| Abstract [eng] |
The main aim of this master's thesis is to reveal how women are represented in the films of the famous 20th century Norwegian film maker Edith Carlmar. The research questions are: 1) How are representations of women visually constructed in the director's films in relation to narrative? 2)How are women's relationships with men and other characters portrayed? 3)Do the genre conventions of a particular film influence the representations of women and are stereotypical genre conventions challenged in the filmmaker's films? The subject of this thesis is three films by the filmmaker: Døden er et kjærtegn (1949), Ung flukt (1959) and Ung frue forvunnet (1953). The method of research combines narrative and cinematographic analyses. The analysis of the films draws mainly on feminist film theory and authors such as Laura Mulvey, Claire Johnston, Mary Ann Doane, Steve Neale and others, and also takes into account the specificities of each film's genre and the theories related to them. The results of the research suggest that Carlmar's representations of women in film reject the classical and genre-specific ways of representing women, where women become visual objects for the male gaze and scopophilic pleasure. She breaks with the conventions of genres that were shaped by the dominance of patriarchal ideology by creating women who take on more prominent roles in films than men. They can be empowered to be autonomous, independent, unmarried, gain occupations that are stereotypically masculinised, and the films reveal that the effects of a conservative society can be damaging to the psychological and emotional health of women who do not conform to the established ideals. Through these representations, the filmmaker reveals that no social and cultural structure can determine a woman's position in society. The films interrogate gender differences and the situation of women in society. |
