6.2 The gaze, identification, and spectatorship

Psychoanalytic theory explores how films shape our unconscious desires and identities. The gaze, identification, and spectatorship are key concepts that reveal power dynamics between viewers, characters, and the camera. These ideas help us understand how movies influence our perceptions of gender, race, and sexuality.

Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory highlights how films often cater to male viewers, objectifying women on screen. But alternative perspectives like the female gaze challenge these norms. By examining how we engage with films psychologically, we can unpack their hidden meanings and societal impacts.

The Gaze in Film Theory

The Concept of the Gaze and Its Implications

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• The gaze in film theory describes the act of looking and the power dynamics involved in the relationship between the viewer, the camera, and the characters on screen
• The gaze is linked to scopophilia, the pleasure derived from looking, which is considered a fundamental aspect of the cinematic experience (voyeurism, fetishization)
• The gaze is not neutral; it is shaped by social, cultural, and political factors that influence how viewers engage with and derive meaning from films (gender roles, racial stereotypes, class dynamics)
• The concept of the gaze highlights the active role of the spectator in the construction of meaning and the power dynamics at play between the viewer and the viewed

Types of Gaze and Their Significance

• The male gaze, introduced by Laura Mulvey, suggests that cinema often positions women as passive objects of desire, catering to the visual pleasure of a presumed heterosexual male viewer (fragmentation and fetishization of the female body)
• The female gaze seeks to challenge and subvert the dominant male gaze by presenting women as active, complex subjects with their own desires and agency (empowered female characters, subversive cinematic techniques)
• The imperial gaze refers to the representation of colonized or marginalized groups from the perspective of the dominant culture, often perpetuating stereotypes and power imbalances (exoticization, infantilization)
• Other types of gaze, such as the queer gaze or the postcolonial gaze, offer alternative perspectives that challenge dominant narratives and representation (LGBTQ+ characters, indigenous filmmakers)

Identification and Engagement

The Process of Identification in Film

• Identification in film refers to the psychological processes by which viewers relate to, empathize with, or project themselves onto characters and their experiences
• Primary identification occurs when the viewer identifies with the camera itself, adopting its perspective and becoming an invisible observer of the film's events (point-of-view shots, subjective camera angles)
• Secondary identification involves the viewer's emotional attachment to specific characters, often the protagonist, leading to a vicarious experience of their thoughts, feelings, and actions (character development, performance, narrative structure)
• Identification is facilitated by cinematic techniques such as close-ups, subjective camera angles, and sound design that encourage viewers to align with characters' perspectives (internal monologue, selective focus, music)

The Impact of Identification on Viewer Engagement

• The process of identification can lead to increased emotional investment in the film's narrative, as viewers become more deeply engaged with the characters' struggles, desires, and conflicts
• Identification is not a uniform process; viewers may identify with multiple characters to varying degrees, and identification can shift throughout the course of a film as characters develop and narratives unfold (ensemble casts, character arcs, plot twists)
• Identification can foster empathy and understanding, allowing viewers to experience different perspectives and gain insight into diverse experiences (social issues, cultural differences, historical events)
• However, identification can also be problematic when it reinforces harmful stereotypes or encourages viewers to uncritically accept problematic ideologies (toxic masculinity, racial prejudice, glorification of violence)

Gender and Power in the Gaze

The Male Gaze and Patriarchal Power Structures

• The male gaze, as theorized by Laura Mulvey, positions women as passive objects of desire, catering to the visual pleasure of a presumed heterosexual male viewer
• The male gaze is characterized by the use of cinematic techniques that fragment and fetishize the female body, such as close-ups and voyeuristic camera angles, reinforcing patriarchal power structures (sexualized female characters, objectification, lack of agency)
• The male gaze perpetuates gender inequalities and normalizes the subordination of women in film and society (limited representation, stereotypical roles, sexual violence)
• The male gaze is not limited to the representation of women; it can also influence the portrayal of male characters, promoting narrow definitions of masculinity and suppressing alternative expressions of gender identity (action heroes, toxic masculinity, homophobia)

Challenging the Dominant Gaze

• The female gaze seeks to challenge and subvert the dominant male gaze by presenting women as active, complex subjects with their own desires and agency
• Films that employ the female gaze often feature strong, multidimensional female characters, explore women's experiences and perspectives, and challenge traditional gender roles (independent women, female friendships, non-traditional relationships)
• The construction of the gaze in film is closely tied to broader social and cultural norms surrounding gender roles, sexuality, and power relations (feminist movements, LGBTQ+ rights, intersectionality)
• The critical examination of the gaze in film has led to calls for more diverse and inclusive representation, both in terms of the characters depicted on screen and the filmmakers behind the camera (women directors, diverse casting, authentic storytelling)

Psychoanalytic Theories of Film Spectatorship

The Influence of Freud and Lacan

• Psychoanalytic film theory draws on the works of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan to explore the unconscious processes at work in the cinematic experience
• Freudian concepts such as the unconscious, repression, and the Oedipus complex have been applied to the analysis of film narratives, characters, and themes (dream sequences, psychological thrillers, family dynamics)
• Lacan's notion of the mirror stage suggests that the cinema screen acts as a metaphorical mirror, allowing viewers to identify with idealized images and construct a sense of self (ego formation, imaginary order, symbolic order)
• Psychoanalytic theories posit that films can tap into the viewer's unconscious desires, fears, and fantasies, creating a complex interplay between the film's manifest content and the spectator's latent psychic processes (wish fulfillment, anxiety, catharsis)

Critiques and Contemporary Applications

• Psychoanalytic approaches to film have been criticized for their reliance on universalizing assumptions about human psychology and for their limited attention to social and historical contexts (cultural specificity, individual differences, changing norms)
• Feminist film theorists have challenged psychoanalytic interpretations that reinforce patriarchal structures and neglect the experiences of women and marginalized groups (male-centric theories, essentialist notions of gender, lack of intersectionality)
• Despite these criticisms, psychoanalytic theories continue to influence contemporary film scholarship, particularly in the areas of spectatorship, identification, and the construction of subjectivity (audience reception studies, fan cultures, identity formation)
• Recent psychoanalytic approaches have incorporated insights from other fields, such as cognitive psychology and neuroscience, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the film-spectator relationship (embodied spectatorship, affective responses, memory and emotion)