Gender Roles in The Big Boss, Sandakon No. 8, Mononoke hime, and Yellow Earth

                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. 

Formal and Narrative Elements in Late Spring and Ikiru

                In Ozu’s Late Spring and Kurosawa’s Ikiru, formal devices are used to construct the stories and communicate emotions to the audience. The directors use unique filming and editing techniques to construct their stories. They use narrative elements to communicate plot elements. Although the techniques used by the two directors differ, they are ultimate used to effectively communicate with the viewer.

                Mise en scene elements are used in Late Spring. The movie is in black and white, which separates the current audience from the culture and time period that the movie took place in.  It also accentuates action and draws the focus towards the plot and the aesthetics. Despite the American occupation, Ozu was able to use several scenes to express Japanese nationalism. The tea ceremony was a reference to Japanese tradition. The film shows traditional Japanese temples and pagoda roofs. The noh scene references traditional and cultural entertainment and storytelling (Bordwell, 309).

A shot of a Japanese temple. 

                Ozu uses filming angles and techniques as constructive elements in his film. He frequently used low angle shots. Occasionally these shots would take the point of view of another character, allowing viewers to identify with that individual. Low angle shots were a unique way for Ozu to distinguish himself as an artist and create a new aesthetic view. Rather than panning, Ozu preferred static shots framed in such a way that the focus remained on the characters. He did not use dissolves or dollys but instead had the cameraman follow the characters at the exact same speed if movement was necessary (Bordwell, 311).

            The emotions and everyday interactions of the characters are central to Ozu's film. They are supported through every formal, stylistic, and narrative choice that Ozu makes. Noriko is characterized by her relationships. She is very close to her father and takes care of him. She worries about him. She also faces a conflict between traditional and modern values and embodies this theme throughout. Somiya Shukichi also worries about his daughter. Although he is conflicted and does not want her to leave, he knows that society expects her to marry and that she will be without him someday. It is implied that he lies about getting remarried in order to convince his daughter to take a husband. These characteristics are evident through slow pacing techniques that force the viewer to observe interactions and consider themes and the low angles that show emotion in the characters. 

In this scene, Noriko and her father have dinner. Low camera angles put the viewer on the same level as them as they are sitting on the floor. Noriko prepares dinner in the beginning and it is clear that she cares for her father. It is here that her father begins to pressure her about getting married while still offering her a choice, demonstrating the conflict of traditional vs. modern values.




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A low angle shot looking up at Noriko.

This low angle show has the camera on the floor just as Noriko is on the floor.    

            Ozu used unique transition shots to construct his narrative. He would use pillow shots, often showing a building before a character would enter or show a landscape rather than using dissolve techniques. His narrative often left seemingly significant events out. He did not show Noriko’s wedding and the audience never sees her fiancé (Bordwell, 310). This allows the focus to be ok Noriko’s emotions and her relationships with father, her aunt, and Aya. It emphasized themes such as the tension to embrace both traditional and modern practices. Seemingly insignificant or irrelevant scenes are shown such as the long train ride, but this scene conveyed the connection between Noriko and her father and the pace focused on emotion and character development.

A pillow shot of the train station right before Noriko and her father board the train.

                In Ikiru, Kurosawa also focuses on aesthetics to construct his scenes and add to plot development. In the beginning of the film, Wantanabe Kanji is a very serious man who is described as a corpse, emotionally dead. He does not enjoy life but instead focuses on his job. He is first seen in his office. His desk is cluttered with stacks of documents and the room seems tight and oppressive. Like Kanji, it is stuffy and dark. The job seems tedious as workers repeat the same motions over and over again. Kanji appears lifeless and apathetic. After learning that he only has a short amount of time to live, he tries to embrace life and is often shown outside where there is more space and freedom. He is not shown in his office again (Goodwin, 150).

          Here, Kanji begins to seek out other opportunities after receiving his diagnosis. He is still a little unsure , but eventually begins to relax. The space is very open compared to his office. 

Kanji when he is first shown in his cramped and oppressive office.

                The narrative begins not with a shot of Kanji but a shot of his stomach and the cancer within. The narration foreshadows events to come. A narrator explains that the protagonist has cancer and acts as an outside observer. When the camera finally focuses on Kanji, the narrator continues to talk about the monotonous life that he lives. Kurosawa also uses a narrative montage effect is used to demonstrate the frustrations of the women who attempt to get someone to address environmental problems. Flashbacks are used as a narrative device to explain events and to reveal the emotional state that Kanji is in. (Goodwin, 160).

                Kurosawa often uses close ups to emphasize the emotions being experienced by the characters. a close up shot is shown in the photo below. You can clearly see the emotion in Kanji's face. Kurosawa also uses dissolves to transition into narrative flashbacks. Dolly shots and pans follow the characters as they move (Goodwin, 161). 

A close up show of Kanji that clearly demonstrates emotion.

      Both Ozu and Kurowasa use formal and narrative elements to construct their stories in a unique manner. They differ in technique, with Ozu focusing on low angle shots and avoiding pans while Kurowasa using close ups and panning shots. Kurowasa alternatively uses narration and flashbacks. Regardless of differences, both directors use every detail to convey a their messages to the audience, using different techniques that are characteristic of their films.