Remember how to look at a film through a feminist lens? Choose a five-minute scene in Ringu and examine the role of women and how they are portrayed in your selected scene and in the film as a whole. How does the director show us? Be sure to discuss this topic CINEMATICALLY. Back up all of your statements with evidence from the film. Your response should be 3 well-developed paragraphs. You must reference one of the big names (from feminist film criticism) such as Tania Modleski, Laura Mulvey, and Molly Haskell. You must state the title of the essay and use at least one quote. I have plenty of books in the library to help you with this.
Ringu in various parts can be found on YouTube here.
Due: Wednesday, 10/1.
The main character of the film “Ringu” is Reiko, a single mother/newspaper reporter who unfortunately stumbles upon the story of a haunted tape, and eventually is haunted by this tape. Reiko, being more proactive than most, takes action to stop her imminent death. Although in doing this she is heavily aided by the strong male character that is Ryuji. Ryuji arguably does the majority of the dirty work in an effort to lift the curse. Outside of the main character, females are more often than not portrayed as school girls, a common demographic in Japan. In the scene in which the school girls are telling the Reiko about the curse the mise en scene is important to the portrayal of the girls. All of the schoolgirls are dressed the same. In doing that he makes the girls less personalized and therefore is conjoining them into an indiscreet single character. Rather than making them their own persons the director chooses to make them very similar. By making them impersonal “The actual image of woman as raw material” (Laura Mulvey, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema) is created. Much like a raw material, the girls are uniform and lack the unique characteristics that we can be used to in most characters. Although in this film, outside of the school girl example, women play more of a rule than the films that we have watched. Although from modern standards it is on par with most movies.
ReplyDeleteSADA KOW! by Aidan Connolly
ReplyDeleteIn her essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” Laura Mulvey says that within a film’s narrative, “Women [are] displayed as a sexual object” and that women are just a projection of the “determining male gaze.” In the japanese horror film, “Ringu”, however I would argue that this is not true at all. Three of the films central characters are women in one way another, and none of them are ever portrayed at all below men. Asakawa is a very independent character whose bravery quite literally drives the plot of the film and Sadako and her mother are both eventually depicted mainly as misunderstood. Although Sadako’s father and the old guy are both portrayed as bad people, they do not look down on or display women as sexual objects. One main piece of evidence for this point is that Asakawa and her ex-husband, although they begin to display strong feelings of companionship, never begin a romance. This important to the film because since this does not happen, there is another layer of tension during the final scenes since we are hoping they will.
In the scene where Asakawa finds Sadako’s body, she starts off filmed at an extreme high angle above her, just slightly below where the ex-husband would be located. Then there is a jolting cut to directly below her. This is very disorienting and signifies that she is about to find Sadako. Right after the cut, Sadako looks down, almost into the camera, which is on the surface of the water as if she sees something strange. There is then a very long duration medium shot of Akasawa looking around in the water which ends with her pulling some hair out of the water. Throughout this take, the light that is held by the ex-husband flickers and moves over Asakawa’s face and sometimes off of it, leaving her in the darkness. This directly expresses the feeling going through her mind. She is feeling fear but at the same time, is mainly anxious to find the girl and to save her own life. Next, there is a cut to Asakawa’s hands open holding the hair as if it were sacred. However, this moment is interrupted by a hand of the seemingly still angry Sadako’s hand erupting out of the water and grabbing Asakawa. In contrast to the terrified look that Asakawa usually has, this time she has almost a look of intrigue. This is shown by the now slightly low-angle closeup of her. Following this, the head of Sadako starts to come out the water. In the following closeup of Asakawa, another interesting thing happens. As Sadako rises, the camera comes into focus on Asakawa and also a light becomes brighter on her face. It is almost a very happy shot, she seems to be welcoming finally seeing Sadako. As she removes the hair from Sadako’s face, Sadako’s decomposed eyes start to fall to drip downward, as if she is crying. Although this is very disgusting, it is clear that this is meant almost to depict her a something beautiful and sad. It is certainly very valid to say that neither of these women, one a skeleton and the other hugging a skeleton, are not depicted in any way a subject of the male gaze. From above, the ex-husband looks down and tries to tell her that they are saved but there is a complete separation and she doesn’t pay any attention. This is shown by the contrast of the all black background around Sadako and Asakawa and the light flooding in from the hole that the ex-husband is looking down into.
From here, it cuts to what would probably would be the end for most movies, the two sit there with police officers everywhere and they are both wearing blankets. One cultural difference as well as further evidence for Asakawa as her own character, is that the film does not end here and does not end with her and the ex-husband getting back together or anything of the sort. Instead she just beings to ask further questions about Sadako and the movie starts the beginning of its end.
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DeleteHow women are represented has been a heavily discussed topic in all forms of media, film being no exception. And while I do not whole-hearted agree Laura Mulvey’s ideals in her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” I do believe her points carry a certain merit to them. One does not have to go further than their generic blockbuster to see the subsequent objectification of women in some way shape or form. This objectification can come in many forms, not just sexual, as Mulvey puts it, the female normally takes a more passive role in the progression of the narrative. This is surprisingly true for Ringu, even though the protagonist is a woman, Asakawa still takes a very hands-off approach in the progression of events. I believe this also ties into the cultural aspect of film as Ringu is a Japanese film and Japan’s gender roles are very different from those we have here as the females are expected to take a more passive, subservient role to the men. This is perfectly embodied in both of the lead roles as Takayama is shown as a man who takes charge of the situation at hand even when things look their grimmest. These roles do not just permeate from the narrative but from the cinematic elements as well.
ReplyDeleteTake the climactic scene in which Takayama and Asakawa down down into the well Sado was thrown into. Not only does Takayama seem to be the one in the commanding role through props such as the crowbar and ropes he is carrying but the composition of the shots also gives him this sense of activeness while Asakawa is nearly the exact opposite. Take the shot of them moving the stone out of the way, Takayama is framed more in the center and takes up more of the frame while Asakawa hunched over to the one side of the frame indicating a less important role. These sorts of trends continue throughout the scene such as the shots of Asakawa dumping the water from the buckets, she is small in frame as the camera goes no closer than a medium-close-up with the occasional close-up of the bucket. It paints this picture of a weak and scared Asakawa who begins to panic would have given up if it was not for Takayama. The well sequences for both characters are shot differently to further this effect of a scared Asakawa. Takayama is shown predominantly through mostly stagnate Medium-shots while in the well, while when Asakawa is in the well the camera is much closer to her and the water. Not only that but the camera will cut from time to time to an extreme low angle of Asakawa looking up at Takayama from the bottom of the well. This is extremely noteworthy as these shots are not displayed while Takayama was in the well. Another instance is when Asakawa is being lowered and the shot of her looking up at Takayama is cut in juxtaposition with a shot from the Ringu video of the Dr looking down the well. I feel these shots are meant to showcase the subsequent power the men have over women in the current culture, as Takayama is by no means a bad guy so he really has no reason to be seemingly looming over Asakawa. It is through Takayama’s merely being a man that causes him to loom over Asakawa just as the Doctor did with Sado.
While I wouldn’t go so far as to say Asakawa is sexualized throughout Ringu, there is no doubt that she is somewhat objectified. She takes a very passive role when alongside Takayama who drives the narrative and when on scene normally takes up most of the frame. While he is in the same situation Asakawa is in, he seems just that little bit more in control due to the social constructs brought forth by our culture. I believe this is one of the reasons Sado can be considered so terrifying as she is by no means sexualized and in her one scene of screen time she is able to take the power from Takayama.
Throughout Hideo Nataka’s “Ringu” females are portrayed as weaker characters than men. Neither Reiko nor Sadako are strong. Reiko enlists her ex husband, Ryuji, to help her survive, allowing him to die in the process after she attempts to give up and he stops her. After a man accuses her mother of being a fraud, Sadako wills him to have a heart attack and die. This act is weak because Sadako is not mentally tough enough not to hurt the man. This weakness is shown in Reiko particularly during the well scene. While Ryuji is shown from mid shots and MCU’s, Reiko is shown from long shots and is consistently smaller in the frame than Ryuji, the male. This makes her less connected and involved in the situation, laying back while Ryuji works to save her. In the first shot after they have removed the lid of the well, Ryuji is shown in an MCU while Reiko is shown in the same shot further back in an MLS, showing his dominance over her and the fact that he plays a bigger role in the uncovering of Sadako than she does. While climbing in, Ryuji is shown in a CU, with eye line match cuts to the fingernails stuck in the wall of the well. He is actively viewing his surroundings and putting forth his best effort to find the body. However, when placed in the same situation of descent into the well, Reiko does not acknowledge these signs of struggle due to the fact that she is far too overwhelmed by the entire situation that her ex husband is handling so calmly. As she lowers into the well, and while she searches the bottom of the well, she is shown from a MS, while Ryuji was shown from much closer shots, bringing him closer to the situation and conveying his leadership role in their efforts. As she sends up buckets of water, she is shown from a very high angle, with the light shone on her by Ryuji’s flashlight shaking so that parts of her sometimes go into the darkness. The high angle signifies her passive role in this investigation, allowing Ryuji to take charge, while the shaky light conveys her emotional state of hopelessness. She believes that their attempts will be unsuccessful and that she will soon die. She is also shown from a low angle, with Ryuji at an ELS at the very top of the well, signifying her weakness compared to him. Despite being larger in the frame, Reiko has Ryuji looming over her, keeping her going when she would have given up. The light continues to shake on Reiko as she searches, until she becomes lit more fully just before finding the hair of Sadako. This light increase signifies a change in attitude, as she realizes that the body is within reach. She is then shown in a CU after Sadako’s hand reaches out and grabs her. She has stumbled upon the body and no longer remains so detached from her situation, seeing as the challenging part has been completed.
ReplyDeleteRingu contains a large number of cinematic qualities that can be viewed through the feminist lens. The end of the film features a sequence in which Sadako emerges from a television in order to kill Ryuji. Intitially, after Sadako exits the TV, we see her from a high angle, which is usually used to portray someone who is lacking power or being threatened. However, the intention here is most likely to remind the audience of the tortured and abused position Sadako was in, in the past. Sadako used to be abused according to the film’s narrative, in that case, she used to be in a threatened position. Also, one shot in this scene focuses on her nailess fingers, which are the only physical indication of her abused past. It is also important to note that Ryuji is filmed at a low angle, implying that he once was in power. However, over the course of the next few shots, there is a role reversal. Sadako rises up off of the ground and stands level with Ryuji and proceeds to approach him. Almost immediately, Ryuji tumbles to the ground. What Ryuji trips on is uncertain, but, it is unimportant as the director’s intent here is to place Ryuji in the high andgle and Sadako in the low angle. This gives the audience an immediate contrast between the beginning of the scene and the end. So, over the course of the scene, the director has used camera angles to show the fading power of a man and the increasing power of a female character over him.
ReplyDeleteLaura Melvey stated in her essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, that, “the split between spectacle and narrative supports the man's role as the active one of forwarding the story, making things happen. The man controls the film fantasy and also emerges as the representative of power in a further sense.” However, Ringu defies this stereotype throughout the film. Almost always, it is the woman who is driving the narrative, and the woman who comes out on top in the film. For example, in the well scene, Reiko becomes tired from lifting all of the buckets and has Ryuji lower her into the well. This scene intitially seems to be depicting Reiko as weak, but as it turns out, Reiko actually proves to be the one who does the true “work” in the scene. The film explicitly depicts Reiko being placed lower than a man, but this is simply another example of the movie defying audience expectaions based off of gender. Reiko is then shown from a low angle in the scene, implying that she is lacking power over the situation. As Reiko descends into the bottom of the well, she is the one who uncovers the body of Sadako. Later on, this is revealed to be the very reason that she is spared and Ryuji is killed. Because Reiko was placed by a man at a lower position, she was ultimately saved.
Although I don’t entirely agree that the film is purely focused on women’s roles in society, there is certainly an undeniable amount of evidence to support the fact that it was made with the feminist lens in mind. The end of the film leaves the audience with a woman in full power. She is shown driving along a road ina shot from inside the car. The audience can hear her thoughts about a conversation that implies the future of her character. At this point, she smiles maliciously. She is now in full control of her life and has succeeded where her male partner had failed. Although she is now placed at a position of power, the ending is extremely grim as her intent is to keep passing on the cursed film, as is implied with a closeup of the video in the seat next to her. The last shot depicts Reiko driving off into the distance in an extreme long shot. Here the camera remains still while her car drifts out of the frame and out of sight. At this point, Reiko has overcome even the audience themselves as she leaves them behind. The audience will still be contemplating the fate of the cursed video, which is why there is a static camera. Reiko, however, has overcome everything and the tape can no linger effect her. Thus, she leaves the audience behind in the final shot of the film.
While I don't believe feminism is incredibly evident in Ringu, and I'm not one for going into feminism at all, there are still a few instances in Ringu where we can detect hints of feminism. In the scene where Reiko time travels or does something to put her back in time when Sadako's mother was going through trials of her power, Reiko is incredibly weak because she is even more out of her element than we have seen throughout the course of the movie. Along with her weakness, Sadako's mother is also incredibly weak because she is being harassed by reporters while her daughter is the strongest female in the scene and the whole movie. In this scene women seem to have more power than in the rest of the film because this is the one scene in the film where we see the film's three strongest female characters.
ReplyDeleteIn the film as a whole, Reiko experiences an extreme transition from the beginning of the film to the end. In the beginning of the film Reiko is very weak because she has seen the cursed tape and believes there is almost nothing she can do about it. However as we move through the middle of the film it seems as though she has come to terms with her potential fate and doesn't really care, for lack of better words. It is at the end of the film that we discover though that she felt so at ease because from the moment she copied the tape and showed it to her ex husband she was free. However this still shows us her transition from her innocent victim character at the beginning to her end character which is in complete control of the situation as she knows how to shed the curse. Throughout the film we see Sadako wearing a long gown with her hair down even though most Japanese women wore there hair up through their life. This costume design was because this was how Japanese women were dressed for their burial, even though Sadako was simply thrown into a well and never given a proper burial.
According to Cynthia A. Freeland in "Feminist Frameworks for Horror Films," feminist studies of horror films have focused on psychodynamics where the chief interest is "on viewers' motives and interests in watching horror films". This quote tells us that Freeland believed the study of feminism in films is a damaged art and she thinks she looks at it differently. Most feminists analyze films from a point of view of the audience while Freeland tries to look at them from the perspective of the director.
In Ringu, Hideo Nakata uses cinematic elements that portray the women of the film as more than one dimensional archetypes, as women are so often reduced to in film. He shows both the weaknesses and empowerment of the female characters, developing them as complex individuals that exist with a purpose that centers around themselves instead of men. In her critical essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, Laura Mulvey states that “Women are displayed as a sexual object” and that they are simplified to be easily consumable for the male gaze. Men have much more representation in film, not only as protagonists but as directors and writers as well. So obviously, the female characters of their creation are designed to fit into their view of women and cannot be taken as an accurate representation of women in the real world. Ringu deviates from the typical one-sided portrayal of women, both through its plot and use of cinematic elements.
ReplyDeleteThe scene that takes place under the country house is a turning point in the cinematic portrayal of Reiko. She is shown repetitively pulling up buckets of water from the same angle until it becomes too much for her to physically handle and she passes out. She is then shown from a high angle shot which establishes her weakness and vulnerability. The low key lighting under the house shows the lack of clarity and increasing anxiety that the two characters are experiencing. When Reiko enters the well, the closed framing reflects her state of mind. She doesn’t know what she might find at the bottom. She is trapped, physically and situationally, by the barriers of the well and the need to save herself and her son from Sadako’s curse. Surprisingly to the viewers, her reaction to Sadako’s body is not shock/hysteria, but immediate understanding and compassion. After this scene, Reiko is presented differently from before. She is no longer shown through high angles or any other types of shots that would make her appear vulnerable, since she is now in more control of her situation. This change in representation of Reiko after her confrontation with Sadako shows the effects of female independence and communication, which allows us to view Ringu as a feminist film.