Presenting Gender in Surrealist Film
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Border Crossings: (Re)presenting Gender in Surrealist Film Martin Darren Thomas Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Queen Mary, University of London 2014 1 Statement of Originality I, Martin Darren Thomas, confirm that the research included within this thesis is my own work or that where it has been carried out in collaboration with, or supported by others, that this is duly acknowledged below and my contribution indicated. Previously published material is also acknowledged below. I attest that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge break any UK law, infringe any third party’s copyright or other Intellectual Property Right, or contain any confidential material. I accept that the College has the right to use plagiarism detection software to check the electronic version of the thesis. I confirm that this thesis has not been previously submitted for the award of a degree by this or any other university. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author. Signature: M D Thomas Date: 27.01.14 Details of collaboration and publications: Not Applicable 2 Acknowledgements I owe a debt of thanks to Professor Elza Adamowicz and Doctor Krzysztof Fijalkowski for their patient and insightful supervision and unceasing support throughout this thesis. My sincere thanks go to South Essex College, who part funded my research, with a special debt of thanks to Kathy Mulvey, who helped make this dream a reality, as well as my colleagues who have helped and encouraged me along the way. I am grateful to all those who contributed their time, energy and enthusiasm to the making of The Dream Key cycle and in particular Paul Cousins. Heartfelt thanks to my partner, Megan, my family and friends, who have provided constant encouragement and love over the past seven years and never lost faith in me. 3 Abstract This thesis is in two parts: a theoretical section (60%), which provides an analysis of gender identity in Surrealist film through consideration of a range of Surrealist films; and a practical section (40%), consisting of a body of original creative work (collage, film and assemblage), which builds on and is in dialogue with the theoretical insights of the research. Transformation is seen as central to a mapping and remapping of the spaces, (supposed) limits and frontiers of Surrealist notions of gender identity. In particular this thesis examines how Surrealist film makers engage with representations of men and women: problematising any single or unitary (fixed) reading but rather blurring boundaries between masculine / feminine (as process / flux) in order to deconstruct them, with the ultimate aim of criticising a society that encourages the positioning of men and women according to (binarised) patriarchal discourses. I examine the implications of these 'gender crossings' for the spectator by developing the concept of 'bisexual switching' – which posits a mobile spectator who actively negotiates the various (gender) positions / identities in a kind of dialogue with the text and film maker. Practice, is understood here as a dynamic, integral part of the production of meaning, providing new ways of reflecting upon texts and the processes (such as spectatorship) by which we engage with them. It is argued that this approach is in keeping with the notion of Surrealism as a form of research conducted by artist-researchers, wherein the artworks created are not to be viewed in aesthetic terms but rather as research tools or documents of the research. Following the discussion of the case study films I engage with my own practice in relation to the former, as a series of interlocking dialogues, confirming and challenging the findings of the written thesis (and practice), offering new perspectives on gender identity in Surrealist film. 4 Table of Contents Title Page...............................................................................................................................1 Statement of Originality ...................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. 3 Abstract ................................................................................................................................. 4 Introduction: Real dreams beyond the border: towards a Surrealist film practice .......... 9 1. Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 9 2 Key Concepts: Transformation, Bisexuality, Fantasy ...................................................... 11 a) Transformation and Surrealist Film.............................................................................12 b) Bisexuality ................................................................................................................... 14 c) Fantasy, Film and Surrealism ...................................................................................... 19 3. Critical Review ................................................................................................................ 21 a) Writings on Surrealist Film.......................................................................................... 21 b) Gender in Surrealism ................................................................................................... 26 4. Film Corpus ..................................................................................................................... 33 5. Methodology .................................................................................................................... 35 a) General ......................................................................................................................... 35 b) Gender Theory / Feminist writings .............................................................................. 37 c) Spectatorship ................................................................................................................ 41 6 Summary of Chapters ....................................................................................................... 44 Chapter 1: Transforming gender and gender transformations in Un Chien andalou .... 46 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 46 1. 'The Dance of genders': Introduction ............................................................................... 48 2. Gender shifting................................................................................................................. 50 3. Humour ............................................................................................................................ 60 4. Realist narrative ............................................................................................................... 61 5. The parody of traditional gender roles ............................................................................. 64 6. Music................................................................................................................................ 68 7. Re-reading the 'dance of genders' sequence ..................................................................... 71 8. Female Agency ................................................................................................................ 72 9. Masculinity in crisis ......................................................................................................... 74 10. Ending / End-game ........................................................................................................ 76 5 Chapter 2 'Rrose c'est la vie' or a Rose by another name: desire and becoming (in) Joseph Cornell's Rose Hobart............................................................................................... 81 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 81 1. Source material: East of Borneo ...................................................................................... 84 2. Cornell, collage and Rose Hobart .................................................................................... 88 3. Concealment .................................................................................................................... 91 4. Doubling .......................................................................................................................... 94 5. Stargazing ........................................................................................................................ 97 6. Soundtrack ..................................................................................................................... 103 7. Convulsive identity ........................................................................................................ 106 8. Eclipse ............................................................................................................................ 109 Chapter 3: 'Beauty killed the beast': uncanny transformations of the monstrous and the marvellous in Les Yeux sans visage ...................................................................................