This is essay will try to analyze the movie All About My Mother utilizing different readings and theories about gender functions in society to make a position of Almadovar ‘s work. I shall research Almadovar ‘s work in footings of his trouble to demo female designation and how he uses societal interactions as a short cut to portraying adult females and work forces as one. The movie was released in 1999 at a clip when homosexualism was still politically oppressed particularly in relation to gay matrimony. Almadovar uses his movie to demo a more politically recognized position towards homosexualism between both work forces and adult females in a extremist manner than at the clip of release were accepted. As Stephen Maddison suggests Almadovar is believed and been labelled as a ‘Women ‘s manager ‘ in every bit much as he, every bit good as others ( typically Tennessee Williams ) , mean a criterion for the designation of adult females and/or homosexualism.
All About My Mother, predominately uses scenes from Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire and it can immediately be seen that this is a benchmark for Almadovar ‘s concerns in relation to the character ‘s and their backgrounds, particularly that of the movie ‘s female supporter, Manuela. We besides repeatedly see the same scene from Streetcar which is ne’er the less done on intent. The scene is that of the terminal of the drama where Stella ‘supposedly ‘ leaves her hubby, Stanley. The manager evidently wanted us to see this scene for what it was as he shows this scene in relation to adult females and their strength. The fact that this scene is shown repeatedly throughout the movie ( Manuela and her boy ticker it together and we see the scene and once more after he dies ) shows us how varied productions of the same drama have changed William ‘s stoping, most notably from the original where Stella is left sobbing on a measure while Stanley kneels beside her and puts his manus across her blouse therefore recovering his control over her. In Almadovar ‘s movie nevertheless, Stella leaves present right merely after naming Stanley a ‘bastard ‘ . In Almadovar ‘s instance, he is seeking to demo how heterosexualism seems impossible today as it appeared in William ‘s drama. It besides denotes that adult females have picks in life and are non controlled by work forces.
As Mulvey suggests in Performance analysis with the relation of adult females to work forces “ adult females are [ at the same time ] looked at and displayed, with their visual aspect coded for strong ocular and titillating impact so that they can be said to imply to-be-looked-at-ness. ” All about my female parent seems to take this premise and turn it on its caput and throughout the full movie at that place seems to be this temptingness towards making a public presentation that is different from the manner established public presentations are held. Mulvey goes on to explicate that Budd Boetticher says
“ What counts is what the heroine provokes, or instead what she represents. She is the 1, or instead the love or fright she inspires in the hero, or else the concern feels for her, who makes him move the manner he does. In herself the adult females has non the slightest importance. ”
Almadovar uses this as a ground to demo the antonym of such belief. It becomes rather clear that in All about my female parent the focal point is concentrated on the relationships that Manuela holds and creates with the other adult females in the movie. She is the heroine ; the chief aim of the movie is for Manuela to happen Estaban ‘s male parent which takes the focal point at the start but this is pushed aside rather rapidly and the movie becomes Manuela ‘s journey through the yesteryear. Finding Estaban ‘s male parent resurfaces subsequently on in the movie but does non set up the narrative. Of class theoreticians including Mulvey suggest that “ Man is the carrier of the expression of the witness ” whereas Almadovar shows us in Mother it is the adult females that controls the expression. The focal point of the movie if on Women.
Almadovar ‘s movie makes obvious note and mention to the movie All about Eve ( 1950 ) . The actress in the movie ‘Margo ‘ seems to confute the thought that she could be seen as ‘just a organic structure and a voice ‘ but at the same clip we are taken through the narrative by a adult male watching from a nearby stall. The adult male is still the carrier of the expression and with this in head we are in some ways forced to side with the male supporter in the piece.
In Mother, we can see that Manuela does non compare with Mulvey ‘s positions on the act of the female in film. While Mulvey suggests that adult females are looked at for titillating pleasance which in direct correlativity to the “ leitmotiv of titillating spectacle: from pin ups to strip-tease ” , Manuela becomes a female parent, non merely to her boy but to the other adult females in the movie and shows professional mothering accomplishments. We must non bury that in the movie she displays her accomplishment for cookery and nursing and she is besides an actress whom can improvize and lie convincingly. Predominantly the movie is about fussing. And this is seen throughout the movie and coincidently the movie lacks all fathering. The lone male parent in the movie is that of Sister Rosa ‘s male parent whom enduring from Alzheimer ‘s has become kid like, dependant on a adult females.
The consensus that is the work forces that are the heroes of the movie and besides the carrier of the expression does happen its manner back into the image by the terminal of the movie. It is Esteban the second who creates the miracle at the terminal of the movie, when his HIV passed on by sister Rosa, is neutralized. However we must gain that this comes from a kid dependent on the other the adult females in the movie and that his HIV miracle is from the Utopian of his gender dissenter female parents.
A cardinal character in this movie which we can construe in many different ways and usage to look at Almodovar ‘s work as a whole is that of Agrado. She is the lead transvestic character in the movie and still bears the male goon of a phallus. Almodovar uses Agrado to travel against the convention of traditional film. Like so many other lead cross-dressers in movie Agrado does non seek disguise or the suppression of herself. She does non feign to be anything else but what she is and this is how she additions her avowal. The subject of Transgender is one which falls under rough argument and with relation to drag has its topographic point in movies. Subjects about the organic structure and gender in relation to transgender and drag will assist us to reconsider such constructs which, in this movie, are overlaid throughout the whole movie. Transgender is. as expected, one factor that has led to a Reconstruction of positions and theories in relation to gender. As Butler says in Gender Trouble: Feminism and the corruption of identify ( 1990 ) ‘imitating gender, a retarding force queen reveals the imitative construction of gender – every bit good as its eventuality ‘ . It is difficult to pick up on or read Almodovar ‘s transgender characters particularly in relation to Agrado. Butler goes on to mention that of Esther Newton where Newton describes the retarding force as a ‘double inversion ‘ where by the ‘appearance is an semblance ‘ . The external visual aspect is feminine to the oculus but the inside is really much masculine but the same can be said frailty versa. With this is mind we can non take Agrado as either a adult male or a adult females ; in fact her place between the two provides the dramatic flight from the male regard that is intended. Agrado, nevertheless, still portrays the features of a adult male particularly with her address when the drama is cancelled. She is unashamed with her organic structure and explains that her genuineness comes from the production of herself that she has created. Even though Agrado is non your conventional retarding force nightclub esque, she is a type of ‘gender lampoon ‘ as Butler explains. Agrado becomes this lampoon of the original ; that of the normal gender designation. Butler explains that ‘it is a production which, in consequence – that is, in its consequence – positions as an imitation. ‘ Agrado is simply an imitation of a adult females and an imitation of a adult male. We somewhat experience sided with Agrado though with her openness and he disregard for peoples blessing. Although this is slightly because of the amusing portraiture given by the histrion. However, even though Agrado is slightly a lampoon and an imitation, Butler argues still that possibly all gender is merely an act. ‘in other ritual societal play, the action of gender requires a public presentation that is repeated. ‘ which leads her on to ‘This repeat is at one time a re-enactment and reliving of a set of significances already socially established. ‘ With this in head we can take Agrado ‘s representation in the movie as one for both work forces and adult females. The male still receives some of the male regard as it were but it is mimicked by the act of the retarding force.
