Introduction...

1913, the birth of Bollywood cinema, binding ‘together an astonishing admixture of cultures’[1] also portrayed a patriarchal ideology. Hindi cinema has always emphasised a male dominated society with males having dominant roles, this can also be seen throughout Hollywood movies with the birth of Hollywood in 1920’s. Females throughout Bollywood cinema always had roles as the wife or as an old mother. However, cinema has rapidly changed over the years with Bollywood cinema portraying women as “sex objects” an aspect existing in Hollywood from its birth.

[1] Merchant, Ismail (2004): "Indian Cinema THE BOLLYWOOD SAGA", Great Britain, Aurum Press LTD.

Essay Plan!...

Introduction!
(not writting it up as i don't want anyone to see haha)

- introducing the main topic of how i will be comparing Bollywood and Hollywood. Talk about Hollywood and bollywood similarities.

1st paragraph:
- talk about history of bollywood and how it has adapted

- talk about history of hollywood

- main conventions...(male vs female) etc

2nd paragraph:
- The ways in which females are represented in bollywood films now to when they were back in the days

- include little of "mother india" not quite in detail

- link laura mulvey theory.

3rd paragraph:
-comparing females to Bollywood females and how in "dhoom 2"- ash is presented as "sex objects"

-compare to the image of tomb raider in Hollywood

- talk in detail about "mother india" and how role of women has changed

-bollywood actresses- always perfect : theorist talks about women infected by the image of beauty.

4th paragraph:
- representation of men= patriarchal

- always have dominant role - "dhoom2"- Hrithik is the protagonist - link to Hollywood films and examine the roles of males

5th paragraph:
Asians- stereotypes=women more open- bollywood westernising

"kiss scene"=link to audience : due to changes in narrative no longer family films the audience is changing

6th paragraph:
- appearance- clothes...speach..dance sequences...song lyrics..all going westernised!!!...

Historical Text:

The historical text that i will be analysing is "MOTHER INDIA" the reason for this is to show the norms and values of indian culture back in the days and how females were represented aong with men however closely analysing females. and compare it to how the rols of women has changed within films and they take more of a "sex object" and "item girl" roles.

LAURA MULVEY!

1. "Feminist film theory" studies the way films make meaning for their audiences from feminist politics perspective

-representations may reinforce dominant patriarchal ideology

2. The theory- Freud & Scopohilia:

- pleasure of watching!

"oral stage" child fixated on activities to do with the mouth

"anal stage" is all about toilet training and being clean

3. Jaques cacan and the mirror stage-

- early childhood- between age of 6-8 months- child looks in the mirror and recognises itself
-> in the way that audience gains sense of narcaissist pleasure from identfying with film protagonoists

4. "Laura mulvey and the gaze"
- women in film are represented as "objects"
- classical hollywoods= audience as male, and through identification with the male protagonist ( cacan) gave him an active role. In viewing the female subject and gaining pleasure from doing so (freud)- known as the "look" or "gaze".

Mulvey- look could be "voyeuristic"
women viewed as "fetishistic"
>spectators gaze: audience looking at the subject on screen
> male gaze: male viewing female
>female gaze: accept women can gain vouyeristic pleasure


HOW THIS LINKS TO MY STUDY:
This is linked to my study as i will also be closely analysing how female and male roles have changed within society and linking it back to Hollywood and how they tend to accept same vales and norms...