SSC Film Studies

Differences between homosexual and heterosexual characters represented in mainstream film.

Presenter: When doing research for a topic that I felt need to be explored, I came across a quote by Harvey Fierstein, a gay actor who states "Any representation is good representation" in reaction to movie clips from 'The Celluloid Closet', a documentary which touches on the representation of gay people and characters in cinema and the different portrayals, from the good to the bad to the subtly insulting. Fiersteins' basic mindset was that it is better to be acknowledged than to be ignored by Hollywood.  I disagreed with this sentiment and wanted to do this project in order to show the double standards and unfair portrayal in mainstream cinema which is still claiming to be sexually diverse; "Diversity is good for creativity; it supports economic growth, taps into underserved audiences and makes for good business sense.", a quote by BFI CEO, Amanda Neville.

Projector:

Presenter: If you look at the two posters for the films above, you may see some similarities. The main similarity being they are both in love but forbidden to be together by the society they are in. The issue with Jack and Ennis being that they are both men in an incredibly homophobic town who are forced to only show their love when they are in the comfort and solitude of Brokeback Mountain, whereas Jack and Rose are forbidden to be together by the different social classes in which they are a part of. Titanic and Brokeback Mountain will be the focal films of my project as they clearly represent the way two almost identical love stories and plot lines can be perceived differently by audiences and critics due to its casting choices. Both films divert from Todorov's narrative structure in which by the end of the film, balance and equilibrium are regained, and instead ends in tradgedy and the death of one half of the main couple. This is what lead me to want to study the way the film industry handles complex issues and characters as the media has a huge influence on peoples stances on certain social and political issues, according to a new survey by Ipsos MediaCT, "nearly one in five (or 18%) of Americans credit television with shifting their opinion in favor of redefining marriage to accommodate same-sex couples."

Presenter: The parallels between both films continue with other posters showing major similarities in framing, positioning of characters and overall mood of the characters shown. Its easy to see that this film is intended to be romance film due to these stylistic choices and follows the conventions of many other romantic film posters such as P.S I Love You (2007) and A Walk to Remember (2002)


Projector: 

Presenter:  This thought started when watching the Academy award winning Brokeback Mountain, one of the most popular and a 'cultural breakthrough phenomenon as well as a financial success'. The story focuses on two men who fall in love with each other whilst working up in the mountains. The story starts with the two boys being in their late teens and stretches to them being in their 40's. Condensing 20 years into just over 2 hours can be difficult for many directors and has proven to be both a financial and critical failure in cases such as Jobs (2013) which takes place over a 40 year time frame. However in Brokeback Mountain, the narrative manages to remain inviting and interesting and never manages to make the story feel rushed and therefore cheap.
Both men are part of an extremely conservative society in which homosexuality is not tolerated in the slightest. Because of this, both hide their sexuality and express it only whenever they are alone as is the plot for many films that handle the negative aspects of homosexuality.

Whilst the basic plot of the film seems to shine a light on the extensive homophobia in certain places and times, and some may argue that it provides, more than anything, a social insight into what the LGBT community have had to go through in the past and also in the present and creates an element of sympathy through letting the audience become attached to the characters, Dan Wentzel describes 'possibly many hearts and minds being changed among the straights that see this movie'. 
However other parts of the film portray the main characters, Jack and Ennis’ relationship in a positive light such as them lying in the tent near the end of the film, holding each other after years apart. The tenderness in this scene is quite shocking for the audience as although this film is an exploration of the relationship between Jack and Ennis, due to this, it lead to instances such as a 'utah theatre owner pulled the movie from its lineup when he learned that it involved a gay romance'. Director Ang Lee confesses that he 'became fearful when Brokeback Mountain was condemned by some outspoken religious groups' showing just how much of an impact this film had on the world.

Projector: 

 Presenter: When comparing this to a similar scene in Titanic (1997) after Rose and Jack have sex for the first time and they lay still afterwards, Rose holding Jack as he trembles. The likeness of the two scenes is a good, non-bias representation of  'love' in general, rather than changing it for sexuality. Both scenes are filmed in dim lighting using close-ups on the actor’s faces. This creates intimacy and shows that the characters feel safe and content. There is the issue of gender roles being imposed on the male characters in Brokeback Mountain with Jack constantly appearing as the weaker and therefore more feminine of the two in most scenes.

 Presenter: However even though this scene shows similarity to Titanic, the actual first time Jack and Ennis have sex differs greatly from Jack and Rose. Jack and Ennis' first time is in the mist of extreme confusion for both characters in which they are both desperate attempting to conceal the feelings they have by being more aggressive with the other in order to put across a more 'masculine' persona. This 'defence mechanism' is used in other parts of the film in which the characters will display accidental signs of affection towards one another then attempt to pass it off as a form of friendly banter.

The sex scene is filmed in extremely low key lighting with only diegetic sounds being made. The romantic elements pushed aside to show the gritty realism and awkwardness that the two characters feel.


Projector:

Presenter: This scene juxtaposed to the love making scene in Titanic is drastically different as while it uses only suggestive shots, it gives across a more romantic, loving tone through the use of close up shots of both faces, slow camera angles, and a non-diegetic soundtrack playing in the background. This is because they want the audience to view this scene as a genuine however somewhat generic love between two people so that we empathise more when the inevitable disaster strikes and we react accordingly.

Projector: 

 Presenter: To me, the idea that Jack and Ennis both still attempt to act completely indifferent with each other despite them both being semi-aware of the others feelings is interesting as it present the whole situation as more of an internal subconscious issue rather than a satirical one as there is nobody around to judge them for their actions and condemn them except each other. This is a type of fear than only same sex couples will have to face as it can be the difference between having a great amount of respect from people, and being completely and utterly shunned by them due to an issue as simple and un-extraordinary as sexuality.

Presenter: The third film I focused on for this topic was Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009), a British Comedy-Horror following two extraordinarily average men who, after falling down on their luck, get sacrificed by the men after the women in their town continuously get kidnapped by  Lesbian Vampires on their 18th birthday.

Projector:

Presenter: The movie poster itself sets up the basis for the rest of the film; showing the two main actors in the bottom hand corners, immensely overpowered by the image of a woman's breasts in the centre of the frame. This, alongside the word 'LESBIAN' in bold pink letters and a crude innuendo above creates the formulation for the perfect 'male gaze' experience.

Presenter: Although attempting to recreate the essence of the cult classic 'Shaun of the Dead', the film, as described by Orlando Parfitt as "a crushingly lazy attempt to create a piece of titillating, exploitative horror-comedy that manages to achieve none of its aims". Although it appears that the director wanted to create irony and satire through his work, the film simply showed too many provocative images, smutty dialogue and basic cinematography to be taken seriously as an intellectual piece of cinema. Cris Kennedy stated "the whole thing sets gay rights and feminism back 40 years" through its extensive and absurd sexualisation of the female form and lesbians in general.

Projector:

Presenter: What makes this film even more harmful for the gay community is the temporality and forced nature of the women’s homosexuality so not to threaten or offend any men who might be watching with the implication that being a lesbian is something natural or common. The women also have tendencies to brush suggestively against the men in a way that benefits them, which is why it can’t be classed as empowering for women either. This film also complies with the previous stigma in which gay people in films were villainized in order to even be allowed to show them in films without the inevitable uproar from the audience, and also so that images of them ultimately being defeated could be broadcast. Whilst the heterosexual male audience will be fans of the lesbians, they will ultimately root for our two main characters as they are funny, straight and relatable.

Presenter: Ultimately, it seems that the only place gay people have in film is when they fit into certain roles, whether this be 'the villain', 'the pansy', 'the sex object' or 'the victim'. If they serve no visual or emotional pleasure for the audience, then there seems to be no need for them. Brokeback Mountain is the type of film that comes around once in a blue moon; the type that tells a story about gay people without any stereotypes being heavily forced onto the characters and a genuine story shining through. This doesn't change the fact that it is a 'gay film';  this meaning that if the two main characters where a man and woman, the film wouldn't make sense. The emotional impact stems from the fact that the main characters are two men, rightfully so. However, it also begs the question, when will there be gay characters in film who's main story arc is not their homosexuality but yet their character? Normalising homosexuality in film and all media types is the first step into a more tolerant, diverse society.

Presenter: It seems that the ultimate difference between Homosexuals and Heterosexuals in film is that gay people are wasted as plot devices in modern media and apart from certain examples, their homosexuality is the only personality trait they have. The issue of 'Queerbaiting' has become more popular as of today as it is a way to please their homosexual viewers while making sure not to alienate the homophobic ones at the same time. This has become extremely prominent in fan based movies such as The Avengers (2012) and Star Trek (2009) characters are constantly implying stronger feelings for another character of the same gender but ultimately end up with a love interest of the opposite gender in order to not scare anyone out of watching the film as anything other than a completely straight action film, "when we’re given reason to hope for real representation, having it never go beyond hints – hints that not every viewer is going to pick up on – is mostly just infuriating".

Representation is incredibly important for all gay people, especially those growing up young and confused looking to find people just like them in the media to relate to, and by neither showing many films announcing characters as 'Gay and Proud' or as a well rounded character no matter what their sexuality, then we will never be able to fully step forward into an equal society.