Asian - British Cinema

Lumping together filmmakers of any kind within a single cultural grouping is fraught with difficulty, so the term 'British-Asian' may, for example, fail to recognise individual artistic voices (such as those British-Asian filmmakers who are not making Asian-themed films). Nevertheless, it is possible to identify a notion of British Asian film, and these films do often have Asian themes and may be seen to share a number of features, including relatively low budgets.

It is clear that, over the last twenty years, attitudes in Britain towards Asian cultures have shifted, as has the taste of mainstream audiences for Asian-themed films such as East is East (1999) and Bend It Like Beckham (2002). The latter became one of the most popular British films ever and was a far cry from the colonially-obsessed images of Asians depicted in mainstream British cinema and television in the 1980s and earlier.

Asian-themed commercial films of the '90s have many similarities thematically with mainstream British features, not least feel good-comedy elements such as in East is East or Bhaji on The Beach. British notions of class and regionality are also played out, particularly a preoccupation with the post-industrial 'north' and all its incumbent stereotypes. Udayan Prasad's Brothers In Trouble (1996), for instance, depicts the troubled existence of illegal Pakistani immigrants in the early 1960s mill towns; East is East also delights in a romp through northern stereotypes. Another common feature of commercial Asian films of the '90s is an homage to Bollywood, perhaps in deference to its popularity with Asian audiences. Chadha's Bhaji on the Beach has a surreal romantic interlude in which a White man and Asian woman dance Hindi-style around a tree. In East is East, the Khan family make a day trip to Bradford to catch a Bollywood movie, while the teenage daughter flounces around the backyard with a broom to the classic Bombay song 'Inhi logon ne' from Pakeezah (India, 1972; instantly recognised by Asian audiences around the world). Inter-racial romance is also a common narrative obsession, with cross-racial encounters in Bhaji, Brothers in Trouble and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, while in Shani Grewal's Guru in Seven (1997), Sanjay (Nitin Chandra Ganatra) aims to score with a range of women. Today, 'Asian', once unfashionable, has become fashionable and almost 'sexy' in the Western media culture. In the USA, 1960s Swamis have been re-incarnated in the form of the 'life guru' Deepak Chopra. Madonna wears saris and mehndi, and calls to the youth accompanied by Hindi violins. Meanwhile, British-Asian musicians Nitin Sawhney and Talvin Singh are now established in the British music charts. The British film industry has gradually begun to wake up to the 'brown pound'. British Asians are watching so many Hindi films that since 1998 these films have regularly entered the British top ten box-office charts. Director Gurinder Chadha has noted the change in attitudes between the release of her first film, Bhaji on the Beach (1994), and her third, Bend it Like Beckham (2002): "People are much more aware of difference, what was once foreign is now familiar".

Hypothesis

For my hypothesis i'm going to be analysing the portrayal of women as "sex symbols" in films, thorought the world of cinema. Looking at various women in both the hollywood £ bollywood industry. Also, to what extent do people agree that the representation of women in film is that they are seen as sex objects.

women on both sides of the camera

To look separately at the role of women in the fields of film, video and television in Britain is to recognise that the experiences of women in these areas are somehow different to those of men. The work by women in moving image production both reflects and informs the position of women within British society since the 1920s.

In the silent period, Mary Field and sisters Marion and Ruby Grierson took advantage of the camaraderie and pioneering spirit of the time by joining the British documentary movement, where they made opportunities for themselves and other women to enter the system of film production. Their influence and impact on the movement was significant: Field is noted for her work on the Secrets of Nature series (1922-33) and for her inauguration, in 1944, of the children's entertainment division of British Instructional Films.

During the Second World War, women were among many filmmakers employed to make films for the Ministry of Information. Muriel Box, once a continuity girl, began directing short documentaries. In the postwar period, there were great changes for women in society; women demanded more autonomy and the opportunity to fulfil their potential. In contrast, the film industry, unions and work conditions retained a rigid structure, and many women directors were rejected or moved to less influential roles.

By the 1950s, women already played a key role as audience members and consumers of film culture. Understanding female audiences became an important factor in the success or failure of a film. The melodrama genre is designed to appeal to a specifically female audience because of its emotional and sentimental content, and its depiction of femininity. Although great consumers of the film, few women directed during this period, although one notable exception is Wendy Toye.

The British new wave saw a new depiction of women and sexuality, in films like Poor Cow (d. Ken Loach, 1967) and A Taste of Honey (d. Tony Richardson, 1961), which departed from the romantic vision of melodrama. Female characters were seen to break moral codes and defy expectations of how they should behave. But in the hands of male directors, the representation of women in these films tells us more about the position of men and their feelings about women than about the way women feel about themselves.

It was not until the early 1970s that feminism and women's consciousness began to influence the production, exhibition and distribution of film and television, as well as education and the emerging film theory. In 1972, the Edinburgh Film Festival included a women's section for the first time. Women began to engage in debates about their position in society and the ways women were represented in film, television and advertising. Using film and television as a communication tool to meet and educate women, groups like the London Women's Film Group began working within communities in regional locations.

The arrival in 1982 of Channel 4, with its remit to cater for 'minority audiences', brought some hope to women film and video directors. Although there was no specific remit to support women's work, a number of documentary series by women were commissioned, including the weekly current affairs programmes 20/20 Vision and Broadside, and the magazine show Watch the Woman. The ACTT Workshop Declaration of 1984 offered further opportunities for groups of women filmmakers to break through the barriers that had previously prevented them entering the industry, and became the basis for Channel 4 commisions.

The 1980s brought increased awareness of discrimination against women technicians and pressure on institutions such as the British Film Institute to support women's work. Through the BFI's education department and production fund there was some temporary support for British feminist films and funding for feminist distributors.

During the 1990s, shifts in politics and a transformation of production and exhibition technologies allowed greater accessibility to the media, but the new market economy and a backlash against feminism contributed to a move away from overtly feminist practice.

Today, despite the successes of Sally Potter, Antonia Bird and Lynne Ramsay, there are still relatively few women directing, particularly in feature films; they are more commonly found in production roles. In the areas of documentary and experimental film, however, women have directed a substantial body of work. This suggests that away from the constraints of the commercial film industry, greater opportunities exist to explore the representation of women's lives and their subjective experience.

Emma Hedditch

Lara croft - Tombraider