Between Gazes Camelia Elias

concerns in feminist/queer film theory  representation  identification  subject positions (visibility)  Man/woman  Man  Woman  Heterosexual/homosexual  Heterosexual  Homosexual

 Teresa de Laurentis: 1.sexual difference (women are, or want, something different from men) 2.sexual indifference: (women are, or want, the same as men) Homosexual (lesbian)/hommosexual (compulsary heterosexual)

representation/experience  representation is related to experience by codes that change historically  reading is a re-writing of the text  writing is a rereading of one’s experience

Strategies of representation  Strategic ambiguity  Polysemous, multiple interpretations  Appropriateness  Symbolic  Invisible  According to preference

reading performances  1. oppositional readings  through resistance  2. negotiated readings  through questioning  minus pleasure

adrienne rich  woman-identified experience: the experience in which women are not dependent on men but find their strength through their relationship with one another, regardless of their identity  compulsory heterosexuality: the ideology that teaches women to be dependent on men

literal representations  literal representations of friendship  bonded by tragedy woman-identified experience: heterosexuality

symbolic representations  symbolic representations of friendship  bonded by desire woman-identified experience: lesbianism:

symbolic representations  the beehive scene  the lake scene  the biblical scene  "Whither thou goest, I will go. Whither thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people."  the death scene (Ruth’s death)  the love until death do us part scene

narrative levels/themes  Main plot:  Two parallel stories informed by the theme of friendship  Subplot:  1. story: lesbianism  2. story: feminism

 I never get mad, Mrs. Threadgood. Never! The way I was raised it was bad manners. Well I got mad and it felt terrific! I felt like I could beat the shit outta all those punks! Excuse my language, just beat them to a pulp! Beat them 'til they begged for mercy. Towanda, the Avenger! After I wipe out all the punks of this world I'll take on the wife beaters, like Frank Bennett, and machine gun their genitals. And I'll put tiny little bombs in Penthouse and Playboy, so they'll explode when you open 'em. And I'll ban all fashion models who weigh less then 130 pounds. I'll give half the military budget to people over 65 and declare wrinkles sexually desirable. Towanda righter of wrongs, Queen beyond compare!