Types of Gaze in Film: Perspectives and Power Dynamics

A Quick History of Gaze

The idea of the gaze in art and literature has been around for a really long time, but in 1975, Laura Mulvey introduced the idea of the male gaze in her essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, explaining that women are often seen from a masculine perspective, making them seem passive and objectifying them.

“It is said that analysing pleasure, or beauty, destroys it. That is the intention of this article.” Laura Mulvey in Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema

Mulvey was writing at an important time for feminism, with a second wave focusing on equality and discrimination.

Since then, academics and filmmakers have built on that idea to include various types of gaze, each one giving a particular insight into representation, power dynamics, and how the audience engages. These have also changed and evolved with society, as it’s slowly become more inclusive and diverse.

Types of Gaze

The Male Gaze

Let’s start with the ‘original’ gaze in cinema, as coined by Mulvey. This type of gaze positions women as passive objects of male desire, which in turn reinforces gender roles and power imbalances. Mulvey spoke of two types of male gaze: voyeuristic and fetishistic. The former is a controlling gaze – based in control and punishment, and the latter is based in a type of reassurance, a raising up of the image of a woman in a cult-like way.

A good example of this is Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, where the camera follows and objectifies the main female character Madeleine, who is followed by an ex police officer (Scottie) hired by her husband. Scottie becomes obsessed with Madeleine to the point of finding a woman who looks like her and trying to shape her in Madeleine’s image. In this instance the male gaze isn’t just implied, it’s actually part of the narrative, with the main male character following, watching, and objectifying a woman.

The Bond films are another good example of this, where the female characters have mostly been ‘eye candy’. Examples like this reinforce the idea that a woman’s value lies solely in physical attractiveness, and by recognising that – by understanding the male gaze – we can engage more critically with the film (or whatever else it may be) and push for better representations.

Quick Look

• Focus on female bodies, often through lingering camera shots.

• Narratives that centre around male characters, with female characters only as objects or plot devices.

• Reinforces traditional gender roles and power imbalances.

The Female Gaze

As you might guess, the female gaze is a focus on showing women as complex, nuanced characters. Subjects, rather than passive objects. The female gaze often challenges traditional narratives and there’s often a focus on relationships, connection, empathy, and emotions.

Directors like Jane Campion and Ava DuVernay are known for their complex female characters and the female gaze.

In The Piano, Campion puts the viewer in the main character, Ada’s shoes. Although she can’t speak, her world is richly shown through visuals in the story, with her body language, and of course, through the piano. We focus on, and empathise with, her struggles and desires. The film explores her character intimately, without objectifying her and Ada’s strength, independence, and refusal to conform all help to subvert conventional gender roles.

Quick Look

• Focus on emotional depth and internal lives of female characters.

• Narratives that give women agency and complex roles.

• Challenges traditional gender roles and offers a more nuanced portrayal of relationships.

The Queer Gaze

This gaze challenges heteronormative perspectives and centres the experiences of LGBT+ characters and creators. The lives of individuals and groups are shown in a way that feels authentic and relatable without stereotypes and tropes. The queer gaze questions societal norms around sexuality and identity and asks us to look beyond binary definitions of gender and sexuality. It also has a big emphasis on fluidity and ambiguity either through characters or through the story being told.

At the time of release, Carol by Todd Haynes was voted the top LGBT+ film of all time. It focuses on two female protagonists and their relationship, which is shown as caring, respectful, and without sensationalism. That this is presented at a time when these relationships would have been heavily stigmatised but the relationship is shown as legitimate is an even bigger challenge to the heteronormative views of that era.

Quick Look

• Focus on the lived experiences of LGBT+ people.

• Narratives that challenge binary views of gender and sexuality.

• Often includes non-linear storytelling and complex character development.

The Oppositional Gaze (Sometimes The Black Gaze or The Racial Gaze)

Coined by Gloria Jean Watkins (known by her pen name bell hooks) in The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators. This gaze centres around the agency of Black people and how historically they’ve been denied their right to ‘gaze,’ or critically engage with media. It also addresses that the portrayal of Black women even by Black male filmmakers is often still that of an object, of the male gaze, which actually perpetuates white supremacy. The Oppositional gaze encourages the audience – particularly those from marginalised groups – to critically engage with media and question biases, stereotypes and omissions from narrative film.

Jordan Peele’s Get Out is a recent example of the oppositional gaze in horror/thriller cinema. We follow a young Black man who uncovers a terrible truth about his white girlfriend’s family. While the movie uses satire and suspense, it’s also heavily critiquing systemic racism and the exploitation of Black bodies.

Quick Look

• Focus on the experiences and voices of racial and ethnic minority groups.

• Narratives that challenge stereotypes and offer more authentic portrayals.

• Encourages critical engagement with media to challenge biases.

The Gaze and Power Dynamics

The gaze in film isn’t just about who is looking and how, but also about power. Different types of gaze can reinforce or challenge power structures, both in the narrative and wider, in society. Understanding how gaze influences power dynamics can help audiences appreciate storytelling on a deeper level, and also see the importance of diverse perspectives.

In The Handmaid’s Tale – based on the book by Margaret Atwood – we can see the power dynamics between the oppressive regime and the subjugated women, but that isn’t the whole story. The handmaids (and other female captives) are shown to us (through things like intense close ups of the protagonist’s eyes) as resistant, resilient, strong. This gaze is a challenge to the power ‘norms’ of the patriarchal structures in the show, and it’s a powerful commentary on gender and autonomy. In this instance the women aren’t just male-gaze-objects, but female-gaze-subjects, with depth of character.

The Gaze and Documentary

We’ve talked mostly about narrative film here, but what about documentary? Do documentary films have gazes? The quick answer is, they do! The gaze in documentaries can shape how we see the people involved and it can influence how authentic and impactful the story is. There’s an interesting thesis by Ambra Reijnen that looks at The Outsider’s Gaze in Documentary, examining the ethics of filming in a community that the director doesn’t belong. There are power dynamics at play in documentary gaze too, the control the filmmaker has over the narrative can greatly influence the power balances between people interviewed, the audience, and the director themselves. Some documentaries actually feature the filmmaker; does that change the ‘gaze’? I think so, as it becomes more participatory, and the audience becomes more connected to the person presenting the material.

Quick Look: Some Sub-Genres in Documentary Films

The type of documentary genre can impact the ‘gaze’. Here are some of the types of documentary sub-genres and what they involve:

Observational

Capturing events they happen, with minimal intervention from the filmmaker. It often features long takes, minimal narration, and natural sound. The camera acts as a neutral observer. Participatory The filmmaker interacts with the subjects, becoming part of the narrative. It uses interviews, direct interactions, and sometimes the filmmaker appearing on screen.

Reflexive

A focus on the filmmaking process itself, highlighting the presence of the director and the concept of documentary making.

Expository

A more traditional approach with narration to guide us through the documentary, presenting information and arguments directly. Uses voice-over narration, a structured presentation of facts, and clear arguments.

Poetic

This prioritises the look and emotional tone over factual presentation, with artistic visuals, a more fragmented structure, and emphasis on mood and tone.

Performative

A subjective experience and deep involvement of the filmmaker with personal narratives, emotional engagement, and sometimes a blurring of fiction and reality.

Does Animation Use Gaze?

It does! Though kids’ cartoons go a little lighter with intent, it’s actually easier to do in many ways because animators have control over the whole scene. The same subverting of roles, or cultural and social commentary can be done in animation as it is in regular film. As an example, in Frozen we can very much see The Female Gaze as we focus on the bond between Elsa and her sister Anna rather than a romantic relationship, which dominates many older animations aimed at children.

Conclusion: What is Gaze in Film

Gaze is a powerful tool that helps guide the way stories are seen and interpreted. Filmmakers use gaze to direct attention, convey emotions, and to add commentary on societal issues. By exploring and understanding different types of gaze we can appreciate diverse perspectives, learn more about culture, challenge biases, and subvert tropes.

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About This Page

This page was written by Marie Gardiner. Marie is a writer, author, and photographer. It was edited by Andrew Blackman. Andrew is a freelance writer and editor, and is a copy editor for Envato Tuts+.