Verified Document

Psychoanalytic Theory And Film And Pleasure Essay

Mulvey and the Cinema Laura Mulvey uses psychoanalytic theory to discuss the appeal of the erotic in narrative cinema and how the images projected on screen play upon "pre-existing patterns of fascination" within the audience (6). The point of reading is that such images have a political use, which has been appropriated by studios, which a feminist audience can readily identify as a "phallocentric order" (6). From the feminist perspective, the psychoanalytic theory offers a substantial insight into the social constructs that are used to engineer films for mass audiences, already saturated by a form of social-engineering from the various socio-political platforms erected on televisions, personal computers, phones, etc.

The reading continues with a run-down the of the different pleasures that cinema affords the viewer -- whether "scopophilia" or narcissism (10). The cinema projects images of superstars but at the same time allows the viewer to project an image of himself in his own mind afterwards, based on what he has seen. Thus, the cinema reinforces the narcissistic behaviors of the audience. This contributes to a general muddiness about what sexual: is woman merely an image for the male gaze? According to cinema, the answer is affirmative: the psychoanalytic reading suggests that men are conditioned to view women...

From a philosophical perspective, it might be stated that such viewing does more to effect akrasia, or softness, in the character of the audience than it does anything, because it is based on pleasing the appetite, of stimulating the libido -- though it does not offer much in terms of satisfying said libido. This may be viewed as a danger, too, for if the passions are stimulated but not satisfied, this could lead to psycho-sexual trends in public, such as have been seen on the rise since the 1960s, when cinema opened its doors more widely to sex-themed films and the pornographic film industry came into wider, more mainstream existence.
Mulvey's article is interesting for a number of reasons: it raises issues such as sexuality in cinema and its purpose -- an idea that might otherwise go completely ignored otherwise; it discusses the psychoanalytical interpretations of cinema, looking at various films and filmmakers, such as Hitchcock, notorious for exploiting the male gaze by splashing eye candy across the screen for the viewer and his voyeuristic enthrallment. The article discusses Vertigo…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Screen, vol. 16, no. 3 (Autumn
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Culture Freudian Theories Sigmund Freud
Words: 3527 Length: 10 Document Type: Essay

When one thinks about Freud's theory one has to presume Freud's conscious thoughts or his theory regarding an Oedipus complex represents not his real thoughts but his defensive condensations, displacements, reversals, omissions, and distortions of his real thoughts. If one wishes to look inside his real thoughts regarding an Oedipus complex, one has to analyze and interpret the manifest content of his thought with these defenses in mind. According to

Object Relation, Attachment Theories, And
Words: 26278 Length: 90 Document Type: Dissertation

S., experts estimate the genuine number of incidents of abuse and neglect ranges three times higher than reported. (National Child Abuse Statistics, 2006) in light of these critical contemporary concerns for youth, this researcher chose to document the application of Object Relation, Attachment Theories, and Self-Psychology to clinical practice, specifically focusing on a patient who experienced abuse when a child. Consequently, this researcher contends this clinical case study dissertation proves

Criminal Theory As Seen by Sigmund Freud
Words: 691 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Freud's Psychosocial Development Theory Presumes That Adult Character Is Established By Age 5 Freud finds that we humans are extremely symbolic creatures; we have a common set of symbols that provide us a very effective language for our shared wishes. What case does he make that we are accustomed to symbolic experience and that we talk about these symbols in the bigger society of humankind? Freud's theory presumes that adult character

Man With a Movie Camera
Words: 2460 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

A perfect example of this is located in Chapter three. Chapter three opens with the camera zooming steadily in on a window. The shot then cuts to a shot of streetlights, establishing the time of day as early morning. Even though simply not enough of the room is exhibited to demonstrate what exactly exists within it, the shot following the streetlight is of a woman in bed, strongly suggesting it

Abnormal and Film Narcissistic Personality
Words: 2755 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

These may contribute to the formation and persistence of dysfunctional narcissism. Millon's biosocial view seems to be that narcissistic children are spawned by narcissistic parents who overindulge them, giving them a sense of specialness that creates expectations about praise and subservience from others (Silverstein, 2007, p. 30). Sperry (1995) gives a good summary of various theories about NPD formation (pp. 116-118). The psychoanalytic formulation attributes NPD to an early

Sexual Addiction Results From an
Words: 4578 Length: 15 Document Type: Term Paper

They need a supportive, stable person in their lives. If the child is abused, he or she is missing a key part of their development. They continue to grow up believing that they are alone. Not only is this feeling brought on by abuse but if a parent dies or the child is torn between a divorce, the adult can still feel abandoned. Sex fills that void, the individual

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now