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Psychoanalytic film theory, which informs most film theory, defines the gaze as premised upon an unequal relationship between men and women: the active viewing subject is inevitably male while the passive object is always female. Pornography is perceived as extending this misogyny because the pleasure offered by sexually explicit images is believed to be accessible only to men, the holders of the active and controlling gaze. Women are, accordingly objectified and degraded by male voyeurism. However, no essential basis exists for the ‘gendered' positioning of participants in the viewing mechanism so that alternative interpretations of viewing pleasure can be considered. If viewing is perceived as a dynamic negotiation of positions between participants, rather than based upon stable gender subjectivities and power relations, then the sexual gaze can be possessed by men and women and sexual identity need not rely upon an opposition of men/ women, active/ passive. The recent frenzied debate that accompanied the release in South Africa of Catherine Breillat's Romance (1999) highlights the emotional character of responses to sexuality and nudity in film. What is particularly interesting about the South African media hype and reaction to Romance is that it is practically impossible to find a theatre at which the film is being screened - categorised as an ‘art film' it is not available on the main film circuit.
Files to download:| Publisher | UNISA |
| External Link | http://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/3079 |
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