Visual Arts and Film Studies – Cheap Research Essays

Visual Arts and Film Studies
Discuss the critical concept of ‘queer’ in relation to two or three films that you have studied.
Project description
One of the film MUST be Derek Jarman’s film “Sebastiane” (1976), and the other one (or two) films for studying MUST be ‘British Film’. It is because I am studying “British Cinema”
Also, these sources must be included:
Dillon, Steven Derek Jarman and Lyric Film: The Mirror and the Sea (University of Texas press, 2004)
Lippard, Chris (ed.) By Angels Driven: The Films of Derek Jarman (Flicks Books, 1996)
Griffiths, Robin (ed.) British Queer Cinema, (Routledge, 2006)
Oâ€™Pray, Michael Derek Jarman: Dreams of England (BFI, 1996)
Richardson, Niall The Queer Cinema of Derek Jarman (I B Tauris, 2009)
Wymer, Rowland Derek Jarman (MUP, 2005)

My original Work:
Introduction
Queer theory, the post-structuralist critical framework that emerged from the 90’s queer studies and women’s studies, provides a profound insight into the natural as well as unnatural acts; queerness nuances a fundamental mismatch between sex, gender and desire, which explains why it has been linked to bisexual, lesbian and gay subjects. Queer theory critically investigates the fundamental idea that any particular sexuality can be “natural” and “immutable” while expanding its lens to include all manner of sexual activities or identities that may either be put in the normative or deviant categories. Queer media, which encompasses websites, films, magazines, among other cultural products, became a common phenomenon from the ‘70s through the ‘80s and ‘90s, with the increasing pervasion with the concept of queer aesthetics. Queer media has often sought to challenge the traditional knowledge of what is known as universal truths and it relies on the uniqueness of visual vocabularies, the usually perceived vile, exaggerated or showy images that are recognizable as queer. Queer media often has a profound impact given its ability to engage with and address events as well as ideas that are of concern to the queer community; traditionally, the film industry, typically the Americanized Hollywood, has been at the core of criticism for marginalizing and silencing queer people through their negative portrayals of homosexuality (Briley, R. 2006 p.62). This paper will explore the concept of queer in relation to three archetypical queer films including Derek Jarman’s Sebastiane (1976), Donna Deitch’s Desert Hearts (1985) and Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don’t Cry (1999).
A historical perspective of queer cinema
Through the ‘1890s and ‘1980s, the gay and lesbian characters in films were heavily defined by their sexual orientation and did not have any complex character development. From 1890s to around 1930s in particular, homosexuality was often depicted as an object of ridicule and laughter in films while from 1930s to 1950s, Hollywood was heavily criticized for promoting immorality by religious and women’s groups. In response to the heightened criticism, Hollywood introduced a self-censorship code that greatly inhibited the overt portrayal of homosexuality, which led to the codification of homosexuality into characters’ mannerisms and behaviours. However, the birth of women’s and gay rights movements in the 1960s through the 1970s led to the loosening of the self-censorship code as more gays and lesbians were gaining visibility in public spheres. The representation of gay characters became overtly homophobic in the 1960s and 1970s with increasing portrayals of the group as being dangerous, violent, predatory, or suicidal in nature; however, the 1990s saw a paradigm shift in the depiction of gay and lesbian characters in films (Stevens 2006, p.174).
Nonetheless, the film industry has remained cautious in its depiction of queerness such as gay themes, characters and experiences, particularly given that many film firms seek to appeal to large audiences and by focusing on queer topics they risk offending a significant portion of their audience or losing potential investors. Queerness concept cannot be divorced from the study of film since queer cinematic images react to the potential of film as a lens for subversive reimagining, which creates a simulative, avant-garde platform for reconceptualization of infinite sexual meanings, pleasures as well as interpretations. Queer cinematic experiences help in the reconstruction of individual perceptions or views of whom and how they desire as well as whom and how they identify themselves; Queerness in the British cinematic narrative remained largely invisible till the release of Victim in 1961 (Griffiths, Robin 2006, p.9)
Derek Jarman’s Sebastiane (1976)
Jarman’s Sebastiane (1976) has been famed as one of the earliest most overtly homophobic films ever made in the history of the film industry; this film has been hailed as a highly creative work not only in the era of its release but also in the subsequent gay and queer cinema histories. In this feature film, Jarman undermines the classic style of film narration that characterized the commercial releases at the time of the film’s release (Lippard 1996, p.12). The film offered a consistent homoerotic appreciation of the male physique as well as an alternative view of masculinity that had never been seen before in the history of the British films (Loannides 2011, p.37). Jarmain establishes a cinematic enunciation of the queer desire by rewriting and appropriating the conventional Saint Sebastiane through a gay and overtly queer lens. Jarman has been recognized as one of the most influential independent filmmakers in England in the 1980s (Wymer, Rowland 2006 p.5); he stands out as a significant figure due to his exploitation of emblems and symbols in associative contexts, unlike his contemporaries, who used them in the conventional cause-effect narratives.
Generally, Sebastiane depicts excessive sexual undertones, particularly sexual sacrality, respectful self-abolition and queer desire; the films’ overtly queer cinematic experience is only comparable to an act of worship. Set in the era of the Roman Empire during the Christian persecutions, Sebastiane explores the story of Saint Sebastiane, who is banished to a remote outpost when he upsets Emperor Diocletian; here, the leader of the outposts, who sadistically delights in punishing his soldier, desires Sebastiane. Even though Sebastiane is believed to be an early Christian following his iconic martyrdom by arrows, Sebastian worships the Roman sun god phoebus Apollo whose desire for his male companions is redirected to the worship of his deity and pacifism.
The commanding officer of the outpost where Sebastiane is exiled becomes greatly obsessed with the Sebastiane after seeing him take an early morning shower (Dillon 2004, p.68), and even attempts to assault him and in the end he oversees Sebastiane’s execution for failing to take up arms to defend the Roman Empire. One of Sebastiane’s comrades in arms known as Sebastiane is also seriously in love with Sebastiane and even though his love is unreciprocated, Justine remains friends with the celibate pacifist. Two of Sebastiane’s fellow soldiers, Adrian and Anthony, are gay and seriously in love with each other, like most of the soldiers at the outpost who have turned into having intimacy amongst themselves as a mechanism of coping with and relieving tension.
Sebastiane remains marked as the outsider throughout the film, strange and overtly queer, partly due to his religion too, and he seeks isolation to the company of the others. Sebastiane prefers to be alone because he finds his intense inner life to be more essential than the company of others. Sebastiane remains aloof and does not seek to make any social connections even when the other soldiers genuinely offer him friendship and love rather than the rough camaraderie characteristic of regiments. Jarmain depicts Sebastiane as a queer character by disassembling of the body as a prescription of sexuality and gender; furthermore, Sebastiane’s constant praise of his god’s body reveals his narcissistic pleasure (Loannides 2011, p.43). Precisely, Sebastiane constantly speaks in praise of his beautiful god’s body, which in real sense is either the