Exercise 12.1 Beowulf:

Beowulf:

The film is a prime example of how men are addressed as the spectator in film.

The main character ‘Beowulf’ is male and drives the whole narrative. However, the physical form of Beowulf questions the validity of Mulvey’s outline of the male spectator as he is also objectified in the film. In many scenes he is presented as bare chested showing a toned chest and is even shown naked in one scene making him susceptible to the female gaze. In this way, female characters can be argued to identify with the male character by admiring his physical form.

The film is also follows stereotypical conventions through the subordinate portrayal of women. The narrative revolves largely around a macho hero saving a damsel (Propp) which again shows females as subservient to men.

However, it can be argued that the film attempts to challenge this representation through the devil character played by Angelina Jolie who sexually entices and traps Beowulf putting her in a more dominant position. Although, the effectiveness of this can be seen to be counteracted as the character is a devil suggesting that women on their own are not capable of such a thing and as a result need to be dehumanised. Additionally, the way in which the character achieves power over the male character is through demeaning her self by allowing her body to fall trap to the male gaze hence ultimately addressing the spectator as male.

There are clear examples of the rigid and stereotypical conventions of women in the film as conforming to the Madonna or whore. The princess is presented as pure, sensitive and truthful (fitting the description of the Madonna role). In contrast, Beowulf has a mistress (fitting the mold of the ‘whore’). A further more explicit example of the ‘whore’ is presented through a civilian character who is subjected to the male gaze as she makes noises connoting sexual pleasure and desire when cleaning a table with a large proportion of her breasts showing as she tries to entice another male character. In this way, the woman is presented as subordinate to the male as she seems desperate (not in control) and sexually aroused hence putting the man in the position of the spectator.