Clarissa P. Ramos
Film 301
Visual Essay II
April 22, 2009

The Impact of Extreme Close-Ups in Stepford Wives

In the 1975 science fiction film, Stepford Wives (Dir. Bryan Forbes, 1975, United States) the special effect that is the most evident are the extreme close-up shots that signify the occurrences when the audience must remain attentive toward the subject that is being evaluated closely. There are a plethora of instances in which Joanna’s eyes are considered the focal point in which the camera zooms in to confirm the significance of this human trait.

According to Christine Cornea “many filmmakers were making extravagant use of effects like reverse motion, multiple exposure, extreme close-ups, stop motion and so on” ([i]). Although Stepford Wives does not contain a variety of complex special effects, the effect of the extreme close is important because it represents the importance of the human traits necessary in completing the wife replacements, which is later fulfilled by a robot. Cornea describes how “initially films excited audiences purely in the presentation of a moving and active photographic image of the world. However, this simple thrill soon wore thin and early cinema had to renew its novelty value by offering more unusual sights and spectacular displays” to remain more appealing to the audience ([ii]). Since this film was created over three decades ago, this statement proves that Stepford Wives did not require many extravagant effects to entertain the audience. Scott Bukatman explains, “What interests me the most about [special effects] is that they are addressed to me: they reinstate and acknowledge my presence in the theater and emphasize the experience of viewing” ([iii]). The special effect of the close-up in Stepford Wives also serves as a form of enjoyment for the audience because when the image of Joanna’s eyes are being captured closely, it explains the foreshadowing event of how one’s eyes are a trait that can distinguish you from another and are vital in completing the unifinished robot at the end of the film.

The picture displayed above is a close-up shot of Joanna’s eyes in a portrait drawn by a member of the men’s society in which Joanna’s husband, Walter belongs to. Joanna explains to her husband while pointing to the finished portrait of herself, . “See what you missed?” Joanna asks Walter. He replies, “It’s very good around the eyes” ([iv]). This reference to the human eye is significant because the eye serves as a vital feature and the only true characteristic from the wives that the robots will inherit. This portrait is produced and necessary in creating a robot that will replace Joanna.

Joanna attempts to locate her children when she comes to the conclusion that the men in Stepford are replacing their wives with robots in order to experience perfection and live their lives selfishly with an obedient wife. During her search, she approaches Dis, the ringleader of the men’s society, who expresses to Joanna , “well, that’s all there is so why don’t we get it over with? You know, you hurried us a little. We weren’t quite ready for you” ([v]).Joanna attempts to escape from Dis, fearing for her life. She runs into many different rooms and enters a room that is an exact replica of her own bedroom. Joanna discontinues her escape and is exasperated and confused as to how to react to the situation. She examines the replicated bedroom and sees her replacement: a robot who appears almost exactly like Joanna, except for two major changes: the robot has larger breasts to implement the focus on perfection and the robot does not yet have blue eyes as Joanna does. Instead, the robot’s eyes are completely blacked out. The unfinished robot approaches Joanna with a stocking as a prop to strangle her. The extreme close-up of the robot’s eye is depicted below to signify how unrealistic the robot appears and the dependence on human traits in order to create the essence of a true human being.

The film concludes with a close-up of the replacement Joanna’s eye. Although Joanna demonstrated much determination and attemtped to avoid being substituted, she was killed and the “new” wife who appeared just like Joanna would have the ability to meet her husband’s needs. The robot was finalized when it aquired the human eyes, which were vital to portray the representation of a real human being. The image displayed below is aclose-up image displayed in Stepford Wives, which establishes a thrilling conclusion due to the fact that it is impossible to distinguish Joanna from the robot.




Works Cited

Bukatman, Scott. Zooming Out: The End of Offscreen Space. The New American Cinema.

Edited by Jon Lewis. Duke University Press (1998): 248-272.

Cornea, Christine. Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. New

Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, 2007.

The Stepford Wives, dir. Bryan Forbes, perf. Katherine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter

Masterson, and Nanette Newman, 1975, DVD , Paramount , 2004

Endnotes

[i] Christine Cornea, "Gender Blending and the Feminine Subject," Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. ( New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, 2007) p. 249

[ii] Christine Cornea, "Gender Blending and the Feminine Subject," Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. ( New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, 2007) p. 250

[iii] Bukatman, Scott. Zooming Out: The End of Offscreen Space. The New American Cinema. Edited by Jon Lewis. Duke University Press (1998): 267.

[iv] The Stepford Wives, dir. Bryan Forbes, perf. Katherine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, and Nanette Newman, 1975, DVD, Paramount, 2004

[v] The Stepford Wives, dir. Bryan Forbes, perf. Katherine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, and Nanette Newman, 1975, DVD , Paramount , 2004

Clarissa Ramos: Midterm

Clarissa P. Ramos
Film 301
Midterm Essay
March 25, 2009

Opposing Gender & Racial Issues in Blade Runner and Stepford Wives

Throughout the science fiction films, Stepford Wives (Dir. Bryan Forbes, 1975, United States) and Blade Runner (Dir. Ridley Scott, 1982, United States) the relationship between the robot/replicant and human represent various gender and racial issues. Both films reveal gender roles that men and women are expected to fulfill. In Blade Runner the lead female character, Rachel conforms to the norms and expectations of her gender role, while the protagonist, Joanna in Stepford Wives attempts to live her life according to her own likeness rather than according to the expectations that society has placed upon her based upon her gender. As far as racial issues are concerned, throughout Stepford Wives there are a limited amount of problems due to the fact that all of the characters are Caucasian until an African American family is present at the end of the film. In terms of a “minority” Joanna is definitely the outcast due to the fact that she does not wish to conform to the lifestyle of the typical Stepford wife. Blade Runner contains racial issues concerning Asians and the fear that their development could surpass and outshine the dominant, White male.

In Stepford Wives, the robots do not typically challenge the human, but are compliant and subservient to meet the needs of the men. The only instance in which the robot challenges the humans is when the robot begins to dysfunction and repeatedly recites the same words. When this occurs, the husbands simply reactivate the robot to behave once again as "perfect" wives. In Blade Runner the replicants challenge the humans and are dangerous and complex because they appear just as humans; however, their lives are only limited to a four year span and they do not possess their own memories, but are programmed with another individual’s memories as their own.

Issues regarding gender are evident in both Stepford Wives and Blade Runner. In the film Stepford Wives the central idea is the opposition of one female to the male dominated society.. The men have a secret society in which they develop robots to replace their wives to create "the perfect wife". Though throughout the film Joanna struggles with the idea as to why the wives are so obedient to the stereotypical housewife model of earlier time periods. Joanna represents the present and future woman, one who has ideas and desires of leaving a legacy verses the stereotypical compliant woman the robots represent. The male figure in this film is based on the idea of repression of the female gender, this is why the use of robots is vital because the concept of a robot is to repeat desired actions, movements, and ideas. At the time this film was produced the feminist movement made another wave and women were becoming more motivated to escape from their stereotypical role as housewife. This is the significance of the film because men wanted women that they could control and not motivated or independent thinkers such as Joanna. The idea of a progressive woman threatened the stepford society because the power of men would be at risk.

Blade Runner “sports a number of renegade, replicated bodies (replicants) designed to service their human counterparts. These are genetically engineered bodies; reproductions of human bodies that appear so real they throw into relief the supposed authenticity of being human" ([i]). The lead role of Rachel who later is informed that she is a replicant serves as the model of femininity while Deckard’s character represents masculinity. Both Rachel and Deckard rely on one another to provide a sense of self and confirm how their gender roles should be fulfilled. "This is because they recognise that in order pass as human subjects they must act out what it means to be feminine or masculine" ([ii]).

In the visual depicted above, Deckard portrays a dominating and powerful masculine role as he forces Rachel against the wall and directs her to repeat his words, “Say ‘kiss me’ ” ([iii]). When she does not obey his directions, he once again stresses, “Say ‘kiss me’” ([iv]). Rachel complies with the order and the two have sex in which it is not confirmed to be fully consensual. Deckard and Rachel conform to the expectations of gender: males are to be strong and commanding and women are to be submissive and fragile.

"Blade Runner foregrounds the construction of Rachel as masculine fantasy" ([v]) just as the female robots in Stepford Wives are created to remain appealing to men as well. Although both Stepford Wives and Blade Runner contain issues in gender, "Rachel survives because she acquiesces to her assigned role as feminine Other to Deckard’s masculine subjectivity" ([vi]) while Joanna’s original character from Stepford Wives is destroyed and she is forced to conform to Stepford Society even though it was out of her control.

In the film the Stepford Wives the issue of ethnicity is evident in the sense that the humans are attempting to develop a super gender, indifferent to the ethnic background of the individual woman being transformed. The role of male is to be dominant and the role of woman is to be developed and subservient to the wishes of the male. Although the film is predominantly based around Caucasian families the film shows its indifference to the issue of ethnicity by having an African American family be the next family to move into stepford.

This subtle image at the end of the film of the African American family being incorporated into the stepford society is significant because it shows that no matter what family moves into stepford they will fall in line with the rest of society. If these new neighbors do not conform, they it is evident that they will be social outcasts.

Throughout Blade Runner, "marginalised ‘oriental’ characters were consistently seen to be the makers/producers of technologies surrounding the manufacture of the Replicants, even though it is a Western male who plays the part of the ‘overlord/creator’ in charge of the whole operation" ([vii]). It is evident in contemporary American society that the White male is typically powerful and dominant over other ethnic groups regardless of how knowledgeable they may be. In the film there is an obvious "fear that American dominance was being undermined by a growing Asian economy and that American culture was being diluted or de-purified through increasing interaction and involvement with East Asian companies and markets" ([viii]).

The visual displayed above is an example of the Asian influence in Blade Runner. Although the film took place in the United States , there are various scenes of Asian marketplaces in which the employees spoke their native language The Asian influence is also apparent through the visual image of the Asian woman on the billboard that appears constantly throughout the film.

The films Blade Runner and Stepford Wives both tackle the issues of gender role and racial anxieties, but each interprets these differently. The film Blade Runner concentrates more on the emphasis of the personal interaction between male and female, while Stepford Wives delves into the societal implications of the feminine role. The issue of race is more prevalent in Blade Runner because of its reference as to the Asian culture beginning to make an impact in future American society. In Stepford Wives the lack of culture is identified as having an impact over another, rather it lumps all of humans in one category indifferent to race centrally focused on the concept of male domination.

Endnotes

[i] Christine Cornea, "Gender Blending and the Feminine Subject," Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. ( New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, 2007) p. 154
[ii] Christine Cornea, "Gender Blending and the Feminine Subject," Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. ( New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, 2007) p. 155
[iii]
Blade Runner. Dir. Ridley Scott, perf. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, 1982, DVD Warner Bros. Pictures, 1982.
iv.. Blade Runner. Dir. Ridley Scott, perf. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, 1982, DVD Warner Bros. Pictures, 1982.
[v] Christine Cornea, "Gender Blending and the Feminine Subject," Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. ( New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, 2007) p. 157
[vi] Christine Cornea, "Gender Blending and the Feminine Subject," Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. ( New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, 2007) p. 156
[vii] Christine Cornea, "Gender Blending and the Feminine Subject," Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. ( New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, 2007) p. 194
[viii] Christine Cornea, "Gender Blending and the Feminine Subject," Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. ( New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, 2007) p. 195

Blog #3

Clarissa RamosFilm 301

The films of 1960s to the 1980s’ era supported the ideals of leaving technology and returning to nature. The films were concentrated on how the advancement in technology has created chaos and social anxiety versus benefitting and helping society advance. This links to the ideals of conservative because conservative beliefs are based on confining to the known and not wanting to change to the unknown for fear of the outcome. This is the opposite for the radical ideologies, which challenge the results of technology. One film made during this era that portrays both the conservative and liberal ideologies is Planet of the Apes. The complete human and ape role reversal would be the issue for conservative ideology because it is not natural for humans to be submissive to apes and the radical issue would be the idea that apes actually controlled the world.

The paradoxical relationship between conservatism and modernity is that conservatism must comply and adapt with the evolution of society. Conservatism concerns itself with the foundations of society so those core issues will not be drastically changed or diverted from, for example the idea of family will always be present in society no matter what cultural or technological advancements occur.

Deckard’s true status remains undetermined because “Blade Runner” allows the audience to decide whether Deckard is either a human or replicant. There is much ambiguity as far as Deckards true status. References have “suggested” whether he was a replicant or a human, but there are various clues that are misleading and do not prove his status either way. Roy Baty’s character, as well as the other replicants in the film challenge the boundaries between human and replicant because replicants were “not just physically and intellectually superior to humans; in the dehumanised world that Blade Runner presents, replicants were ‘more human than human’” (Bukatman 77). Therefore, it was difficult to determine whether or not replicants were human because it was near impossible to distinguish between the two.

Clarissa Ramos: Visual Essay #1

Clarissa P. Ramos
Film 301
Visual Assignment #1
February 18, 2009

Stepford Wives: Created in Their Husband’s Likeness

The 1975 film, The Stepford Wives (Dir. Bryan Forbes, 1975, United States)directed by Bryan Forbes delves into the social conflict of a woman’s involvement in society. The movie is an adaptation of the book, The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin, in which a woman (Joanna) struggles with the concept of stereotypical housewives of Stepford, unaware that the fraternity of men in the Stepford community have used robots in order to duplicate their original wives and create each their own "perfect wife". This conflict in the movie directly correlates with the struggles of the Women’s Movement in the 1960s’. Through the use of history and science fiction the director is able to use Joanna as a model for women’s progression and eventual unwilling compromise to societies wishes.

During the 1960’s the Women’s Movement made another strong surge with the help of the publication of Betty Friedan’s literary work, The Feminine Mystique. The book was premised on the idea that women of the time were displeased with the expectations placed upon them in society. This is depicted in the movie with the character Joanna through her desire to become a photographer. This desire of a Joanna wanting to separate herself from the status quo woman of Stepford, in order to leave a legacy through her photography, rather than simply be the best housewife is exactly what the women of the 1960’s were striving to achieve. This repression by men is portrayed in the movie when Joanna’s husband argues with her about tending to their children and following the role of the other women in the community, rather than pursue her
photography. This explains the demands and representation of what society wanted versus what women at the time wanted.

In the visual image above, Joanna appears content with taking photographs. Although Joanna does not have a spotless house, she believes that happiness can be achieved through pursing her dream while continuing to care for her family. It is evident that Joanna wishes to engage in a liberating lifestyle, however she fears that she will be the next to have a robot as her replacement who will transform who she is to a programmed, obsessive compulsive housewife.

As Joanna speaks to her psychiatrist (as pictured above) about the transformation of women into robots she says, "When you come back, there will be a woman with my name and my face, she'll cook and clean like crazy, but she won't take pictures and she won’t be me"([1]). It is apparent that Joanna identifies with feminists and does not wish to become "compliant and servile robots, willing to undertake ‘housewifely duties’ for their husbands’" ([2]) The strong move toward progress in the standards for women portrayed by Joanna makes her a perfect character fit for the women’s movement of the 1960s’.

According to Christine Cornea’s Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality, "[t]he late 1970s had seen the advent of science fiction film novels […] that ostentatiously undermined the idea of science fiction as a masculine realm and that extended the limits of the genre" ([3]). The use of Joanna, a goal oriented woman to take on the lead role of a male dominated genre speaks to the message the director was portraying in support of the women’s movement. This motivation by Joanna distinguishes her from the rest of the women in Stepford and what causes her weariness of the rest of the women. Joanna’s suspicion becomes evident when her best friend, Bobbie loses interest in the feminist movement. Joanna’s uncertainties are proven true when Bobbie states, "that's what's important, my new cookbook. And my husband, and my family, and making a perfect home. It's a lesson every gal needs to learn, especially you" ([4])

The visual depicted above of Joanna stabbing Bobbie with a kitchen knife revealing that Bobbie is not human, since she displays no reaction but continuously repeats the same actions. This scene is significant because the drastic overhaul of the most feminist minded character of the story is changed solely because of the capabilities that science fiction. Through the directors use

of robots he is able to mold and display the figure that men and society at the time wanted from all women. The character of Joanna allows for the repression of the thought that all women must adhere to the stereotypical desires of society. It is here that the director’s choice of science fiction as the film’s genre was crucial in making the character of Joanna more effective.

The killing of Joanna by her robot replacement is a representation of the dream of women’s progress being destroyed. It was significant that the director chose to have Joanna’s replica to kill Joanna because this strengthened the idea that Joanna would have to conform to the ideals and wishes of society. This is a strong statement by the director because he is insinuating that if one person speaks out that it may not be strong enough to overcome the ideals of society without support of the community.

Stepford Wives delves into the issues of the women’s movement of the 1960s’ through its historical and science fiction suggestions. The use of Joanna as a motivated woman that attempts to ignite the revolt against the social norms of society, proves that if movement’s are not supported that the norms that

suppress certain groups will not change and we as a society will become stagnated.

Endnotes
[1] The Stepford Wives, dir. Bryan Forbes, perf. Katherine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, and Nanette Newman, 1975, DVD, Paramount, 2004

[2] Christine Cornea, "Gender Blending and the Feminine Subject," Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2007) p. 157

[3] Christine Cornea, "Gender Blending and the Feminine Subject," Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. ( New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, 2007) p. 152


[4] The Stepford Wives, dir. Bryan Forbes, perf. Katherine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, and Nanette Newman, 1975, DVD, Paramount, 2004

Works Cited

Cornea, Christine. Science Fiction Cinema Between Fantasy and Reality. New

Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, 2007.

The Stepford Wives, dir. Bryan Forbes, perf. Katherine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter

Masterson, and Nanette Newman, 1975, DVD , Paramount , 2004