Name: Hariyani Vaidehi C.
Roll no- 18
Year - 2015-17
M.A Semester - 4
Paper no.(13) The New Literature
Email Id: - vaidehi09hariyani@gmail.com
UNIT : - 4
Assignment topic:
Objectification of Female Characters in Movie Adaption of Literary Texts.
Submitted to:
Smt.S.B.Gardi
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH,
MAHARAJA KRISHNAKUMARSINHJI BHAVNAGAR UNIVERSITY,
BHAVNAGAR, GUJARAT.
Introduction:-
Women are
always seen as an object or things. In this 21st century there are
many advertisements, songs, serials and movies where women are objectified. They
are used as mere things to sell something. Since the starting of advertising
many spans ago, women have been objectified, and in some instances, insulted or
degraded. Well still the same pattern of objectification and the mindless use
of semi-naked women continue in different popular media.
Here in this
assignment we will see that how women are objectified in the film adaptation of
literary text. With the help of examples we will see the topic in detail.
“Objectification of Female characters”
Film
adaptation of literary text is now a new trend growing worldwide. In India also
we find many directors also in this business. Here we are going to talk about
the Hollywood film adaptations of literary text.
There is a
wide difference between portrayal female characters in literature and movies.
The objectification comes into picture when the director gives a visual image
to the female character.
We can come
to a question here that,
Do all the film objectifies women
characters in a similar way? What difference can we see in the portrayal of 'Ophelia' (Kate Winslet) in Kenneth
Branagh's ‘Hamlet’, 'Elizabeth' ( Helena Bonham Carter) in
Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or ' Hester Prynne' (Demi Moore) in Roland Joffé's The Scarlet Letter'
or David Yates's 'Hermione Granger'
(Emma Watson) in last four Harry Potter films - and 'Sophie Neveu' (Audrey Tautau) in Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code?
Let’s try to
find out this answer…
Kenneth
Branagh’s ‘Hamlet’ is famous literary film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s
play ‘Hamlet’.
When we read
the character of Ophelia in the play we don’t read her as an object. Of course
feminist reading of the text do say that she was the only one who is been
cheated by the male characters of the play, but the film tries to materialise
her character. Ophelia many times is show nude which is not that needed. Women
are in love with someone but love should not necessarily connect with nudity.
Love is something to feel not to objectify.
Also we can
question that why only women or Ophelia is portrayed that way???
While
reading the play we can see that Hamlet is in love with Ophelia, but the film
is showing sexual relations which was not that much needed. After all it is a
revenge play, then why Ophelia is objectified so much without any reason.
The same
portrayal of the character can be observed in'Elizabeth' ( Helena Bonham
Carter) in Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or ' Hester Prynne'
(Demi Moore) in Roland Joffé's The Scarlet Letter' . Hester Prynne and
Elizabeth are also showed nude in the movie. Hester Prynne in the book is
portrayed in a good way. She is the one who becomes ‘Angel’ in the book, but
here the angel is used to gain more audience or profit. Hester is physically
described in the first scaffold scene as a tall young woman with a "figure
of perfect elegance on a large scale." Her most impressive feature is her
"dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a
gleam”. The girls shouldn’t be shown nude to show the beauty.
The argument
is that female figure is used as product. Women are exploited in a way.
David
Yates's 'Hermione Granger' (Emma
Watson) in last four Harry Potter films , her portrayal is also a bit
problematic in a way. Of course she is the heroine of 21st century
and has given much space. She is
portrayed as very intellectual girl. She is strong and powerful. Right from the
first she is one of the best witches of the year. Coming from the muggle
family, she enters the school with all the knowledge of wizardry. Like Sophie Neveu, she accompanies Ron and Harry in all the adventures in the book and movie as well.
Alas! In the
movie she is used as an object of rivalry between Harry and Ron. She could
challenge both the male characters. She had that capacity, but instead she is
been used as an object to make friends fight. Her portrayal is not as
problematic as of Ophelia, Hester or Elizabeth, but there is a slight touch of objectification. This
type of objectification is not presented anywhere in the text or play. Writer
could have used something else for rivalry between two friends. If we compare
Hermione with Ophelia (Hamlet) or Hester Prynne (The Scarlet Letter) then
definitely Hermione is far better female character.
Sophie’s character in Ron Howard’s “The Da
Vinci code” is very clever and gorgeous. The main theme of the novel is FEMININE
SACREDNESS. This theme is also
captured in the film quite beautifully. We never see camera moving on the
female body to make movie more sensual. Sophie has been portrayed as smart girl
who is curious to solve the puzzle. Here feminine sacredness is shown when
Robert Langdon kisses Sophie on her forehead. Kiss on the forehead represents
the respect and care one has for any women.
All the
female characters are beautiful and their description is also presented well in
the book, but not in the movies.
In Dan
Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’, Sophie is described like this:-
“Langdon turned to see
a young woman approaching. She was moving down the corridor toward them with
long, fluid strides…a haunting certainty to her gait. Dressed casually in a
knee-length, cream-colored Irish sweater over black leggings, she was
attractive and looked to be about thirty. Her thick burgundy hair fell unstyled
to her shoulders, framing the warmth of her face. Unlike the waifish,
cookie-cutter blondes that adorned Harvard dorm room walls, this woman were
healthy with an unembellished beauty and genuineness that radiated a striking
personal confidence.”
Ron Howard
captures this simplicity of beauty while portraying Sophie.
Even in the
Bollywood film adaptations like ‘Haider’ is not far behind in the
objectification of women. Bollywood also objectifies women.
For example:
- The item songs in Bollywood.
These songs
are just to increase TRP or profit of the film
If we
compare Ophelia with Hermione or Sophie Neuve, then there is a vast difference. 21st century female
characters are getting more space. Female characters have grown a lot. They are equal or smarter than male
characters. Sophie and Hermione both accompanies to male
members in the journey. But in novel, the depiction is different in the movies.
Conclusion:-
All the
movie makers or directors should understand that Women have their own identity.
They are not any objects used to increase their wealth or popularity. Recently
in the Bollywood movie “Badrinath ki Dulhania” a satire is made on how women or
girls are taken as liability in India. Not only in India but everywhere we can
see this. The Archetypal Patriarchal mindset is same everywhere in the world.
O, Patriarchy!
How long, how far will
you go on to objectify female?
To condition woman as
perpetual 'giver',
You gendered Earth and
Nature as Mother Earth and Mother Nature.
You named farmer as the
father of the world.
And thus eternal
exploitation of the 'body'.
To condition woman as
entertaining tool,
You gendered Language
as Mother Language.
And more feminine names
to Other languages.
Why is it that you do
not call Father Earth or Father Language?
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