British Cinema

We are looking at the way that women are represented in cinema over time. We have watched 'Vertigo' (Alfred Hitchcock- 1958), with a view to apply Laura Mulvey's theory of the Male Gaze (see this post. 

We are now looking at contemporary British cinema, and the ways British films construct, reinforce or challenge notions of identity. We are looking at 'the burden of representation' and the conflict between successful commercial films and cultural UK films. 

We watched the trailers for 'Notting Hill' (1999) and 'Bend it Like Beckham' (2002) which were commercially successful films but also challenged the representation of women through a humorous representation of stereotypes. 

We are considering the dilemma that film makers have between making films that are commercially successful and might attract an American audience and social realist films by directors such as Ken Loach which are critically acclaimed but give a much bleaker representation of society in general.

We are also looking at the representation of women in contemporary films such as 'Fast Girls'(2012), 'The Kings Speech' (2010), 'The Angels Share'(2012) and 'Its a Wonderful Afterlife' (2010).