Representations of women in Get Carter: Glenda

Glenda is introduced as one of Kinnear's tools, as she is used by him to seduce carter. Her only purpose in the film is to be used as a sexual object purely for other characters pleasure. According to Laura Mulvey, the Male Gaze theory shows us that audiences are expected to watch a film from a heterosexual males point of view.She believes that representations of women in film and literature and therefore society often dominated by from a male perspective. She thinks women have 'passive' roles even though men have 'active' roles.She also argues there is only two purposes women serve in narrative: being an erotic object for other characters and being an erotic object for the spectator. Mulvey adds that representation of women in film is not realistic of real women, these are fetishised fantasies that are there for the heterosexual male audience. Glenda isn't seen as an equal as her voice is drowned out by meaningless conversation. Mens voices are much louder than hers even though her dialogue contains important information, the mens conversation has nothing to do with whats going on. Referring to the male gaze,I believe that this signifies that Glenda isn't as important as the male characters. I believe this speaks about society at this time. In the 1970's there was a 'swinging sixties' myth that promotes women at the time as independent and liberated although Get Carter arguably shows how women were treated by men. However in Get Carter women are only shown as victims of sexual objectification.They are not shown as liberated women like the 'swinging sixties' promotes. Although, Get Carter arguably shows how women were treated by men. Perhaps the director was trying to represent women as they were treated in the 1970's rather than how they actually were.
Get Carter shows Glenda and the other female characters as weak, submissive and obedient.
Glenda is never alone in a shot, she is constantly surrounded by men which only emphasises how she is treated as a object for men. Everything Glenda she does is dictated by a men as she follows there orders. I think the film positions men in a higher status whereas women are off a lower status.
After female liberation in the 1960s many men felt that their higher position in society was under threat. Britain had to deal with the results of the 'swinging sixties' in the 1970's. The 1970's also saw the introduction of the contraceptive pill, This as a result lead to 'free love' which can be seen as benefitting men more than women.