*This article is the author's final course essay for the second-year general education core course "Women's Literature and Gender Culture", which was inspired by the 800th film agency during the preparation of the Anna Karina Memorial Salon.
1 Introduction
Simone de Beauvoir is often regarded as a representative feminist writer and feminist philosopher in the first-generation feminist movement. Her work "Second Sex" can be called the "Bible" of Western women[1 ], provided a valuable ideological basis for the later feminist movement. The French New Wave is a film thought and movement that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s. It was led by Bazin’s "Cinema Manual" magazine and some young film critics from his publishing house. They advocated film "authorism", Live shooting and improvisation. Many of these works show the interpretation of the film aesthetics of philosophical trends such as psychoanalysis and existentialism. At the same time, because they were born during the Second Women’s Liberation Movement [2], many French New Waves Film creators are believers and actionists of feminism, and many of their film works reveal existential philosophies and explorations of feminism.
Academia has established a certain theoretical construction in the French feminist ideology represented by Beauvoir and the French New Wave movement, but what is interesting is that Beauvoir and the feminist ideas in The Second Sex and some French New Wave films A certain ideological connection has occurred. The two art forms of literature and film have realized a dialogue across time and space and form, and film has become another way of expressing philosophy. The author will start from the content and thoughts of "Second Sex" and try to explain Godard's "A Woman Is a Woman" during the French New Wave, Agnès Varda's "Cleo at 5-7 O'clock" and Truffaut The feminist characteristics in the three works of "Ancestor and Cham" establishes the connection between the two and examines the inheritance and development of Beauvoir’s feminist thoughts in new wave movies.
2 Beauvoir and existentialism
For a long time, there have been discussions about Beauvoir’s professional status in academia. Is it a female Sartre or a female philosopher? Some scholars have suggested that this is a significant issue worthy of reassessment in the academic world. Beauvoir’s innovation and contribution to existential philosophy are enough to allow him to be formally recognized as a "female philosopher" like the philosopher Sartre [3]. Some scholars also believe that Beauvoir was "the first female philosopher to have a place in the field of philosophy[4]"; Beauvoir should be called "Western with Hannah Arendt and Susan Sontag". The most important female intellectuals of our time [5]". Regardless of whether her philosopher's status has received enough social attention, there is no doubt that she uses the perspective of existential philosophy to explain the emergence of women's social status and create universalist feminist thought, which is unprecedented and far-reaching in history. of.
2.1 Beauvoir and Sartre
To discuss the relationship between Beauvoir and existentialism, one has to first discuss the relationship between Beauvoir and Sartre, and the philosophical "same" and "different" of the two.
In 1929, Beauvoir met Sartre, who was three years older than herself, at the French Sorbonne Theological Seminary. Both of them had excellent results in the school. Beauvoir received a lot of attention because of being one of the few female students on campus. There are also some doubts and criticisms. But Sartre is deeply caught in the charm and talent of Beauvoir. He believes that many of Beauvoir's writings have something in common with his thoughts, so he does not hide his love for Beauvoir. As the movie "Lovers in the Eros Café" interprets, Sartre immediately proposed a "special contract" to Beauvoir-they will maintain their love and affection for each other, and at the same time promise each other not to be jealous of both parties The way to be free from emotional and sexual freedom with others is to confess to each other and keep no secrets. This "special contract" has become a love story that is difficult to replicate in the eyes of future generations. It is also an important social experiment on the intimate relationship between men and women carried out by two philosophers. There are nearly ten lovers before and after the two, including common, separate, same-sex, opposite-sex, young, etc., all of whom enjoy open and free love and sexual relations. The moral hazard in it is often criticized, but it must be admitted that this bold experiment gave the two people a sufficient independent creative space, and contributed to future generations such as "Nausea", "Existence and Nothingness", "Secondity" "" and other important literary and philosophical works, created a precedent for existentialism and provided a steady stream of ideological wealth.
This contract-based experiment by the two is also the best interpretation of existentialism. There are three basic points of existentialism: existence precedes essence; the world is absurd and life is painful; human free will can create itself through free choice [6]. Beauvoir refused to marry and give birth all her life. She believes that the existence of women is far ahead of women’s physiological characteristics and social reproduction function, transcending Hegel’s “master-slave” vassal relationship, and it is her who refuses to be the “other” in the male world. Defend your own theory and personally make choices. And these free choices-she and Sartre freely choose to "sign" this contract and believe in it; she chooses not to marry or have children throughout her life; she refuses to be buried with Sartre, etc., are in line with Beauvoir's free will Yes, these choices created her subjectivity and transcendence, and she accepted all the consequences of her choice. The novels, dramas, and essays of the two described the "disgusting" and "absurdity" of the human world in the book. Life is painful, but the existence of freedom can create itself, creating a way for all people who fall into nothingness. The path of freedom chosen arbitrarily.
The love story between the two people is uncontrollable, but it is so difficult to replicate, because behind this seemingly free story and special contract are the extremely high life pursuits and pioneering philosophical ideas of the two philosophers. Beauvoir and Sartre, while adhering to their spiritual space, allowed the free flow of willfulness and adhered to the pursuit of life in literature and philosophy, which led to the vigorous development of subsequent existentialist thoughts and feminist movements.
2.2 Beauvoir and The Second Sex
Beauvoir's "Second Sex" published in 1949 is known as the "Bible" of Western women, and it is the most comprehensive and wise book ever to discuss women[1]. Based on the unique perspective of existential philosophy, the book provides a theoretical basis for women’s social emancipation after class emancipation.
In "Second Sex", Beauvoir is based on the perspective of existential philosophy and is divided into two volumes, "Facts and Myths" and "Contemporary Women" [7]. In the first volume, we explore the social reasons why women are "others", and analyze how patriarchal culture promotes male subjectivity and transcendence from theories, history, mythology and other facts, and how to force women to recognize and accept their objects The position of the male gradually becomes the shadow and projection of the male; in the second book, the different periods of the female’s life (childhood, teenage, sexual enlightenment, married, mother, etc.) and the different identities of women (homosexuals, intellectuals, etc.) , Prostitutes, etc.) to investigate the social reality, reveal the real situation and problems of women in today's society, and finally propose the solution provided by Beauvoir—women refuse to be the other, but truly establish themselves as the subject and Eventually reach its own transcendence.
Beauvoir’s expositions and views on the “other” inherited Sartre’s existentialism, and also absorbed the ideological premises of Hegel and Heidegger.
Hegel uses the "master-slave" relationship to analyze the concept of "self-consciousness" in his book "Phenomenology of Spirit", that is, there are two kinds of consciousness, one is the consciousness of dependence. Knowing to establish one's own existence; the other is an individual's independent consciousness, which can exist objectively and on its own, the former is the slave of the latter [8]. Beauvoir extended this master-slave relationship to the gender realm in "Second Sex", analyzing the master status of men and the slave status that women are forced to occupy from the perspective of human experience and patriarchal society. She believes that the fact that the master is the master does not need to be learned. This concept has been internalized in the social production and life of men. On the contrary, women constantly remind themselves of the "existence of women" and the status of others in the process of socialization. . What makes Beauvoir more dissatisfied is that most women have become accustomed to, satisfied, and even use their dependent status to obtain resources for men in a higher social status, because "the husband and wife are the basic unit, and she is the other in the whole. The two are indispensable to each other", this is an absolute that can be traced back in history, and women cannot unite to fight against it. Unlike Hegel's belief that groups can improve the inequality of master-slave relations, Beauvoir believes that the emphasis on female groups overemphasizes the existence of femininity and thus wears down individuality. She insists that the existence of women precedes the "traits" of women. , A woman is a human being, an individual existence, and she should create self-awareness.
In addition, Beauvoir creatively transforms and develops Sartre's existentialism in The Second Sex. Sartre divides the existence of human beings into "freedom" and "for themselves". Freedom is other and objectified, while freedom is transcendence and subjective. When explaining the difference between the two, Sartre gave it to the identity of male and female. "Freedom represents the female characteristics to a large extent, while the self-fulfillment represents the male characteristics [5]". In addition to bringing this point of view into the patriarchal culture, Beauvoir made a supplement to "moral freedom" and "ontological freedom". Sartre’s “freedom” can be based on self-contained and unconditional, but Beauvoir believes that only people’s ontological freedom can take a positive attitude towards any positive or negative results brought about by free choice. Only when taking concrete actions to practice freedom can people be considered "moral freedom", that is, free and ethical. Therefore, women must also consider morality when they pursue subjectivity and freedom in the real society.
3 French New Wave Films and Feminism
The 1960s, when the French New Wave was born, was a period of intertwined development of various ideological trends. The post-World War II period, the "May Storm", and the second-generation feminist movement all promoted political, social, and cultural innovation. The "rebellious spirit" at the core of the New Wave is the best bearer of feminism. Many directors and producers have taken the initiative to shoulder the burden of feminist films, and there have been many film works with women as the narrative center, putting women in "for the first time" Watch the active position [2]. The author will take Agnès Varda’s "Cleo at Five to Seven O'clock", Godard’s "Women Are Women" and Truffau’s "Ancestors and Accounts" as examples to illustrate the implications for Beauvoir’s philosophical thinking. The heritage and indelible feminism.
3.1 The inheritance of Beauvoir by the French New Wave
Agnès Varda, often referred to as "the grandmother of the new wave", is one of the most famous female directors in French history. His debut work "Cleo from 5 to 7 o'clock" (hereinafter referred to as "Five") is a typical feminist film. In 1974, in an interview with Jacqueline Levikin, she talked about her dissatisfaction with mainstream male-dominated films: "The image of women in mainstream films is established by men, accepted by them, and of course accepted by women. Therefore, as women, we also have to accept the facts that women should be beautiful, well-dressed, and beloved, and are always connected with the issue of love. Men have a different situation in the movie, and they will be photographed. The relationship between the work and the friendship between men.” [9] This is exactly the same as what Beauvoir said in the preface of the author of “Second Sex”, “Everything is the same, and men have a more favorable situation... nowadays Containing the past, the entire history of the past was created by men.” In "Five", Varda uses her observation and experience as a woman to shape a woman from the other under the male gaze to a woman who realizes her self-conscious awakening. Role. Cleo, a female celebrity who learned that she was terminally ill, slowly realized that people around her only regarded her as a doll. She began to pay attention to the gaze of the society, and gradually realized under the inspiration of a veteran The existence of self is above all else, and finally make self-selection and create the rest of one's life. A simple review of the plot shows that the spiritual core of this movie is undoubtedly a tribute to Beauvoir and a declaration of female self-consciousness.
Among them, the author believes that the repeated appearance of the "mirror" in the film and the metaphors behind it can better understand the inheritance of feminism in French New Wave films. The mirror appeared in the movie eight times. In the first two times, Cleo used the mirror to confirm his appearance, hoping to be praised by others for her beauty, and fearing aging and death. Falling into despair of life, Cleo once again confirmed her appearance in the mirror. She changed her dress from white to black that "the assistant thought might bring bad luck". For the first time, she realized her resistance to others. She started Questioning her in the eyes of others and projected in the mirror. Later, while walking in the streets of Paris, in cafes, and when people were having fun, she saw herself in the mirror again and again. She gradually became clear that the self in the mirror was not the real self, and the mirror was only the object image formed by the subject. . Finally, after communicating with female friends, female taxi drivers, and veterans, an accidental accident broke the mirror she was carrying around. Looking at her broken self in the broken glass, the self shaped by others did not follow the mirror. After re-existing, Cleo finally realized that he never lived in the mirror, and that women should actually exist and be able to create themselves. Women's breaking of the gaze of the other has begun to pay attention to the subjectivity of the self. Undoubtedly, it is the struggle and rebellion against the patriarchal society.
At the end of the film, Cleo faced the front and said, "Everything today amazes me, everyone around me and myself." It is not difficult to imagine that Cleo, who has gained self-awareness, will continue to discover and create her true self. , To rediscover the society she lives in and the faces she has passed by. Just as Beauvoir said, "Freedom can only be realized by constantly transcending and towards other freedoms."
Godard and Truffau interpret women's struggle against freedom from the perspective of a male director. The two seem to have tacitly chosen "Threesome (a love entanglement between a woman and two men)" as the theme of the movie, which shaped the two Sinas. A unique free woman in the context of the tide.
"A Woman Is A Woman" is directed by "Movie Geek" Godard and starred as "One of the Representative Female Faces of the New Wave" Anna Karina. After many consultations to no avail, he determined to have a relationship with another male friend to fight for female reproductive freedom. The film created by a male director does not have the same solid understanding of women as Varda commented on mainstream movies. On the contrary, Godard seems to have created such a woman that is difficult for men to figure out. Just like the sigh of the title, women are Woman! Angela played by Karina is a stripper. This profession is often stared by men. They can satisfy all their needs in order to get the attention of men. However, Angela is different from others. She refuses the requests of male guests casually, sings "I am so beautiful" briskly, and regards strip performances as singing and dancing performances rather than work to please others. Angela is different from Cleo in "Five". She has formed a self-awareness and has the courage to express herself. This is because she is full of Bible study and full of economics. In the film, Angela and Emile use the book to show knowledge. The cultural heritage and self-confidence of molecular women. After expressing her desire to have children to her boyfriend Emir, Angela never rested, and kept asking Emir's loyalty to fight for women's right to freely choose when to give birth. After the argument failed, Angela used her friend Alfred as a threat and tried all kinds of tricks to test Emil’s feelings. In the end, she even had a relationship with Alfred, which made Emil had to accept what she was about to become. The facts of the father. The film uses Angela's choices and actions as the main line of narrative throughout the film, expressing the eccentricity and elusiveness of women vividly and exquisitely. In Godard's lens, women can say loudly "I don't love you" and then mumble "I love you too much"; women can choose to love one person or two; women can have children with any man. As Angela said in the film, "I love you or not, it has nothing to do with you loving me." The independence of women prevents them from being controlled by the male gaze. The fertility of women is even the advantage of women over men. The female can choose which male the other part of the fertilized egg comes from. Beauvoir’s discussion of women’s freedom and liberation is expressed in Godard’s films. Women’s movement towards freedom and transcendence needs to recreate a “new state”, and the “freedom” that she has been emphasizing is exactly what she has been emphasizing in recreating a new realm. [10].
Truffaut’s "Ancestor and Cham" has a profound meaning in the ending. The heroine Catherine and Cham form a family. Although Zu and Cham are friends, Cham still cannot let go of his love for Catherine. At the end, Catherine drove Zhan into the lake and went to Huangquan together, leaving her ancestor alone by the river in distress. This ending was suddenly very dramatic. The abrupt ending made the audience unable to react, and it was even harder to imagine how the future of the ancestors would continue after the death of the two. But for the female audience and the female character Catherine, suicide with a lover is not a tragedy. Catherine’s decision was a torture to Zu and Zhan. Although the two had a good relationship, they could not stop being jealous of each other, and the woman she loved to commit suicide was undoubtedly a denial of their feelings. They were in a passive position without any change. They were forced to accept the sad ending of Catherine’s death, and Catherine was free. This is not only a tribute to women’s free choice, but also allows the female audience of that era to no longer take the role of being "watched" and "under scrutiny" on the screen, but to take on an independent woman who can decide her destiny on her own. . Similar to what Godard hopes to express in the film "Women Are Women", Truffaut hopes to express that not only will men not always dominate, but they will even experience the situation of being determined and vassalized. In addition, the identity of Truffaut as a male director allows female audiences to gain confidence and hope in the women's liberation movement.
In addition, New Wave films reflect the absurdity of the social environment of the same period and the inevitable pain and struggle of individual life through the original "jump shots" and real-time shooting. The Algerian war mentioned in "Cleo at 5 to 7 o'clock" is Varda's concern for the current social situation; the spread of terrorism in "Women is a Woman" and the sense of being monitored by the local police who come to check at any time are Godard The weak appearance of anarchist political stance; the light and humorous overall tone in "Ancestor and Occupy" also reflects on the excessive gap between the rich and the poor in France.
After sorting out the three films, we can see that the three films have respectively inherited the three stages of the discovery of female self-awareness mentioned by Beauvoir in "Second Sex"-the reason why women realize that they are dependent on status comes from him. The gaze of the person, women's awareness that freedom and liberation need to get rid of the vassal status of others, and women's awareness that they have absolute freedom to choose their own destiny, and even change the destiny of men. At the same time, they all reveal a philosophy of Beauvoir and existentialism: "The essence of man is the result of man's free choice [11]".
3.2 The development of Beauvoir by the French New Wave
The feminism in French New Wave films is not a blind interpretation of Beauvoir’s thoughts. Under the influence of the second-generation feminist movement, the French New Wave shoulders the responsibility of “connecting the past and the next”.
Scholars divide French feminism into three stages: universalism, differentialism and postmodernism [4] to show the difference in the main guiding ideology of the liberation movement. The universalism represented by Beauvoir and the differentialism represented by Sisu produced an important division between the first generation of feminist movements and the second generation. "Beuveau believes that the universal values that women should identify with are essentially male values. She did not question the entire patriarchal civilization; while Sisu is committed to destroying Logos' central ideas and Phallus by promoting female values. The central idea, including the false universalism that only benefits men [4]", Beauvoir repeatedly emphasized the primary premise that "women and men are both humans" in "Second Sex", believing that the concept of difference overly highlights the special characteristics of women Sex can lead to social discrimination and gender gentrification. However, in the two films "A Woman Is a Woman" and "Ancestor and Occupy", we can see the advantages of women over men, such as the ability to be physically reproductive, emotionally rich and sensitive, etc. Sisu believes The particularity of these women is the force that women can contend with patriarchy, and it is the evidence that can overturn the ancient Greek claim that "women are the incomplete parts of men", and strive to transform the incompleteness into the advantage of women.
In addition, the asexual literature advocated by Beauvoir recognizes the absolute strong position of men in establishing universal values, while Sisu believes that writing is homogenous with Phallocentrism (that is, androcentrism). French New Wave films The female directors prefer to become those writers engaged in "female writing" in Sisu's ideals. Three new-wave female film creators, Añez Varda, Margaret Duras, and Jeanne Moreau, broke through the monopoly of men in women’s narrative during this period, and expanded women in the field of film and television. The perspective [2]. Varda showed the style of female directors in films such as "One Sing One", "Happiness", "The End of the World" and other films, paying attention to the inner feelings of the characters instead of laying out the narrative, and focusing on the inner truth and objective truthfulness of the documentary. It expresses the creative power and writing style of women. Varda's film style is often referred to as "movie writing", which seems to have a similar meaning to the "female writing" advocated by Sisu.
French New Wave films do have many visual expressions of Beauvoir’s feminist thoughts, but compared to stereotyped re-enactments, New Wave films are an even more advanced development.
4 Conclusion
Seventy years ago, Beauvoir proposed to all women a new perspective of examining the social status of female objects with existential philosophy. In "Second Sex", she used very speculative words to offer all women an invitation to freedom and liberation. . The French New Wave film movement responded quickly. New Wave filmmakers such as Varda, Godard, and Truffaut used the expressions of films to move their minds and let philosophers speak out. It is no coincidence that the feminist trend of thought and the New Wave movement spanned time in the dialogue and inheritance of the French land. This is caused by the integration of ideas into culture, and this is the responsibility and mission that flows in the blood of French intellectuals.
Nowadays, there are still many women who have not been able to get rid of the otherness, confined to the bond of family and children, unable to achieve self-transcendence. However, contemporary French literary works such as "The Elegance of Hedgehog" still propose "self-cultivation resistance[12]"; France proposes the PACS system at the legal level, liberating the freedom of contract of LGBTQ minorities, liberating the freedom of women's identity... these The status quo in society all reminds that Beauvoir’s invitation still works, and the author still holds idealistic beliefs and believes that feminist ideas will eventually be inherited and creatively developed for a long time.
references
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