The Iron will Lady - Sarah Lazow

Summary: We get a look at the history of the male gaze in film and its prevalence and impact in society. Taking a look at history, we come to contemporary players. Producer Sarah Lazow shares her journey and reasons.

The world of entertainment has been trying for years to combat the prevalent patriarchal avenues throughout society. From the emergence of the screwball to the very image of Marlene Dietrich, the fight for diverse female perspectives is not new to the film industry. If we go back to actresses like Theda Bara, it has been a struggle that has existed as long as the medium of film has.

Dominant cinema employs subconscious systems in which the image of a woman serves as a signifier of the sexual 'other', confirming man's status as subject and the maker of the narrative the female inhabits.

These techniques are incorporated into the structure of the gaze and narrative itself through the point of view, framing, editing, and other procedures that manipulate time and space.

The term "male gaze", coined by feminist thinker Laura Mulvey, has gained certain infamy. It isn't merely about the director pointing a camera at a female body, as most speculate. Instead, the male gaze is embedded in every process involved in making movies.

A script written by a man limits the story to either a male protagonist's overarching perspective or a shallow attempt at emulating a female perspective that is at best reduction and at worst outright malicious.

Male actors continue receiving more money than their female co-stars, putting them in an automatic position of power in a capitalist society that equates a person's wage to their worth.

But most importantly, male producers will almost always facilitate certain stories over others based on personal discretion. This permeates the industry above all and is a flawed system where the decisions of a few determine culture amass.

In a recent sit-down interview, we asked the highly-respected producer, Sarah Lazow, what she had to say about the prevalence and impact of the male gaze on films. This is an excerpt from that interview: "Growing up, Sarah Lazow always had a feeling that the movies I watched were not about me, but rather about me through the eyes of a man. I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's thinking that Holly was a fickle character, rather than realizing that she was misunderstood by the men in her life who tried to fit her into boxes she never belonged in. That is why I got into film. I want to see the Holly's of the world acquire justice."

About Marada Pictures

Sarah Lazow is a Producer best known for her movie, The Weekend. The movie opened at Toronto Film Festival with rave reviews and has helped cement Lazow as a force to be reckoned with. To know more, check out her website: http://maradapictures.com/

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