The 1959 movie Pull
My Daisy offers a classic but unique look at gender and the roles
associated with it. The concept of gender within this essay refers to the
behavioral norms which are almost immediately associated with a specific sex. Throughout
the 28 minute long movie the man is placed in the position of power. With such imagery as the wife cleaning the
home for the husband, the male as the head of the household, and the authority
figure in the form of the Bishop, the women within the film are relegated to
typical gender roles while the men show the dichotomy in male gender norms.
The
scene starting at 00:07:45 and ending at 00:09:45 shows the distinct outlook on
gender that the film uses. The scene starts with Milo’s wife announcing the
arrival of the Bishop to an unprepared Milo. As is expected, Milo’s wife goes
downstairs to meet the Bishop, the Bishop’s mother and his sister. Milo’s wife
is very welcoming and open demonstrating just the attitude that would be
traditional for the situation.
Also
as the wife introduces herself, the camera focuses on the upper part of her
face. This close up of the wife’s eyes engages the audience by placing the
viewer in the role of the guest who is being welcomed into the home. The
repositioning of the audience gives the viewer a much more interactive role
within the movie. Although she is operating within traditional gender norms, the
wife’s ability to be so welcoming shows how she still maintains power in her
structured role.
Pull My Daisy handles the role of women
in the film in more conservative ways but not when it comes to the men. Milo’s
friends who are at the flat for the Bishop’s visit help to represent a very
non-traditional look at male gender norms. The characters of Allen, Gregory,
and Peter are told by Milo to be on their best behavior and they sit patiently
while they wait for the Bishop to come upstairs. Instead of being in control,
the men leave the control up to Milo and occupy the role of the child. The lack
of control the men have highlights how they do not play into the gender norm of
male as authority figure and controller.
When
the Bishop enters the apartment, Milo is moving his hands wildly about and then
goes to put on his jacket. Milo’s friends stand up to meet the guest and then
the four men together are introduced as specific types of poets. If the Bishop
is thought to be in the role of the authority figure, then Milo’s act of
putting on his coat could be seen as him trying to relate to the Bishop’s
authority. The coat is used in the film to represent the two sides to Milo. As
his friends are dressed in casual clothing, Milo’s jacket represents his work
and his ability to contribute to society in a traditional sense. When he takes
his jacket off, Milo is then placed in the same role as his friends who act on
any whim they have no matter the consequences. So when the Bishop who
represents conservative society arrives, Milo puts his coat of society back on.
I like your idea about the coat. It is very true that whenever Milo is acting like an adult, he has his coat on. When he instructs the poets to behave when he first enters, he has his coat on. But when he is flinging water at his friends and dancing for them, he has his coat off. So great spot there. Also with the wife, she is unnamed. This is an important aspect to gender roles since back then a wife was more of a duty than a personality.
ReplyDeleteI like how you pointed out that the men in the film actually go against traditional gender norms. They seem to act kind of childish, while the wife is very traditional throughout the film, from making breakfast to welcoming the bishop into their home. I think this film is a critique on gender roles. Only defining the women in the film by their title is pretty extreme.
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