| “The Kids Are All Right But the Lesbians Aren’t: The Illusion of Progress in Popular Film” | This 2012 article written by Vicki Eaklor discusses the disappointment felt by filmgoers when presented with lesbian and bisexual films. It takes a close look at the film The Kids Are All Right against the backdrop of lesbian images and themes in mainstream films, particularly in the last twenty years, and argues that “continuities, while sometimes more subtle, override the illusion of progress in portraying lesbians.” |
| “Making Her (In)Visible: Cultural Representations of Lesbianism and the Lesbian Body in the 1990s” | This is an article written by Ann Ciasullo about the politics of visibility, and how even with the rise of lesbian visibility in media, there is the countering evidence of invisibility when it comes to a certain type of lesbian, such as a butch lesbian. The author argues that within mainstream media, lesbians have been “heterosexualized” in a way that makes them more palatable and more “tasteful” to consumers. Halfway through, the author address Gina Gershon’s butch (yet still managing to be femme in body and look) character in Bound. She also goes into the history of butch lesbians being linked to working class jobs (such as Corky in the film). Her arguments stem from deep links to feminism and she makes a solid case for the myopia found in both feminism and representation. |
| Representing the Woman: Cinema and Psychoanalysis | This book by Elizabeth Cowie addresses the psychological aspects of women in film, with a look at feminist arguments, identification in film, fetishes and tropes, and female sexuality. In addition to women’s roles in noir films, there are other tropes in films that are often assigned gender roles and attributes. The image of women in films has evolved over the years, and is influenced by who is presenting the images and who is ingesting the images. While the author mentions a few lesbian films, she fails to mention Bound, which is a shame as I think it would have been informative to look at the film while arguing for updated feminist theorization in the matter. The author also argues for more research into the “coupled lesbian subject position” and the “lesbian look.” |
| “Seeing Lesbians in Film and History” | This is an article by Vicki Eakler about the importance of seeing lesbians in film, and how the portrayal of lesbians in film can affect viewers in different ways. The author dives a little into the historical content of dominant gazes, gay rights activism, and the way critics are divided based on their own biases and gazes. While the article focuses primarily on Fried Green Tomatoes and its ambiguous portrayal of the lesbian leads, it also dives into the controversy surrounding the homophobia and misogyny in Basic Instinct and the subsequent protests. The author concludes by arguing that the queer audience is there, waiting and hoping to see positive representation of queer women and figures in film. |
| “Theorizing Mainstream Female Spectatorship: The Case of the Popular Lesbian Film” | In this article, Karen Hollinger proposes that there is room for much feminist study in the area of lesbian film and female spectatorship. The author details the theories of Jackie Stacey and Teresa de Lauretis and their views on female spectatorship and homoerotic desire, showing how the two differ and with which philosophies and facts they base their theories. The author also discusses the reasoning behind the lack of mainstream lesbian films, notably because of production companies focusing on what they believe to be the prevalent gaze in audiences. The author discusses the differences between lesbian films and ambiguously lesbian films (such as Fried Green Tomatoes) and argues that mainstream cinema needs to open up to films that embrace a “lesbian look” and “lesbian subject position.” |
| Postfeminism and the Fatale Figure in Neo-Noir Cinema | This is a collection of essays linking film noir and the third wave of feminism. The author, Samantha Lindop, goes into the history of femme fatale figures in cinema, and spends a chapter on femme fatales in the 80s and 90s. She argues that postmillennial noir differs from classic noir in the fact that classic noirs rarely told the story from the femme fatale’s point of view. This book also has a chapter on queer identities in noir, and the author notes that homosexual characters are often still associated with deviance, overindulgence, and narcissism. |
| Women in Film Noir | In the chapter “The Postmodern Always Rings Twice: Constructing the Femme Fatale in 90s Cinema”, Kate Stables discusses the reconstruction of the femme fatale figure in 90’s noir films. The author goes into the history of the femme fatale in classic noir films, then discusses the ways in which contemporary (to the 90s) films have adapted to create a new femme fatale figure, one who is a “creature of excess and spectacle”, combining “fear and nostalgia” to modify the archetype. The author focuses primarily on Basic Instinct, as well as Body Heat and The Last Seduction, to discuss the modern archetype’s obsession with sex and money and power. |
| Out Takes: Essays on Queer Theory and Film | In this 1999 collection of essays, Hanson asks, “What are the blindspots—historical, political, psychological, aesthetic—in such theories of desire?” In an analysis of queer representation in film, Hanson addresses the murky lines between representation, appropriation, misrepresentation, and critical outrage at what passes for queer in mainstream cinema. Hanson has identified three models of queer film criticism, including “a moralistic politics of representation that seeks to liberate us from damaging stereotypes.” This is referring to critics who not only want queer representation in film and media, but they want positive representation. In the case of minority representation under the queer umbrella, we are looking for more representation specific to bisexuals and bisexuality. “We are still in the throes of a lesbian and gay campaign for so-called positive images, representations of sexual minorities as normal, happy, intelligent, kind, sexually well-adjusted, professionally adept, politically correct ladies and gentleman.” |
