Apple Cider

Idle Viewers: Feminist Film Club (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, 5/18)

Recommended Posts

Another Cat People fan here! Watched that for a film class I was taking last year and there is so much going on in that movie!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

On the subject of horror, The Wolf Man (1941) might be worth an offhand glance solely because Lon Cheney Jr.'s character, Larry Talbot, is intended to be a friendly everyman that nowadays comes across as the skeeziest, rape culture-iest douchebag. He spends the entire movie spying or hitting on some poor girl that displays every sign of not being interested, but it's all played as being charming.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I also know that I'm going to make everyone watch Ginger Snaps, as it's one of the few female-lead horror films that centers on her experience and didn't make me feel gross inside (Like Teeth, for example. I am never watching Teeth ever again.)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There is a fourth one called Alien Resurrection and I doubt anyone would want to recommend that movie for anything.  I guess that's what happens when Joss Whedon tries his more humorous approach to Alien franchise lol.

According to Whedon it's all Jeunet's fault.

 

That's bullshit though, Jeunet has no bad films besides Alien Resurrection.

 

Speaking of Jeanne Pierre Jeunet, are any of his movies suitable for a more feminist perspective? They tend to star women or at least have them playing a major role. City of Lost Children might be especially interesting because of Miette. Maybe Amelie and A Very Long Engagement as well.

 

Also what about Pan's Labyrinth?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Pan's Labyrinth and Amelie would both be really good. I am also thinking The Color Purple as well. THIS LIST IS GETTING REALLY LONG. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Pan's Labyrinth and Amelie would both be really good. I am also thinking The Color Purple as well. THIS LIST IS GETTING REALLY LONG. 

 

I'm down for watching both of those again from a feminist perspective! Amelie has been my favourite movie for some time, but I haven't really thought about it critically. I'd also like to suggest Juno, as I feel like it's saying some interesting stuff about motherhood.

 

Looking forward to watching Alien again! I haven't seen it since I was a teenager, and I think it was mostly lost on me at the time.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

According to Whedon it's all Jeunet's fault.

 

That's bullshit though, Jeunet has no bad films besides Alien Resurrection.

 

Haha I see what you did there, I think.  At least based on checking Jeunet's IMDB profile, where it seem to pale in comparison to Whedon's stuff.  But still, wouldn't you agree that Whedon's stuff are fairly... monotone in that they all share this fun-witty dialogues and lot of comedy?

 

What a coincidence though, I hear Whedon is getting some serious flaming right now for some reason.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Alien is an excellent choice as a first film.

 

Could I suggest both 'Bridesmaids' and 'The Mooring', mainly because I like both films but also I would like to see how they hold up under scrutiny outside my own group of friends.

 

The Mooring might not be a good pick because it is really hard to track down a legit copy outside of North America.

 

An interesting contrast would be to set up watching the original Night of the Living Dead versus the 90s remake directed by Tom Savini where Romero rewrote the script because he didn't like the main female anymore, but that is a lot of zombie film to get through. Also the remake just isn't as good as the original despite the main female character being stronger and no longer a complete wet flannel.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In terms of horror movies, Black Christmas (the original, which I believe is called Silent Night, Deadly Night in the States) would be an interesting one to watch, since it's one of the original slasher flicks and thus has a lot going on in how it treats its female characters.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I also know that I'm going to make everyone watch Ginger Snaps, as it's one of the few female-lead horror films that centers on her experience and didn't make me feel gross inside (Like Teeth, for example. I am never watching Teeth ever again.)

 

Ginger Snaps is a great movie!  I don't know a darn thing about film criticism (so what exactly am I doing in this thread?), but I really did like this one and it's a great suggestion for a feminist film list!

 

I be out of my depth here, but would Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon be a good consideration for such a list?  I've always adored Yu Shu Lien as a character.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Two horror movies that I'd strongly suggest to add to the list of potential movies would be Carnival of Souls (1961) and Cat People (1942). Both are films that cast women who don't fit neatly into social roles as The Monstrous Other but show enough empathy so that, viewed with a modern eye, they are now our points of identification and become films about the horrors of the patriarchy. Neither are air-tight feminist tracts (they were made by men before the dawn of second-wave feminism, after all) but they both blossom under a modern feminist critical eye as looks at the crushing terror of rigid gender roles.

 

Fun facts about Carnival of Souls, portions of it were filmed in Lawrence, Ks (where I've spent the majority of the last 20 years living), and it was written/directed by a guy who otherwise spent his entire career making educational and industrial films, while being active in the local theater community around here.  Last I knew it was on Hulu in the Criterion Collection.

 

I just watched it again last year (because I briefly subscribed to Hulu Plus).  I hadn't really considered it through a feminist lens, but that is an interesting way to look at it, in that much of the movie centers around all the men in the movie refusing to believe the experiences of the female lead, particularly her fear of being stalked. 

 

I'd be hard pressed to recommend it to anyone besides film and/or horror buffs though.  I've watched it a couple of times only because of its relationship to Lawrence.  It's certainly got some interesting merits, but there are probably better and more interesting movies to watch. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Haha I see what you did there, I think.  At least based on checking Jeunet's IMDB profile, where it seem to pale in comparison to Whedon's stuff.  But still, wouldn't you agree that Whedon's stuff are fairly... monotone in that they all share this fun-witty dialogues and lot of comedy?

Well I'm a big Jeunet fan, I see every movie that he comes out with even though they take at least 3-4 years it seems. I really think A Very Long Engagement would be way more worthwhile to watch than Amelie, since it's kind of played out, but the film has generally be ignored and I don't think it's streaming anywhere. So it'd have to be torrented or require a DVD purchase.

 

I've never liked anything Whedon, I can't stand his dialogue style, it's always been like watching a Ninja Turtles cartoon where everyone has some quip. I know there's a billion Whedon fans out there, so everyone don't be mad at me.

 

But my bias is towards visual world building films anyway, I couldn't care less about Kevin Smith types who just rely on dialogue to carry the whole movie.

 

Ginger Snaps is a great movie!  I don't know a darn thing about film criticism (so what exactly am I doing in this thread?), but I really did like this one and it's a great suggestion for a feminist film list!

Man I saw this years ago near Halloween and I don't think I could stomach it again. The gore and the way it deals with underage sex just kind of grossed me out. It was pretty engaging though.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Fun facts about Carnival of Souls, portions of it were filmed in Lawrence, Ks (where I've spent the majority of the last 20 years living), and it was written/directed by a guy who otherwise spent his entire career making educational and industrial films, while being active in the local theater community around here.  Last I knew it was on Hulu in the Criterion Collection.

 

I just watched it again last year (because I briefly subscribed to Hulu Plus).  I hadn't really considered it through a feminist lens, but that is an interesting way to look at it, in that much of the movie centers around all the men in the movie refusing to believe the experiences of the female lead, particularly her fear of being stalked. 

 

I'd be hard pressed to recommend it to anyone besides film and/or horror buffs though.  I've watched it a couple of times only because of its relationship to Lawrence.  It's certainly got some interesting merits, but there are probably better and more interesting movies to watch. 

 

Carnival of Souls one of my all-time favorite movies, so maybe it's hard for me to be objective about it. I do think it is one of those rare low-budget films where the cheapness only adds to it. Everything is supposed to feel distancing and disconnected and slightly dreamy, and the cheap sound and stilted performances actually add to it, I think. Perhaps those who aren't into classic horror wouldn't be able to get into it the same way I do. It's no Cat People in terms of polish and production values.

 

But almost every scene in Carnival of Souls is a man of some kind chastising the lead character because she doesn't fit into the societal role they need her to, whether it's the priest or the psychiatrist or the creepy neighbor. Herk Harvey intended Candace Hilligoss's character to be distant, cold, and disconnected from the world around her because she doesn't belong (purposefully being vague to avoid spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen it) but from a modern eye she comes across as a self-assured woman, and it's everything else around her that's wrong. That's what makes it an interesting classic horror film to look at through a feminist lens. I recently guested on a podcast where we discussed this very thing.

 

You are right that there are better films to watch, though. I think especially if this is to be a regular thing, we should try to watch more films that are actually directed by women. Even just sticking to the horror genre (which it seems people are keen on), Jennifer's Body and The Babadook are two really good recent examples. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night I wasn't really a fan of, but it's worth seeing and is certainly a feminist take on traditional vampire lore.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yep! Starting Monday we will get a) second movie for next week B) discussion for movie we just watched. I figure a week is not too horrible of a pace for people who work full-time to squeeze a movie in. :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'll throw in some recs:
The Spirit of the Beehive

Cria Cuervos

Duke of Burgundy

Cleo from 5 to 7

Repulsion and Rosmary's Baby (controversial, but I consider them feminist films)

Claire Denis's White Material & Bastards 

It Follows

Beyond the Hills

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I haven't seen it since it came out, but would Triplets of Belleville be a good feminist movie? All I remember is that song that still gets stuck in my head randomly and a ridiculous chase scene.

Also, if horror won't be a huge thing in this (which is understandable), I'd recommend Faculty of Horror, a monthly podcast from two women who talk about horror movies from a feminist perspective. It's pretty good, even if some of the jokes come across as super rehearsed.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Also, if horror won't be a huge thing in this (which is understandable), I'd recommend Faculty of Horror, a monthly podcast from two women who talk about horror movies from a feminist perspective. It's pretty good, even if some of the jokes come across as super rehearsed.

Great cast! I highly recommend it too

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I haven't seen it since it came out, but would Triplets of Belleville be a good feminist movie? All I remember is that song that still gets stuck in my head randomly and a ridiculous chase scene.

Also, if horror won't be a huge thing in this (which is understandable), I'd recommend Faculty of Horror, a monthly podcast from two women who talk about horror movies from a feminist perspective. It's pretty good, even if some of the jokes come across as super rehearsed.

I don't know but I love watching me some Triplets of Belleville!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Some other recommendations:

 

Witches of Eastwick

Stepford Wives (2004)

Stepford Wives (1975)

 

The 2004 is pretty interesting in some ways, at the very least worth watching the opening 10 minutes or so to see Nicole Kidman as a tv executive in charge of the Misandry TV Channel. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Stepford Wives old/new would be an interesting double-header, same with doing Witches of Eastwick and perhaps Practical Magic. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Season of the Witch (AKA Hungry Wives) is a really good feminist horror film about a woman with a horrible husband who learns to take control of her life via magic. It ends with a life-affirming shotgun blast to his head.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now