Some Like It Hot (28/09/20 - 20/10/20) - running blog and essay

Some Like It Hot (Wilder, 1959) 

The film reflects upon the time of the 1920s in several ways. Firstly, the use of mise-en-scene to depict certain activities which are regularly associated with the 1920s, such as bootlegging alcohol and gangs, immediately sets the time and tone of the film which is important because society had progressed a lot over thirty-to-forty years.

This is further exemplified through the use of costume with typical clothing for men with suits and spats and also typical clothing for the more liberated woman - "flappers" - who would wear revealing dresses.

Lighting is quite bright - even with darker themes like gangsters and prohibition - to create a light-hearted and comedic atmosphere so the more "controversial" themes of identity and sexuality would be taken comically rather than seriously - as such not violating the Hays Code.

Female identity:
Female identity is presented in an atypical manner for the time, having men act like women. Focusing on the actual women, there is a sense of foolishness and innocence, where the men are serious and hard-working whilst the women act like children. There is a lack of independence as the women stuck together. 
General need for the financial support for a man.
Society forces women to conform whilst Sugar goes against this by drinking away her sorrows.
Easy for men to disguise themselves as women - shallow stereotypes

Representation of masculinity:
Masculinity is less clear-cut than femininity - some men fulfill the selfish, slightly womanising, and almost macho-ness idea of masculinity whereas, some like it hot - eager to dress as a woman, more sensitive, also, the ideas of gangsters and police who are men in authority.

The "Yacht Sequence":
Cinematography - whip pans left/right (with cross-cutting) between Gerald and Joe which mimics the speed at which gender roles are changed. With the dancing scenes, the man and "woman" are switching roles back and forth showing how these gender roles don't need to be fixed.
Marilyn Monroe always commands the scene, if she's in the shot then she is the centre of attention - due to her appearance and dress - this is part of the "male gaze" - Marilyn is trying to help Joe instead of Joe trying to help Marilyn - another gender role reversal.

-------08/10/20-------
AIMS:
- Detailed exploration of the closing sequence, analysing key elements of film form, context and representation
- Leading to a detailed and analytical written response and building this into homework on the 'yacht sequence'

The "Nobody's Perfect Sequence"

Challenging head-on the established notions of conventional gender representations BUT it is within a comedic space, keeping it both accessible and in compliance with the Hay's Code

Gerald as Daphne - a disguise which enables Gerald to literally step into a woman's and experiencing a woman's world

Reflective of historical context - set in 1929 but released in 1959 where, although the same issues of representation are present, society is ready to address it as normative lifestyles shift away from traditional conventions

The setting of the yacht implies that the only place they can be themselves is at sea and not at land - societal change can only happen if you break out of the traditional setting

Seeing women's issues through men

Daphne's "not right" - a man - and is dressed in black/other women in pure white - race issues, negative connotations with 'black'

With close reference to the 'yacht sequence' and 'nobody's perfect sequence' - Analyse how far key elements of film form are used to reflect representational issues and the film's wider social and cultural contexts.

In Some Like It Hot, both the 'yacht sequence' and 'nobody's perfect sequence' use the key elements of film form to reflect representational issues and the film's wider social and cultural contexts. Wilder uses comedic elements to portray contentious issues for the time, including gender politics and sexuality. 

Starting with the 'yacht sequence', the cinematographic choice to have long shots at the same level as the characters puts the spectator's focus on the actors' performances. This is important because the dialogue and interactions between the characters deal with ideas of representation and conforming to a role in society through the way that each character is performing as someone else; Sugar trying to act composed to impress Joe who is acting like a millionaire to impress Sugar. The layers of deceit and fallacy within each character's persona illustrates how being forced to conform to a stereotype stops people from being themselves and having honest relationships. It is only under these facades that these characters have a deep and meaningful connection. Contrastingly, in the 'nobody's perfect sequence', where each character is allowed to be themselves and free themselves from the restraints of their performances, an even deeper and even more meaningful connection if formed. Wilder uses these scenes in contrast and conjunction with one another to depict the futility of these societal conventions, such as clear gender roles for men and women or the repression of homosexual feelings, as these people are only truly happy when they can be themselves. 

Representational issues are also portrayed through the use of mise-en-scene in both setting and costume. The recurring setting of a boat, in both sequences, is important in highlighting how these relationships - both a homosexual one and a relationship that goes against societal conventions - would not be allowed on dry land, that is in a conservative America in both the 1920s and 1950s, so the boats represent a place of freedom outside of an alienating society. Costume is also important when it comes to gender expression in the film. Seeing as the premise of Some Like It Hot is about men dressing as women to get into an all-female jazz band, issues around gender representation become key to the plot as these men discover all the problems of being a young woman around men who are very willing to take advantage of that. In the 'nobody's perfect sequence' when both men take off their female clothes and show their true selves, Wilder is representing a sort of coming-of-age for these characters who reach an understanding that the constraints of gender are outdated and restrictive when most of the distinctions between male and female attributes are constructed by society - a society which opposed both freedom of expression and progressiveness.

To conclude, Wilder focus on performance and mise-en-scene to display to the spectator, quickly and simply, his views on the issues of gender and sexual representation in both 1920s and 1950s America. By playing with the boundaries of male and female, Wilder explores a world of gender fluidity and freedom of expression which is completely repressed by a society focused on outdated roles and ideologies.