The Liberation of Women in Japanese Cinema

The liberation of women in Japanese cinema

The purpose of this work is to investigate the social position of women in Japanese cinema from its beginnings to the present. The main aspect is the link between the masculine dominance and the objectification of women, combined with Freudian theories of castration anxiety, as well as Lacanian ‘mirror stage’. These theories play a crucial role in this work as the representation of power, demonstrated through objectification, may affect the gender equilibrium. The dissertation attempts to deconstruct specific Japanese films by using the opinions of film theorist, Laura Mulvey as well as particular scenes in order to demonstrate the evolving shift from male objectification to female emancipation.

Antonin Hrdlicka BA (Hons) Photography School of Art, Design and Media
2011/2012

Contents

Illustrations.................................................................................................p.3

Introduction................................................................................................p.5

The ‘Woman Problem’………………………........................................................p.9

The History of Japanese Film.....................................................................p.14

Mizoguchi’s Women………………..................................................................p.18

No Regrets for our Youth...........................................................................p.28

The Metaphorical Castration.....................................................................p.34

Conclusion................................................................................................p.52

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………….p.55

Illustrations
Figure 1 Mizoguchi, K. (Director). (1936). Osaka Elegy [Motion picture]. Japan: Daiichi Eiga.
Figure 2 Mizoguchi, K. (Director). (1936). Osaka Elegy [Motion picture]. Japan: Daiichi Eiga.
Figure 3 Mizoguchi, K.

Bibliography: Acquarello. (2001). Gion no Shimai. Retrieved from http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/mizoguchi.html Allison, A Bardsley, J., Miller, L. (Eds.). (2005) Bad Girls of Japan (1st ed.). Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/portsmouth/docDetail.action?docID=10135410 Grosz, E Henning, M. (2009). The subject as object. In L. Wells (Ed), Photography: A Critical Introduction (pp. 167-204). Oxon: Routledge. Johnston, T. (2009, November). Love Exposure. Sight & Sound, n.d.(10), 71. Kurosawa, A. (Director). (1946). No regrets for our youth [Motion picture]. Japan: Toho Company. Lowy, D Mayne, J. (1994). Feminist Film theory and criticism. In D. Carson, L. Dittmar (Eds.), Multiple Voices in Feminist Film Criticism. Minnesota USA: University of Minnesota Press. Meiji Period (n.d.) Metz, Ch. (1985). Photography and Fetish. October, 34(n.d.), 81-90. Retrieved from http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/irvinem/visualarts/Metz-Photography-and-Fetish-October-1985.pdf Mizoguchi, K Mizoguchi, K. (Director). (1936). Sisters of the Gion [Motion picture]. Japan: Daiichi Eiga. Movies Mulvey, L. (1989). Visual and Other Pleasures. London: Macmillan. Mulvey, L Richie, D. (1990). Japanese Cinema: An Introduction. Oxford: University Press. Sato, B Sono, S. (Director). (2008). Love Exposure [Motion picture]. Japan: Omega Project. Standish, I. (2005). Anew history of Japanese cinema: a century of narrative film. London: The Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. Tanaka, N. (Director). (1975). A Woman Called Sada Abe [Motion picture]. Japan: Nikkatsu. The Abe Sada Incident. (2008, August 17). Retrieved from http://drvitelli.typepad.com/providentia/2008/08/the-abe-sada-in.html Wilson, S Wilson, B. (2010, April). No Regrets for Our Youth. Senses of Cinema, n.d.(54). Retrieved from http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2010/cteq/no-regrets-for-our-youth/ Xu, A