StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The Loneliest Planet - Movie Review Example

Cite this document
Summary
The author of this paper "The Loneliest Planet" analyzes the film, in which the world represents the ideologies that exist in society. The paper focuses on the framework described by Mulvey, and discusses how that framework exhibits itself in the movie "The Loneliest Planet"…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94% of users find it useful
The Loneliest Planet
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Loneliest Planet"

The Loneliest Planet Hollywood has received unending criticism for its unbalanced representation of gender inmovies. The film world represents the ideologies that exist in society. For a long time, society has often adopted a patriarchal attitude, an aspect that becomes evident in Hollywood movies. The patriarchal attitude occurs subconsciously and determines the meanings that society attaches to Hollywood movies. Mulvey described the patriarchal framework that is evident in Hollywood movies. This paper will begin by highlighting the framework described by Mulvey and discuss the how that framework exhibits itself in the movie ‘the loneliest planet’. Mulvey’s Ideas on Hollywood’s Depiction of Gender According to Mulvey, males prove to be very dominant in society. This dominance has existed for the longest time in society, with many people adopting the attitudes that concur with and foster the spread of male dominance (Hein 58). In her article ‘visual pleasure and narrative cinema’ Mulvey highlighted that the popularity of Hollywood movies has resulted because of the existing social patterns. These existing social patterns serve as a reflection of the male dominance that is evident in society. With the combination of two analytic procedures, this article highlights the reflection of unbalanced gender in Hollywood, and outlines how the viewer reacts to the movie. A semiotic analytic method of cinematic works helped Mulvey understand the depiction of patriarchy in Hollywood products. On the other hand, psychoanalysis revealed the perception of the viewer as determined by the existing social patterns (45). The article outlined a link between the viewer and the Hollywood products, with psychoanalysis helping the author to decipher the subconscious contribution to the understanding of the viewer. The most compelling idea that becomes evident in Mulvey’s article is the fact that Hollywood uses women to offer visual pleasure to the men. According to this author, Hollywood adopts a masculine view while making women an object of the gaze. Hollywood depicts men as heroes and this grants them measurable pleasure. The movies depict the undying desire of men to satisfy their ego even if that compels them to maker women object (34). As a result, the man represents the active individual in the movie while the woman has her take as the passive individual. The man employs all his efforts in demystifying the female figure or fetishization of her by according her a goddess position. Through these strategies, the man manages to avoid any chances of the woman surpassing him and silencing his voice. On the other hand, the role of the woman in Hollywood movies appears paradoxical. She seems to confuse herself with the power of attraction and her inherent desire to get past the man, silencing him. ‘The Loneliest Planet’ Through this movie, she tells the story of a young optimistic couple, Alex and Nica. From the initial cuts of the movie, the couple has a level of intimacy as the producer highlights that they are sexually involved. However, it is evident that despite this intimacy, the couple takes time in understanding each other well. However, there is a level of comfort in the couple and after their engagement; they are looking forward to getting married. This optimistic couple decides to visit the mountains of Georgia and explore their beauty. The viewer can expect that the hike will bring the couple closer, at least a notch higher than what they appear to be. Since they are unfamiliar with the place, and there is an obvious language barrier, the couple decided to hire a guide, Gato. The movie depicts the strangeness of the place, and then exposes the possibilities of the adventure that the couple would experience (67). As expected, the adventure comes with multiple challenges for the couple. Loktev takes the initial half of the movie to illustrate how the couple managed to cope with the numerous challenges of the hike through the mountains. The movie does not focus on the use of words but contains many visual images that the viewer can depend on to understand the theme that she intended to deliver. A close evaluation of the interaction between the couple serves to portray that they had a close relationship (70). However, the introduction of Gato in the picture introduced an absurd triangle between the three of them. The viewer received a confirmation of the absurdity the second half of the movie. Loktev introduced a moment in the movie that altered the entire picture of the couple’s relationship. During this moment that served as a turning point for the couple, Alex acted in away that portrayed his other self, but left an indelible mark on the couple’s relationship. In the face of tragedy, Alex momentarily chose to put Nica in danger for his survival. When the couple met an armed man who threatened to shoot Alex, he chose to make Nica the target. The man she adored and expected protection from had just proved willing to sacrifice her for his personal safety. Alex’s action may have been accidental and a one moment’s conviction, but it portrayed the selfish nature that Alex harboured within himself. After the defining moment, the couple’s interaction changed. Immense discomfort replaced the preceding comfort that had existed between the couple. Although there was limited conversation between the couple, silence reigned between them after the incident, creating a bridge. In the other half of the hike, both Alex and Nica experienced loneliness and remorse. For Alex, guilt governed him about his action (56). Although he must have experienced grief from deep within, it seemed too late to undo the damage he had caused. For Nica, she exhibited feelings of betrayal and withdrew to herself. The loneliness that engulfed each of them made the mountain ranges seem vast, and the journey appeared longer. Gato, the guide exhibited more concern for Nica that did Alex. Towards the end of the film, Gato’s story became the focus, with hints that Gato was acting to seduce Nica. Depiction of the Unbalanced Gender Loktev’s movie ‘the loneliest planet’ is one of Hollywood‘s products that exhibits the reality of Mulvey’s description of a patriarchal attitude in the society. From the start of the movie, a pattern of dependence becomes evident in the movie, when Nica has to wait for Alex to bring warm water to her rescue. From Alex’s delay, Nica appears desperately in need of Alex’s help. From this limelight, a viewer can expect the gaze to be Alex’s while Nica is the object that gives pleasure to him. From the onset of the trip, Alex keeps confirming that Nica is fine, and this confirms a level of dependence. It gives dominance to the man reflecting the values that society has accorded to men. Society holds onto the concept that men are responsible for taking care of women in society. However, this perception has received misinterpretation in society and introduced a misconception in society that women lack the capacity to handle things on their own. When Alex expresses such concern, Nica exhibits the paradoxical attitude described by Mulvey when she asserts that she needs no help even in situations when it was clear that she needed a level of assistance (98). During the defining moment of their love affair, it became evident that she was not just an object of pleasure for him, but she would also serve as a worthwhile sacrifice for him to win his safety. As Mulvey described, society exhibits male dominance with women serving s passive objects. At the critical moment, Alex only thought of the most important aspect of his life. Apparently, he made it clear that his survival and existence were his priorities. For Alex, Nica was of minimal significance. She was an object that he could selfishly use to foster his chances of survival. Subconsciously, he expressed the attitudes that men harbour in their hearts (78). The movie depicts how Alex employed the two strategies that Mulvey described in ensuring that he maintained his masculine ego. In the beginning of the play, he treated her like a goddess through the fetishization scheme. Men have developed strategies of adoring women to win their trust and ensure that a woman does not think of reducing his masculine ego through what Mulvey described as castration. Initially, Alex made Nica believe that he cared and could do anything for her sake. In a bid to adore her more, he expressed his concern about her situation. As Mulvey explains, in a society that adheres to patriarchal attitudes cannot help but express these attitudes subconsciously. Although this movie is the product of a woman’s creativity, it still highlights the fact that men dominate society. The story is more vivid from the masculine perspective. When situations compelled Alex, he relied on the additional strategy described by Mulvey that of dismantling her beliefs in order to survive. He managed to do this when he exposed her to the risk after he received a threat from an armed stranger. This served to dismantle her previous belief system that had given her the conviction that to Alex she was a goddess deserving protection (123). However, the reality emerged and she realized that he could sacrifice her for his survival. Moreover, Loktev depicts an additional aspect described by Mulvey in Hollywood movies. Mulvey highlighted that women were objects of visual focus from men. In this movie, both Alex and Gato take considerable time to look at Nica. In the triangle relationship that exists between them, Nica is the centre of attraction for both men. This introduces the active man passive woman aspect described by Mulvey. Even after the moment that altered things between the couple, the director brought in Gato’s story to re place the masculine dominance that had existed. At that critical moment when Nica experienced extreme loneliness, the guide became overly active in relating his story. Moreover, he appeared flirtatious and tried to win her attention confirming the common belief that women are objects subject to men’s viewing (145). On the other hand, Nica exhibited the paradoxical individuals who threaten to challenge the masculine opinion. In sever al occasions, she proved physically fit proving beyond doubt that she possessed stamina that could challenge a man. Adored with beauty and physical attraction, she found herself torn between choices (56). A clear illustration is the instance when she could not resist the flirtatious nature of Gato, the guide. She seemed confused on whether it was Alex she still wanted or she had the freedom to reconstruct her broken dreams with someone else. Conclusion As described, society has often adopted a patriarchal attitude, an aspect that becomes evident in Hollywood movies. The patriarchal attitude occurs subconsciously and determines the meanings that society attaches to Hollywood movies. Mulvey described the patriarchal framework that is evident in Hollywood movies. With the combination of two analytic procedures, this article highlights the reflection of unbalanced gender in Hollywood, and outlines how the viewer reacts to the movie. A semiotic analytic method of cinematic works helped Mulvey understand the depiction of patriarchy in Hollywood products. On the other hand, psychoanalysis revealed the perception of the viewer as determined by the existing social patterns. Through a thorough analysis of Loktev’s movie, the patriarchal ideologies that have persisted in society and expressed subconsciously become evident. On the other hand, the role of the woman in Hollywood movies appears paradoxical. She seems to confuse herself with the power of attraction and her inherent desire to get past the man, silencing him. Analysis of the movie ‘the loneliest planet’ confirms Mulvey’s ideas. Work Cited Hein, Carolina. Laura Mulvey, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH, 2008. Internet resource. Read More
Tags
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(The Loneliest Planet Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1, n.d.)
The Loneliest Planet Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1. https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1798476-chosse-from-the-following
(The Loneliest Planet Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 Words - 1)
The Loneliest Planet Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 Words - 1. https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1798476-chosse-from-the-following.
“The Loneliest Planet Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 Words - 1”. https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1798476-chosse-from-the-following.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Loneliest Planet

The Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi Positive Psychology

hellip; The article supports the activities of the Happy planet Index (HPI) initiative, used to determine the level in which countries deliver better and happy lives to its citizens, to improve life expectancy in such countries.... The article supports the activities of the Happy planet Index (HPI) initiative, used to determine the level in which countries deliver better and happy lives to its citizens, to improve life expectancy in such countries....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Sympathy for the Monster

This essay analyzes "Frankenstein", that is the masterwork of Mary Shelly and the magnum opus which makes it unlikely that the literary world will ever forget her name.... However, it is a lot more than a gothic novel since as noted by Oates (1984).... hellip; This essay demonstrates that the monster deserves our sympathy for the earlier part of his existence as he has been abandoned as nothing more than a child, society refuses to accept him due to his physical features and despite his intelligence, he has no value to anyone who can see him physically (NLM, 2002)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Am I Blue by Alice Walker

Moreover, we do what we want to the animals and to the planet we live on simply because we have been given dominion.... Am I Blue is one of the writings by Alice Walker that hold the distinction of being banned but reading it does not seem to clarify the reason why the article should be banned in the first place....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

The World The Way the Migrant Worker Is Aligned With the Theme Park Employee

This paper "The World – The Way the Migrant Worker Is Aligned With the Theme Park Employee" focuses on the film The World - a story about a theme park employee in China named Tao and a Russian migrant worker named Anna.... Anna is a World Park Russian performer who cannot speak Chinese.... nbsp;… Although they don't really understand what it means....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Pursuit of happiness

The valuable lessons that we can learn from the pursuit of happiness by the three outsiders; Timothy Treadwell, Henry David Thoreau and Christopher McCandless, is that there is more to life than material wealth and physical wellbeing since spiritual wellbeing is the core of true… Despite the fact that an individual might possibly have access to everything that such an individual desires in life, there is a part of life that still remains dissatisfied; the spiritual life (Thoreau, 27)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Discovering Science Thorough the Media

A scientists Andrew Howard states: "For NASA, this number – that every fifth star has a planet somewhat like Earth – is really important, because successor missions to Kepler will try to take an actual picture of a planet, and the size of the telescope they have to build depends on how close the nearest Earth-size planets are” (cited in Ohlheiser, 2015)However, the fact needs further investigations, because the probability of mistake is very high....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Fast Media and Internet

In addition, am able to stay in touch with my family members, friends, and colleagues in all corners of the planet with so much ease and at the same time manage projects with teams in different cities within the shortest time possible.... At the beginning of the exercise, I was feeling good and thought that life will be as normal....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Worthless Work And Meaningless Lives In Kafkas

The paper "Worthless Work And Meaningless Lives In Kafka's" describe two men, who have opened their eyes to the pointlessness of work, in specific, and human life, in general.... Samsa and Smith show the worthlessness of work that is centered on money and following social expectations.... hellip; Samsa was bored with his job, a job that made him feel worthless because he felt no meaning in his everyday work duties; however, he must continue because of his social role as his family's breadwinner....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us