Notes on Gender Representation in the Godfather
Godfather notes from Tatiitat
From the opening scene of the Godfather it is apparent that traditional values are going to be the main basis throughout the movie for the gender roles that are to be brought up.
With the low lighting and the black background, we the audience only focus on the man's face which seems to be the predetermined mindset of the Sicilian man. He speaks about his daughter
Bonasera is the first thing we see when the opening starts, he starts talking about his belief in America which we can clearly see the distinct difference in Americans and Italian Americans and how he is falling back on to his Italian descent to solve his problem. During this, he also talks about his daughter and from his conversation we can tell the traditional conventions that are applied to women in the Italian family. He starts off with raising his 'daughter in the American fashion' however she follows the Italian way which is more set into tradition compared to Americans at that time as this is emphasised with the 'I taught her never to dishonour her family' showing the element aspect of the Gangster theme of loyalty towards the families. There is also an emphasis on differentiating Italian with non-Italians as this shows the underlining culture of the woman probably marrying someone close to the Italian family or another powerful household. Even in the situation at hand he comments on how because of the rape involved she has lost her innocence and beauty, though she protected the family by defending herself against the men showing that even the women are loyal towards the gangster family from both the public and private face.
Vito remains dominant even though he is seated, appearing calm and collected at the situation. He, however, offers a threat to Bonasera as he ask why he went to the police when he had the Godfather. This shows the contrast between the two men as the Godfather is the facade of how the gangster men should act while Bonasera is seen as weak and pitiful as he cannot protect his daughter and need to go to the powerful Don which is Vito to solve his problems.
While looking at The Godfather as my case study, I found that the representation of Gender shows a clear divide between the dominant men in the film being almost superior to the other men and women. I shall try to subvert this by introducing a strong female lead that can work along side the genders of male and female while gaining respect and support from the characters I have created. Hence, why the character of Gabrielle is purposefully set as the consigliere which would show her using intelligence and quick thinking rather than relying on brute strength. I also decided to explore the androgynous sense linking to the sexuality of Gabrielle as we see her journey of her accepting the male and female characteristics with her appearance.
Comment on the Opening scene
From the opening scene of the Godfather it is apparent that traditional values are going to be the main basis throughout the movie for the gender roles that are to be brought up.
With the low lighting and the black background, we the audience only focus on the man's face which seems to be the predetermined mindset of the Sicilian man. He speaks about his daughter
Bonasera is the first thing we see when the opening starts, he starts talking about his belief in America which we can clearly see the distinct difference in Americans and Italian Americans and how he is falling back on to his Italian descent to solve his problem. During this, he also talks about his daughter and from his conversation we can tell the traditional conventions that are applied to women in the Italian family. He starts off with raising his 'daughter in the American fashion' however she follows the Italian way which is more set into tradition compared to Americans at that time as this is emphasised with the 'I taught her never to dishonour her family' showing the element aspect of the Gangster theme of loyalty towards the families. There is also an emphasis on differentiating Italian with non-Italians as this shows the underlining culture of the woman probably marrying someone close to the Italian family or another powerful household. Even in the situation at hand he comments on how because of the rape involved she has lost her innocence and beauty, though she protected the family by defending herself against the men showing that even the women are loyal towards the gangster family from both the public and private face.
Vito remains dominant even though he is seated, appearing calm and collected at the situation. He, however, offers a threat to Bonasera as he ask why he went to the police when he had the Godfather. This shows the contrast between the two men as the Godfather is the facade of how the gangster men should act while Bonasera is seen as weak and pitiful as he cannot protect his daughter and need to go to the powerful Don which is Vito to solve his problems.
Very good! I like the idea of exploring androgyny in your own test, that's really interesting. You might also be interested to do some research on theoretical feminist approaches to film in general - you could start with the work of Judith Butler. If you find anything interesting or relevant, post it on here.
ReplyDeleteI'll make sure to read up on two of her books that interest me which are going to be Bodies that Matter (1993) and Undoing Gender (2004). I'll post anything that I find links in with representation and my characters development on another blog post.
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