_croft_tomb_raider
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824016/index.html
http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/enterthedragon.htm
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824060/index.html
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/566978/index.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385004/
http://www.brns.com/femalewarr/pages/overview1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_movie
"Narrative plays on conflict, on surprise, on role reversal."[2] The text ‘House of Flying Daggers’ directed by Zhang Yimou evidently portrays the changing roles of women, but more specifically East-Asian women, in action/adventure movies. The text is centered on a Chinese action genre however there are also elements of romantic love story forming. Women in the film are perceived differently to what audiences are normally used to viewing, as they are the ones which drive the narrative forward, however there are still elements of voyeuristic pleasures for the assumed ‘male spectator’[3]. As the film is distributed by Sony Picture Classics, the audience will feel more intrigued to watch it, due to Sony being a respected brand. This also suggests the film will not be associated with the art-house genre, due to its high-budget made available by Sony. In addition to this mainstream audiences can be said to be its primary target audience, however, how far is this text a representative for the changing roles of women in action/adventure movies?
Our first meeting with the main female protagonist, the apparently blind Mei (Zhang Ziyi), is in a brothel house. This seems typical of an East-Asian woman during 859 AD, the period when the Tang-dynasty was in power, whereby males were the rulers and exploiters, and there roles were far more masculine (e.g. officers) which would further involve them demonstrating their dominance over frail women. ‘At this time, male dominance was guaranteed and maintained by certain norms’[4] as women were meant to obey their male-counterparts and portray their fidelity towards them; furthermore they were expected to show skill in needlework, which would reveal their ability to be domesticated and worthy housewives. As the plot for the critically acclaimed ‘House of Flying Daggers’ commences, Mei is assumed to be a member of the notorious House of Flying Daggers, a self-proclaimed organization out to disrupt the legislations of the already corrupted government of China, in order to help the poor. However, when Mei is asked to perform the first dance in the brothel house, her elegance overshadows her wit and ability to fight, therefore creating doubts about her involvement with the Flying Daggers. Nonetheless, the government officials still suspect her to have answers of the whereabouts of the House of Flying Daggers. After she has been captured and taken into questioning; she stubbornly refuses to open her mouth, thus forcing Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a local deputy, to slyly gain her trust (by helping her escape prison) in hope of her leading him to the hide-out of the Flying Daggers. The entire text is constructed in a linear form in order to help audiences focus, without shifting through time. Furthermore, sub-titles are also available for non-speakers of the Chinese lingo; this confirms how the film was intended to be seen by western audiences as well as eastern.
Laura Mulvey[5], a British feminist film critic, introduces her theory in her book ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.’(1975) Many aspects of her theory are relevant to my study, for example, she suggests that male spectators are assumed when a text is produced; therefore women are encouraged to have qualities of being looked-at-ness, whereas the main protagonists will be male in order to allow the ‘male audience’ to identify with them. In the ‘House of Flying Daggers’, there are a various scenes where the main woman protagonist, Mei, is dressed to impress and in contrast to this there is a semi-naked scene of her bathing herself in an exotic lake; which adds a fantastical effect. Furthermore, Mei seems to be constantly revealing her shoulders (when she and Jin have sex), and this seems to be portrayed as desirable and is also a fetishished body part. On the other hand, my text also tries to challenge this view of ‘male spectators’, as Mei is also involved in combat, where she begins to look ‘rough’ and not as appealing. This in some ways could link to Freud’s theory of ‘penis envy’[6], where women apparently idealise men and want to interact in the ways they do; furthermore she handles daggers and swords (phallic objects) when she is contributing in the large combat in the bamboo forest, which enforces the idea of patriarchal society.
Our interpretations of the female and male roles are proven to be false, as women are the ones that play an active part and regulate forthcoming events; this enables audiences to identify with them and also demonstrates the subversive nature of the film. Due to this very distinctive approach by Yimou, where there is an obvious role-reversal; audiences would enjoy viewing something a little more unconventional compared with other eastern-cinema in the past, for example ‘Enter the Dragon’ (d. Robert Clouse, 1973)[7]. When considering films such as Enter the Dragon, where we have Bruce Lee as the main protagonist; the audience will realise that the women present in this film are there to fill the roles of slaves and worshippers of the men. This signifies male dominance and the patriarchal society that existed in the 1970’s in China and Japan. However, Nanako Kurihara documentary ‘Ripples of Change’ (1993) contemplates on ‘Japanese women’s liberation movement in the 1970’s and its influence on contemporary Japanese society.’[8] Nonetheless, seeing as this social change had not been reflected in Enter the Dragon, clearly underlies how women were still perceived as subordinate to men and inferior in society. We see a resemblance to this in the ‘House of Flying Daggers’, where the first time we see women is inside a brothel. They are under the control of men, and also seductively dance to be rewarded by applause. Their looks and posture are their main focus, and the male are the on-lookers of this stunning beauty. This applies to Laura Mulvey’s theory where she undoubtedly states that males are the assumed spectators and therefore women are encouraged to have qualities of being looked-at-ness, whereas the main protagonists will be male in order to allow the supposed male audience to identify with them.
Alternatively, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (d. Ang Lee, 2000)[9] also stars Zhang Ziyi. Her character involves her being in combat scenes; and once again her role helps to drive the narrative forward. She is a princess who turns into a warrior and also a very significant character to the whole plot. As Ziyi’s particular character in this movie is similar to that of hers in ‘House of Flying Daggers’, audiences are able to create a sense of familiarity with her and therefore already expect her to be involved in many high-flying stunts, due to both films having a epic ‘structural intertextuality’[10]. This idea suggests that 'a text's unity lies not in its origin but in its destination'[11], therefore audiences are the ones that make their own interpretations of a text with the contents on-screen. Another text which portrays a woman in a lead role is Takashi Miike’s 1999 film ‘Audition.’[12] However, we see this text diverts from the typical Chinese cinematic style of incorporating martial arts and instead adopts a Hollywood narrative approach. The plot, in brief, begins with a widower (Ryo Ishibashi) in search of a new wife (Eihi Shiina) by holding auditions. It turns out that the woman he has taken a liking to, has a hidden agenda and a sadistic side which he soon becomes exposed to. Miike’s presentation of Shiina is atypical as she is involved in a very active role; however her character is that of a love-obsessed woman looking to be accepted. In comparison to this, ‘House of Flying Daggers’ also associates this love factor with Mei. Although she is an active female, she is the cause of an unexpected love triangle between Jin and Leo (Andy Lau) which later forces her two ‘lovers’ to be locked in fight to the death. This demonstrates how women’s roles are becoming influential on film narratives.
As Chinese cinema is beginning to utilise narrative styles from Hollywood, i.e. continuity editing, Hollywood are relating the Chinese artistic culture in their movies. ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ (d. Quentin Tarantino, 2003)[13] is one of the major blockbusters to hit screen, which depicts women in a much stronger and ‘masculine’ manner. Here we have Uma Thurman; arguably objectified in her leather skin tight outfit as appealing to Mulvey’s suggested theory, however her lack of make-up and concern for her looks allows both female and male audience to appreciate and admire her more so for her capability to defend herself against her enemies. Additionally, she handles a samurai sword (these weapons of single destruction bring homage and honour to the warrior that carries them[14]), which in some aspects may be seen a phallic object, suggesting her only sense of power originates from a masculine item, on the other hand, this could portray her control over events and also over men, as she is in fact deciding what the sword can and cannot do; she is liberated and independent. Similarly in the ‘House of Flying Daggers,’ Mei’s beauty seems to be the topic of discussion in the mind of audiences, however this portrayal of her is soon altered as in the latter part of the movie she must wear male clothing, which makes her look a little less attractive. This subtly drifts from the theory of the ‘male gaze’ as the attention is diverted from her beauty onto her ability to fight. Nonetheless, to audiences, it seems as though she is still trying to pursue her male partner, Jin, as during an emotional conflict between the two she questions his feelings towards her. This seems typical of her womanly character; however this is proven to be a façade where she fools Jin by pretending she has fallen for him, only to achieve her own goals and get what she wants. This cunning nature that she possesses shows her superiority and control of emotions, a feature that many people would fail to notice in a woman. This overall makes her character more dominant and soon audiences begin to identify with her; they ‘become an active part of the textual formations of the film’[15] shown from a woman’s point of view.
The representation of women in eastern cinema is becoming unique compared with Hollywood. When analyzing movies from the western culture in 1950’s, actresses such as Marilyn Monroe would fulfill the males’ desire by having the qualities to be-looked-at-ness. Contemporary cinema focuses on this issue; texts such as ‘Charlie’s Angels’ (d. McG, 2000) are significant of this portrayal of women however it seems as their active participating does not override their quality of appealing to the male gaze. It may seem that they are moving away from passive roles; however the question still remains, if they are so active then why are they controlled by a male, Charlie? Mei, on the other hand, although apart of an underground organization is in the control of another woman, the assumed brothel owner. This again proposes how women in this film are perceived as superior and ore authoritative than the males. As a woman is the leader of the alliance, it shows how woman are moving away from the patriarchal society and forming, in some ways, a sub-culture.
Throughout the movie, middle class Chinese men and women are being represented in a quite deceitful, yet very active role. Women are shown in glamorous brothels which show them to be a fantastical place. They are portrayed as honorary, reliable and people who take much pride in their culture. Their clothes symbolise their wealth and music represents harmony. However, there are obvious signs of a corrupt government and therefore makes you question whether they are peaceful or violent people. Yimou may have wanted to represent them in this way to show how they in some ways differ from the rest of the world when it comes to their fighting techniques but also show similarities in the way their political system works. This representation could be fair and accurate but most certainly is exaggerated as away of assuring the text will be entertaining. Furthermore, the entertainment factor is vital to a successful film therefore making unique storylines is almost inevitable. Showing women in roles which play with audiences’ expectations of them fabricates an exclusive experience for the readers of the film. 'Mulvey argued that the only way to annihilate that "patriarchal" Hollywood system was to radically challenge and re-shape the filmic strategies of classical Hollywood with alternative feminist methods,'[16] therefore women being the main protagonists in action movies is an interesting approach and one which will intrigue many audiences due to its originality.
However, the ‘House of Flying Daggers’ can not be specifically categorised to one genre, as there is a mixture of stories being told. The movie is action, adventure, love and an epic fantasy. This is similar to other texts directed by hang Yimou, such as Hero (2002), as this move contains elements of action, adventure and drama. In the ‘House of Flying Daggers’, there are many intimate moments where the protagonists reveal their feelings for one another by either holding hands or even kissing. However, the iconographic images of the swords, daggers and even shots of blood reveal the action and adventure side to the film. This hybridism emulates the confusing path the film take in terms of who the main protagonist is and events which occur; furthermore the theme of appearance and reality is challenged. Yimou may be using this technique to outline a betrayal of protagonist’s behavioral characteristics in relation to the audience expectations of them in the later stages of the movie through disguise or deceit, occurring from certain events. This allows Yimou to show Mei as sly and manipulative, a feature in women which audiences would not normally identify with or accept but is excused in this text due to the narratives convoluted structure. Additionally, many of the characters adapt to the recommended character profile of Vladimir Propp’s theory[17]. However, we see that many flip and change their given profile, for example, we firstly identify Jin as the Hero and Leo as the dispatcher but as we progress into the movie it becomes apparent that Mei is in fact the Hero, whereas Leo becomes the Villain (and in some cases the false hero). This is a clear binary opposition (Claude Lévi-Strauss[18]) between good vs. evil, where we see that the hero does prevail as Leo is killed by Mei. This reinforces the failure of the dominant ideology of males being the dominant as Mei presented as the hero, and moreover eradicates a male lead.
As previously mentioned, the aspect of a love-story is also present in the movie, and Yimou takes many mediated approaches to ensure this is established by audiences. Yimou uses many angles and shots in the ‘House of Flying Daggers’ but above all he likes to take advantage of ‘close-up’ shots. To signify the love between Mei and Jin and the love that Leo has for Mei, Yimou decides to show the intimate movement of hands meeting and touching. During one of the main fighting sequels in the bamboo forest, the main colour on screen is green. This connotes the build-up on envy and jealousy that the fighters have enraged; either for between the two alliances or the lovers. At this point the non-diegetic music is speedy and adopts instruments from the Chinese culture. The beats of the drums become deeper to intensify an action and this is complimented by the fast-action shots and angles. However, as we approach the ending of the film, there is an intense battle between Jin and Leo over the dying Mei. During there quarrelling, there is significance in the weather change and this connotes the duration that Jin and Leo have been battling for. Furthermore, this could also portray the upcoming tragedy as the weather dramatically turns from a bright spring day to a blizzard. As this is the most important battle, there are various slow motion and close-up shots, especially concentrating on ones facial expressions to convey the heartbreak. The music saddens at these points to exaggerate the action and also to give the ‘love-story’ authenticity. It would seem as if Mei is included in this scene to represent the emotions being conveyed, however, when looking into more depth, one will realise that even though she is not highly involved in the final battle, she is still the one who gets the last shot; she makes the final decision about which one of the men lives or dies. This is a very important decision and it is interesting that Yimou elects Mei’s character to make the final choice, instead of either Jin or Leo killing each other.
To conclude, women’s roles in film are changing significantly as a way to reflect society’s changing attitude towards them. There active roles and transition in the way that they were perceived in earlier films has been made evident in recent action/adventure genres. This originality presented by directors portrays them as inferiors to their male counterparts and also challenges Laura Mulvey’s theory of the ‘Male Gaze’ where she assumes that women are included in films solely to be objectified to allow male audiences to be subjected to scopophilia.
[1] ‘House of Flying Daggers’
[2] http://www.stp.uh.edu/vol63/88/Campus2/8821098/8821098.html
[3] Mulvey, Laura (1975): Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.
[4] http://www.chinavoc.com/history/tang/women.htm
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Mulvey
[6] Young-Bruehl, Elisabath (1990): Freud on Women. London: The Hogarth Press
[7] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/
[8] ‘Ripples of Change: Japanese Women's Search for Self’ (d. Nanako Kurihara, 1993)
[9] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190332/
[10] http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem09.html
[11] Barthes, Roland (1977): Image-Music-Text. London: Fontana
[12] http://www.tartanvideo.com/ht_asia_extreme.asp
[13] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266697/
[14] http://samuraiswords.gungfu.com/
[15] Fuery, Patrick (2000): New Developments in Film Theory. Hampshire: Macmillan Press LTD
[16] Mulvey, Laura (1975): Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.
[17] Propp, Vladimir (1928): Morphology of the Folk Tale
[18] http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/klmno/levi-strauss_claude.html
Bibliography
Works Cited
Moving Image Texts:
· ‘Audition’(d. Takashi Miike, 1999)
· ‘Charlie’s Angels’ (d. Mcg, 2000)
· ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ (d. Ang Lee, 2000)
· ‘Enter the Dragon’ (d. Robert Clouse, 1973)
· ‘Hero’ (d. Yimou Zhang, 2002)
· ‘House of Flying Daggers’ (d. Zhang Yimou, 2004)
· ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ (d. Quentin Tarantino, 2003)
‘Ripples of Change: Japanese Women's Search for Self’ (d. Nanako Kurihara, 1993)
Books:
· Barthes, Roland (1977): Image-Music-Text. London: Fontana
· Fuery, Patrick (2000): New Developments in Film Theory. Hampshire: Macmillan Press LTD
Mulvey, Laura (1975): Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.
· Propp, Vladimir (1928): Morphology of the Folk Tale
Young-Bruehl, Elisabath (1990): Freud on Women. London: The Hogarth Press
Internet:
· http://www.stp.uh.edu/vol63/88/Campus2/8821098/8821098.html
http://www.chinavoc.com/history/tang/women.htm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190332 /
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem09.html
http://www.tartanvideo.com/ht_asia_extreme.asp
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266697/
http://samuraiswords.gungfu.com/
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/klmno/levi-strauss_claude.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Mulvey
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/
Works Consulted
Moving Image Text:
‘Game of Death’ (d. Robert Clouse, 1978)
‘Kill Bill: Vol. 2’ (d. Quentin Tarantino, 2004)
‘Lord of The Rings’ – trilogy (d. Peter Jackson, 2001.2002.2003)
‘Ong-Bak’ (d. Prachya Pinkaew,2003)
‘Red Sorghum’ (d. Zhang Yimou, 1987)
Books:
· Johnson, Lesley and Lloyd, Justine (2004): ‘sentenced to everyday life’ Feminism and the Housewife. New York: Berg
· Leaming, Barbara (1998): Marilyn Monroe. London: Orion Books LTD
Internet:
http://www.laalternativepress.com/v03n17/film/antani.php
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?DVDID=10546
http://www.totalfilm.com/cinema_reviews/lara_croft_tomb_raider
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824016/index.html
http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/enterthedragon.htm
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824060/index.html
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/566978/index.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385004/
http://www.brns.com/femalewarr/pages/overview1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_movie
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