Gender Representation Specimen Answer

This essay will explore the gender representation in two films Vertigo and One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest and how two characters are similar and different and how they are represented and compare to the time the films are set. Representation in film is how people places and things are shown in media.

The gender representation in the movie Vertigo, Vertigo is a typical 1950s film and show society in the 1950s through the film and how Males were more dominant towards women. Scotty in Vertigo is a retired detective who was comfortable in retirement he took an early retirement due to his Vertigo but then loses comfort when he meet Madeline. Scotty represent a typical man in the 1950s by the way that he is dominant towards women, we see this when he loses Madeline and meets Judy who reminds him of Madeline this make him control and dominant her more. We see this when he makes her take a day off work and says that he will look after her this implies that he wants to spend more time with her because she reminds him of her this statement helps back this up. The represented of gender reflects the pre-feminist gender politics of the late 1950s, he is obsessed with her when he buys her clothes that are the one Madeline whore and it makes Judy look like madeline and even makes her dye her hair the same colour to make her look exactly like her. This statement helps back this up. The male character loses his strengths and power as he becomes more obsessed with the female.

The gender representation in the movie One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest is a 1970s film which shows society in a different light in the way that women are in more control of their own life but this is different to what is was actually like in the 1970s and the character Nurse Ratched shows this by the way she acts towards the characters in the ward and certainly towards McMurphy and the way she stand up to him and doesn't let him affect her and she is more dominant than him. This statement helps back this up. The film is ahead of its time in terms of the way it represented femininity. Nurse Ratchet is a really powerful character which is diiferent to how women are presented in films at this time because usual men are the more powerful but the Nurse represents women standing up to people and giving power. Nurse Ratches clothing is very specific when she enters the home she is wearing all black which has connotations of a dark character who shows no emotion to people and does her job in a respectful manner, the setting that is around her as she enters contrast to her clothing because of the bright lights and the red light on the wall which represents hope and something good where as Nurse Ratchet is a dark and mean character. Throughout the film McMurphy try’s to dominant her and show that he is more powerful because he is the male but Nurse Ratchet always gets her way and stands up to McMurphy which shows that she can be a powerful person we see this when they are doing the voting scene to be able to watch the World Series where McMurphy wants to change things and wants to watch the World Series but Nurse Ratchet doesn’t want to change things so they have a vote and the majority that vote will win and no one votes for the series and McMurphy gets really angry and try’s to step his ground and show his power because he is a man but Nurse Ratchet shuts him down and tells him that they are not putonghua the World Series on this helps to show that Nurse Ratchet is independent and strong as a women.


In comparison the character from Vertigo Scotty and the character from One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest Nurse Ratchet are similar and different in many ways they are similar in the way that they are both the more powerful and dominant character in there chosen film but they do it in different ways Nurse Ratchet is the more standing up for her selve and not letting McMurphy over power her and telling him that she the the more powerful person and that he she listen to her were as Scotty in Vertigo is the more powerful and dominant in the sense that he controls people and tells them what to do and he wants it his way and everything for him and he will do anything for that. They are also different in the way they both look Nurse Ratchet looks to be more of the dark and nasty person when we first see her in her black which has a look like she is a nasty person were as Scotty is the more heroic in the way that he is trying to stop a crime and catch someone and he looks to be a good character at the start and looks to be not as bad as he is just in a suit and looks to just be doing his job right and unfortunately get vertigo while doing so but Nurse Ratchet looks to be the villain from the start and throughout the two movies but they both end up being similar on the way they both are the powerful character in there films.