Get Carter: Representation of Women

How do the representations of women in get carter reflect the time in which it is made?

‘Get Carter’ was set in a post ‘swinging sixties’ world. This term applies to fashion, music and Cultural Revolution that took place in London in the 60s.

In 1963 the contraceptive pill was introduced, this appeared to be a new freedom for women. For the first time they had actual control over their sex lives and reproduction. Since the end of WW2 feminism and women’s rights has been a major political issue.

More women were entering the workplace, but the role of the ‘breadwinner’ still remained with the men. This tells us that the impact of the 60s was limited in scope and location. A lot of men in society felt their place was threatened by increased amounts of women into the workplace/higher education and a ‘loss of status’ was a fear many men held.

Get Carter is almost anti-swinging 60s and doesn’t portray women in within the so-called freedoms and opportunities the era produced for them.

Take Anna for example.  The first female character we see in the film. She is played by Britt Ekland, a famous model and actress, also being known to be one of the most attractive women in the world at the time. She is presented as glamorous and attractive, but also quiet and obedient. The film lays down the law by immediately positioning the women in the film as submissive and the men as dominant.

The Male Gaze theory can be applied to the representations of women in ‘Get Carter’. According to this theory, women have only two purposes: an erotic object for characters within the film and an erotic object for spectators within the audience.  The theory also states that we live in a male dominated society and all audiences must view the film from a heterosexual man’s perspective. As a result, women that are seen in film are not signifying real women but rather the idea of women, which is often fetishized, by male audiences.

A prime example of this theory would be a scene that contains both Anna and Carter. A phone conversation is taking place between them. Anna is almost naked for the sole purpose of the audience’s benefit- an erotic object. Carter instructs Anna, the male gaze applies as both Carter and the audience see Anna as an erotic object.

Another female character we see is Glenda. She is introduced as an object of crime boss, Kinnear. Glenda attempts to seduce Carter, from this we can see that she is seen as a tool, used to please men and is told what to do and ignored by men when not ‘working’.

Form these representations we can see women’s place in 1970’s society that women weren’t liberated, and still seen by the majority of people as objects. Men still seen women as having less status than them.