Throughout this course we have seen many films that address
gender roles and stereotyping across cultures. Hong Kong’s The Big Boss, China’s Yellow
Earth, and the Japanese films Sandakan
No. 8 and Mononoke Hime all
address gender roles, masculinity, femininity, and the role of women in society
some way. Although the messages and focus sometimes differs, there are themes
that overlap as well.
The Big Boss
The Big Boss stars Bruce Lee, an actor
known for kung fu fighting and his hyper masculinity. He plays Cheng Chao an, a
man who has a history of violence and immigrates to Vietnam to start a new life.
Despite the attempt to recreate his image, Chao ends up involved in fights to
defend those he cares about. Lee’s
character is generally calm and collected in the film, but when he becomes
angry he does impossible feats, defeating large groups of men by himself. When
he prepares to fight, his face turns red and his veins are visible. He
completely focuses on defeating his enemy. He often takes his shirt off to
reveal his muscular figure. Chao also participates in more masculine
activities. He lifts heavy ice blocks at work and engages in drinking and
gambling. When he is promoted to the role of supervisor, he briefly allows his
power position to overtake him. He forgets about the friends he vowed to defend
but like a true hero, he eventually finds his way again.
Just as
masculine roles are blatantly characterized, the main female character, Chiao
Mei, performs traditionally female roles and has feminine characteristics. For
much of the film, she appears to be a damsel in distress. She is often weeping
and looks to Chao for comfort. She has a traditional domestic role. She cooks
and cleans for all of the cousins, often serving them before taking care of
herself. Towards the end of the film she is kidnapped and Chao goes to rescue
her.
Despite
this weak view of femininity, there are some strengths attributed to Chiao Mei
and some events and actions that go against a weak view of females. Chiao Mei
possesses some inner strength. When Chao and the cousins forget about her
murdered brothers, she is the one who reminds them of their goals. She takes
care of the house and keeps the family running. When she is kidnapped, it is
not Chao who ends up rescuing her, but another woman, suggesting solidarity
between females and serves as an alternative to a traditional damsel in
distress narrative.
This video shows Chao taking on a large number of enemies. The anger can clearly be seen on his face.
Yellow Earth
Yellow Earth is a film that was made in
China and it explores the corruption and failures of the government in China.
It focuses on the oppression of women and the struggle between modern and
traditional values and explores life in the country as opposed to the modern
cities.
The
film opens with the arranged wedding of a very young girl to a much older man.
It is clear that the girl is terrified and is not ready to be married. In the
background the film’s protagonist, Cuiqiao, watches the procession. She knows
that she is expected to marry soon as well and wishes to escape the oppressive
cycle of tradition.
A lot
of expectations are placed on Cuiqiao. She helps take care of the house and
watches over her little brother. She dreams of escaped the traditions of her
village. When she meets Gu Qing, a soldier from the eighth route army, he tells
her about life in the cities under a communist regime. He explains that women
are free to cut their hair and join the army. They are not forced to marry but
choose their own spouses. He also explains that there is no apparent division
between gender roles. Women were allowed to fight which was traditionally a man’s
job and they were allowed to learn how to read and write. Men would sew and do
other activities that were traditional considered female roles.
Here Cuiqiao uses singing to express the conflicted emotions she is feeling and her desire to avoid marriage and escape tradition.
Sandakan No. 8
Sandakan No. 8 was made in Japan. It
documents the struggles of women who were forced into prostitution. It speaks
to the objectification of women and the social stigmas that they were forced to
endure as a result.
Osaki,
an older woman who was forced into prostitution as a young girl, tells her
story to a journalist who comes to stay with her. Her stories reveal the way
men would treat women like objects. They would buy and trade the girls and
treat them as inferiors. Sometimes they were forced to sleep with a large
number of men in one night. The man who owned the girls put them in debt so
that it would be nearly impossible for them to leave and go off on their own. Years
later when she returned to Japan she was treated like an outsider by her
brother and his wife and was told by him to avoid the neighbors due to her
status as a prostitute.
By sharing her pain with Keiko, the two form a close relationship. The emotions shared between them are portrayed as something feminine but important nonetheless. In the video below, Keiko tearfully says goodbye to Osaki after finally revealing her identity. The emotional and sentimental connection between the two drives the narrative.
Mononoke Hime
Mononoke Hime is a Japanese anime film. Although
the protagonist, Ashitaka, is a male the story explores the roles of women. The
representations in the film raise questions about freedom, gender roles, and
power or the illusion of power.
The
film includes two strong female leads. San lives in the woods and aims to
protect the forest. She is portrayed as fierce and brave, entering a town where
many wanted her dead by herself. Ashitaka is intrigued by her, but she remains
independent throughout the film.
Lady
Eboshi is the ruler of Irontown. She is highly respected by those who work
under her. She is also portrayed as strong and brave. She has a lot of faith in
the women of Irontown, stating that she believes the women can defend
themselves well. The women of Irontown were rescued from prostitution and now
work in the Iron factory. The jobs they do are not typically associated with
the female gender. It involves a lot of heavy lifting.
Despite
independent female leads, there are still instances of female oppression
throughout the film. Although she refuses to ask for help for much of the film,
in the end San is still saved by the male lead – Ashitaka. The women of
Irontown do not leave to fight with the men but instead remain in the town. It is
unclear if they want to be working in factories or if they simply are obligated
because they were rescued. The industrial work that they are a part of can seem
oppressive.
Conclusion
All of these films, despite
the presence of stereotypical female behavior also challenge tradition in some
way. Many of them that portray stereotypical females use these actions to
challenge tradition. They also explore government and environment and they way
external factors influence feminism. Traditional male roles are also portrayed
in some films. There are cases of exaggerated masculinity and masculine action.
In two of the films, a variation of the “damsel in distress” is used as part of
the narrative.
