Post-modernism

Post-modernism is a wide ranging term which is applied to literature, art, philosophy, architecture, fiction and cultural and literary criticism. It is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the assumed certainty of scientific, or objective, efforts to explain reality. Post-modernism explains that apparent realities are only social constructs so are therefore subject to change. It emphasises the role of language, power relations, and motivations in the formation of ideas and beliefs. In particular attacking social boxes and classifications such as male versus female, straight versus gay, white versus black, and imperial versus colonial. In post-modernism understanding and interpretation is everything with reality only coming into it through our interpretations of what the world means to us individually. Post-modernism relies on concrete experience over abstract principles, knowing always that the outcome of one’s own experience will necessarily be fallible and relative, rather than certain and universal.

Post-modrnism is ‘post’ because it denies the existence of any ultimate principles, and it lacks the optimism of there being a scientific, philosophical, or a religious truth which will explain everything for everybody, a characteristic of the so called ‘modern’ mind. The paradox of the postmodern position is that, in placing all principles under the scrutiny of its scepticism, it must realise that even its own principles are not beyond questioning.

Auteur Theory of Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological genres.

Over a career spanning more than half a century, Hitchcock fashioned himself a distinctive and recognisable directorial style.He pioneered the use of cameras, using them in a way that mimics a persons gaze, forcing viewers to engage in a form of voyeurism. He framed shots to maximise anxiety, fear, or empathy, and used innovative film editing. His stories frequently feature fugitives on the run from the law alongside “icy blonde” female characters. Many of Hitchcock’s films have twists in the endings and thrilling plots featuring depictions of violence, murder, and crime.

Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career spanning six decades. Often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker.

Alfred Hitchcock is regarded as an auteur directer which means that he used to like to control everything in the film from where the actors would stand, how he would like them to pronounce something , how they would look, to controlling each shot in the film to his personal preference, you could say he was a bit of a control freak. One thing he also liked to do was to play a part in each one of his film’s, this part would be a largely insignificant role like a man walking his dog or a man riding a bicycle or something along those lines. Being an extremely possessive auteur director he started hiring a stunt double so that he could see how the shot and himself would look in the film, this way being 100% in control of everything in the film.

The auteur theory holds that Alfred Hitchcock’s films reflect his personal creative vision with the authors creative voice distinct enough to shine through all kinds of studio interference and through the collective process. These directed films are often regarded as pieces of art as it is the directors creative mind that has made the film not fancy graphics or clever film effects.

Alfred Hitchcock was also a misogynist meaning that he hated woman with this often influencing his films and choice of characters. Alfred Hitchcock viewed woman as objects who did more harm than good, despite being happily married. The colour of the woman’s hair was also a major talking point with his directing and choice of characters. He often made the main woman character have blonde hair, usually a very beautiful woman with Marilyn Monroe being one of Alfred Hitchcock’s favourite actresses to use. Hitchcock made this character quite dim and dense, showing his personal view that beautiful blonde woman are often boring with not much personality. The backing to this character would usually have brunette hair with more personality and a two dimensional outlook. This is shown most in his film ‘birds’ where Hitchcock uses the semiotic theory to show and portray the meanings of the film i.e an intact tea cup in the film represents social harmony between the female characters in the film and a broken tea cup represents dispute and unrest between them.

Feminist Theory and Male Gaze in All About Eve

All About Eve is a 1950 American drama film. The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but ageing Broadway star and Anne Baxter who plays Eve Harrington, a willingly helpful young fan who insinuates herself into Channing’s life, ultimately threatening Channing’s career and her personal relationships.

Margo Channing is one of the biggest stars in Broadway, but despite her success she is bemoaning her age having just turned forty and thinking what this will mean for her career. After a performance one night her friend Karen Richards, wife of one of the plays authors (Lloyd Richards) brings back a huge fan who claims to have seen every one of Margo’s performances, this is Eve. Eve being prompted by Karen proceeds to tell everyone in the room about her story which turns out to be a depressing one, having been orphaned at an early age and losing her husband recently in a war. Eve comes across humble and flattering for her idolisation of Margo and everyone in the room is taking in by her, especially Margo who invites her to live in her house working as an assistant for her, Eve duly accepts this.

Eve shows herself to be a good assistant with a desire to serve but secretly unbeknown to Margo is scheming to become her understudy, driving a wedge between all in the film. She conspires to make Karen cause Margo to miss one her plays so that she being the understudy would perform instead. She gets great reviews which makes Margo extremely angry who feels Eve has gone behind her back. That night at a restaurant Eve confronts Karen blackmailing her to make her husband give her the role of Cora. Surprisingly though before Karen has the chance to say anything Margo reveals that she doesn’t want the part of Cora anymore coming to the fact that she is too old to play these big parts anymore, taking a huge weight off Karen’s shoulders.

Eve gets the part of Cora and with the help of Addison continues to rise but Addison soon begins to doubt her as she says that she going to try to lure Lloyd away from Karen to further her career. Addison is infuriated by this and begins to reveal the truth about her, saying that her story of being an orphan, a widow and a huge fan of Margo were all lies and that in fact she had been paid to leave her previous town after having an affair, she was a fraud. Addison blackmails Eve, with Eve now belonging to Addison in return for his silence.

The film now circles and gives the audience an insight into this wicked world. Eve is picking up an award, she returns home alone and encounters a young high school girl who has broken in, She explains herself saying that she is a massive fan and adores her, Eve accepts this and asks her to answer the door for her, it’s Addison. The girl flirts with Addison and in a revealing moment returns to Eve’s room trying on dresses pretending she was the actress. We know see the film in a circle with the same thing that happened to Margo now about to happen to Eve.

Feminist Theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, or philosophical discourse, it aims to understand the nature of gender inequality. It examines women’s social roles and lived experience, and feminist politics in a variety of fields. While generally providing a critique of social relations, much of feminist theory also focuses on analysing gender inequality and the promotion of women’s interests, and issues.

The male gaze expresses an unequal power relationship, between viewer and viewed, gazer and gazed, i.e. man imposes his unwanted/subjective gaze upon woman. Second Wave feminists argue that whether or not women welcome the gaze, they might merely be conforming to the norms established to benefit the interests of men — thus underscoring the power of the male gaze to reduce a person (man or woman) to an object.

These theories are explored in All About Eve, with Margo feeling that the gaze is coming from her boyfriend as she is self conscious about her age and with her boyfriend being 8 years younger she feels that he may be looking at younger and more attractive girls.

Eve feels the gaze of the world wondering if she is good enough and self conscious of how she is perceived by people.

These two conflicting gazes collide when Eve takes the place of Margo’s gaze as the younger, she feels, more attractive girl her boyfriend might be gazing at. Eve flirts with Addison, Lloyd and Margo’s husband craving for attention and affection.

Alfred Hitchcock – Psycho (Psychoanalysis)

Psycho is a suspense/psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, it was released in 1960. In need of money Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) steals $40,000 from one of her employers clients and flees the town in her car. A series of events occur leading to a suspicious cop following her and she trades her car in. Whilst fleeing she encounters a severe rainstorm which prompts her to turn into a motel along the road called Bates motel. She is greeted by owner Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) who tells her that he lives with his mother in a house next to the motel and shyly invites her to have supper with him. Marion overhears Norman and his mother having an argument about Norman’s supposed sexual interest in her. After supper Marion goes to her room and decides to take a shower. Suddenly an anonymous figure appears and stabs Marion to death. Marion’s last view being the stolen money acting as her unconscious. Norman finds the corpse and immediately assumes that his mother has killed her. He cleans the bathroom and dumps Marion’s body into the boot of her car along with her belongings and sinks it in a nearby swamp.

Soon after Sam (Marion’s boyfriend) and Marion’s sister Lila (Vera Miles) are greeted by a detective hired by Marion’s employer to get back the money that she stole called Arbogast (Martin Balsam.) Arbogast traces Marion back to the Bates Motel and questions Norman, who lies unconvincingly about Marion having left weeks ago. He refuses to let Arbogast talk to his mother claiming she is ill. Arbogast feels something is up and calls Lila saying that he will contact her in the morning after some further questioning, feeling the mother may have seen something. Arbogast enters Norman’s house and is attacked by an anonymous figure by a knife, he falls down the stairs and dies. Norman discovers the dead body and orders his mother to go into hiding in the cellar.

Sam and Lila get worried when Arbogast does not call and contact the deputy sheriff who seems perplexed when they say that he went to talk to the mother revealing that Norman’s mother died ten years ago, committing suicide. He doesn’t seem too bothered by Arbogast’s disappearance so Sam and Lila decide to investigate the motel themselves. While Sam distracts Norman Lila searches the house where she discovers Norman’s mum’s mummified body in the cellar. Seconds later Norman rushes in wearing his mother’s clothes and a wig carrying a knife, Sam arrives just in time to save Lila and subdue Norman.

Norman is arrested and a psychiatrist explains that Norman has a split personality with his mother after consuming jealousy when his mother found a new lover after his father’s death. He killed both of them and took on the personality of his mother, as to subconsciously erase the crime. His psychosis allows himself to ignore crimes committed by his mother after her death. The end shot is Marion’s car being retrieved from the swamp this shows Norman’s unconscious becoming his conscious as its come into the light.

Psychoanalysis is the school of thought emphasising the influence of the unconscious mind on behaviour. This school of thought is used many times in Psycho here are a few examples.

When Norman Bates mother, who is actually Norman Bates in disguise, kills Marion Crane he collects all of her items plus her body and puts it in her car and then lets the car drown in a swamp at the back of the motel. The swamp acts as his unconscious as when the car is diminished into the swamp he feels that the problem is solved and done with therefore going to the unconscious where it’s not at the forefront of his mind, so is forgotten.

When Norman Bates is talking to Marion Crane we see a reflection of him in a window representing his split personality, also when Marion Crane is registering into the motel we see a reflection of her in a mirror showing her split personality as she signs into the motel with a fake name.

The house in which Norman lives in is compiled of three floors, representing his superego which is the top floor where his mother lives, the ground floor being Norman’s ego, where he seems to function as a normal human being and the cellar being Normans i.d. This is represented in the final scene where Norman moves his mother from the top floor to the cellar as a symbol for the deep connection that psychoanalysis posits between superego and i.d.