Throughout the entirety of the movie, The Thing, there are no female characters at all. What is the significance of this? Why would there be such a lack of the female gender in this movie? While there is probably not one specific correct answer to this question, Cixous may assist in helping us figure out what could be the reasoning for this.Cixous says "Woman be unafraid of any other place, of any same, or any other." That statement right there may answer the questions we have asked. If a woman was in Antarctica with these men, she would not be blatantly afraid of this alien "thing" they have discovered, instead she would have tried to figure out what it was, and what it wanted from them. She also would not have been afraid of the people she has been around the entire time, or the same people, instead of fearing them she would calmly and rationally figure out how to figure out who was who they say they are. And finally, any other, she is not afraid of anything, but would rather figure things out and understand them rather than just immediately fear them.
Overall, Cixous would probably say that if a woman figure was present in this movie the entire plot would have had to been altered, because the way in which women view things are different from men, and the layout of the story would not have made sense, had a woman been present.
Beyond just the interpretation through Cixous, if there had been a female in the movie, do you think the woman would be portrayed as a strong, problem solver, or would she be protected by the over-abundance of male characters?
ReplyDeleteEven in the eighties would women given a power position in the plot in a film?
How would you think Mulvey would interpret the all male cast?