Comments on: AWFJ Women On Film - The Week in Women, May 29, 2009 - MaryAnn Johanson

By: Antonio S

Antonio S — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:02:16 +0000

Very nice post! I just love your weblog! keep up the good work.

By: MaryAnn Johanson

MaryAnn Johanson — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:46:53 +0000

Tim, we’ve been through this all before over at FlickFilosopher.com, and I doubt you’re going to find a more sympathetic audience for your proudly ignorant stance here.

I suppose it’s very nice for you that you “don’t give a damn” about narrative or cultural context. So perhaps you will be happy to see Von Trier’s new flick, in which a woman cuts off her own clitoris. I presume this will require the director to give you the closeup on her vulva that you require. Will you consider this the equivalent of the big blue cock that got you so upset in *Watchmen*? Or will it, perhaps, open your eyes just a tad to the very different ways in which men and women’s bodies are used and abused onscreen?

By: Tim1974

Tim1974 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:19:45 +0000

Let’s start seeing equal female genital nudity as well. I am sick of all the male genitals that are shown. It time to see an equal amount of the female anatomy and I don’t give a damn about the reason why. It is time for people to realize that men are being exploited in reference to frontal nudity. Yes, it would be nice to start seeing females in important roles and not being degraded as well. But I am sick and tired of male nudity exploitation being ignored. Let’s have equality in all aspects !!

By: Réalisatrices équitables » Blog Archive » Misogynie au festival de Cannes

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:59:16 +0000

[...] À lire le portrait de la misogynie qui règne sur ces écrans, on découvre qu’il y a d’autres raisons de s’indigner que le prix des chambres d’hôtel louées par la SODEC [...]

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 31 May 2009 04:49:31 +0000

Interesting thoughts about the new onslaught of violence towards women in films these days. It is extremely disturbing.

And, re: UP, my thoughts exactly when I saw the preview for the film: not ONE woman character here? Really getting tiresome.

By: Der Bruno Stroszek

Der Bruno Stroszek — Sat, 30 May 2009 09:01:27 +0000

The violence against women in films from directors like Von Trier, Noe and Haneke - and their increasing legion of imitators - is something I’ve been noticing for a long time now. It’s almost as if you have to include graphic sexualised violence or tropes from the most extreme hardcore porn to be invited into the Serious European Directors’ Club these days. (Is it significant that the only prominent female European art-house director of that generation is Catherine Breillat, whose films are also loaded with erections and semen and dialogue like “Sometimes I wish I could meet Jack the Ripper”? No, no it is not)

In his review of a British imitator of the genre, Thomas Clay’s The Great Ecstacy of Robert Carmichael, Peter Bradshaw from the Guardian made the very insightful point that modern European film violence, particularly rape, is distinct from movies like A Clockwork Orange or The Virgin Spring in that it has no interest at all in the victims. (Noe’s Irreversible arguably does, but only for cheap irony and further revenge ultraviolence)

What you’re left with, he argued, is rape as a badge of how hardcore and extreme you are, how far you are prepared to look into the abyss, how brave and daring and manly you are. He did not note the final twist of irony - that this is exactly the attitude of real rapists.