Wednesday, September 9, 2009

9/10

2. The restrictions of the Rules of Modesty heavily focus on the sexualization of women and heterosexual relationships. Women's bodies are a huge issue because the censors believe women's bodies are objects of sexual desire. In order to combat this censors force women to wear clothes that hide the shape of women's bodies and also force women to veil their heads while being filmed. Unrelated men and women were not allowed to be shown in the same room and they are unable to exchange eye contact with a male that may be deemed sexual. Film form was also effected by modesty laws. Close-ups, point of view shots and eyeline matches were also found unsuitable by the censors as well because they may sexualize women and allow unrelated men and women to view one another.


3. Makhmalbaf's quote basically states that the Iranian film viewers understand cinematic language differently than film viewers of the West because the art of the techniques used by filmmakers in the west, such as sight lines, lighting, mise-en-scene, are unfamiliar to Iranian viewers because they are unfamiliar with western art. Iranian cinema has created its own uniquely Iranian filmic language that was created by things such as modesty restrictions and the fact Iran does not assimilate themselves with the east of west. The Iranian filmmakers created different techniques to provide the viewers with the meanings of their film.

4. Many feminist object that the rules of modesty take away elements of everyday realism. The rules of modesty require them to veil their heads while they are on camera, and although these rules do not apply in every day life women are required to veil their heads while they are indoors, sleeping, and in the presence of their husbands and family. Although female characters have been viewed in post-revolutionary Iranian films as pure, abiding housewives many feminist Iranian filmmakers are gradually changing this unrealistic image of Iranian females, and in doing so have also influenced their male colleagues to do the same.

5. The feminist debate differs domestically and internationally in that domestically their films try to depict an Islamic ideal of women to encourage illiterate Iranian women to do as those in the films. Internationally, however, the images of female Iranian women may seem ideal, but when looked into further may be interpreted as stereotypical.

6. The use of color in Mottahedeh's Gabba is used as a tool to break up narrative continuity assimilated with the west and to undermine the global views of cinematic realism. Color is used as a tool to question the standard conventions of "dominant" global cinemas.