SSC Film Studies

Scene analysis 

"Scopophilia arises form pleasure in using another person as an object of sexual stimulation through sight" Source: Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema- Laura Mulvey (1975) 

This can be seen very clearly in the seen in "Scream" where Tatum is killed. 

The use of scopophilia in the scene is present towards the beginning of the scene. this is where we see fetishised shots of Tatum and the camera is placed is strange locations throughout the garage. I use the word 'Strange' because the camera may be seen as a p.o.v of the killer or just a static shot. For the sake of the quote I'm going to assume that the shot is a p.o.v. This is a blatant use of scopophilia as Tatum is framed in a visually pleasing way from another persons point of view as the killer is taking pleasure of watching her without her knowing, this shot its self is a basic definition of scopophilia.

"The male figure cannot bear the burden of sexual objectification."





The quote may have been relevant at the time Mulvey's book was published in 1975 however it seems that it has changed over time. This is shown in the chainsaw scene in 'American psycho' were we see Christian Bale's character running through the halls of his apartment complex whilst naked holding a chainsaw. The camera fetishises Bale's body much like the female form is fetishised in most films. We see the camera fix on Bale's upper body highlighting his muscular form and then the scene cuts to him running away from the camera. However he is not entirely framed like female characters as the camera ceases to focus on specific parts of his body much like it does with female characters in cinema, for example Bale is not being fetishised like a female would be, the camera does't focus on parts of his body creating visual pleasure for the protagonist or the audience.


"Horror films from 1920 influenced horror films that are being made today , they often involved innocent women who were spineless and defenceless." - http://sophievickers.wordpress.com/the-representation-of-women-in-horror-films/

This quote is proved wrong by the 2009 horror film 'Jennifer's body'.


It is most prominent in the scene below.



In this scene we see the main character (Jennifer) brutally murder one of her school mates due to her need to consume human flesh in order to maintain her supernatural power.

This film opposes the quote due to Jennifer being a very independent character in the sense of narrative being a very active character also due to her pushing the plot forward without the need of a male figure.  The key to Jennifer's independence is due to her supernatural powers. This means that although other characters view her as innocent the audience is positioned to view her as strong both physically and emotionally and also as an in-human being, yet still retaining some of her human features and behaviours despite her being in control of other worldly powers.

However on the flip side the character of 'Needy' plays the stereotypical passive female role. Even her name suggests she is passive what with her 'Needing' help from other characters to ensure her goal of killing Jennifer. I believe the director has placed these two juxtaposing characters in the film in order to show how differently women can be represented in the world of cinema.