When thinking about the Ju Dou and the representation of male masculinity we have to understand the culture this film is placed in. Western audiences have to become aware of the ideology and cultural belief of Chinese people at the time to understand the controversy regarding male masculinity within Ju Dou. Confucian ideology such as filial piety, which refers to ideals of certain virtues that are to be held above all else, such as respect for you elders and parents.
Other cultural aspects that effect the perception of the film would be the dominance of the patriarchal system. The patriarchal system refers to the social organisation of the male being the head/ leader of the family unit. ‘Ju Dou exposes the oppression that issue form social tradition‘ (Cui: 2003).
The narrative structure revolves around a female lead character; through the structure is how the audience are able to create meanings revolving around gender. Chi describes a triangle of relations, ‘which involved Jinshan, the wife Ju Dou and then the nephew Tianqing. ‘Cui suggest that the struggle to posses the woman threatens to restore the masculinity. The narrative structure creates barriers of ‘human desire and ethical confinement’,(Cui: 2003). Cui points out that it is Ju Dou who initiates the seduction, express male desire through the representation of a women.
The use of point of view shots brings us to the topic if the male gaze. Male gaze within Ju Dou is different to the Hollywood male gaze. The Hollywood male gaze is a topic the Laura Mulvey discusses. ‘Men act and women are acted upon.’ We could apply this to Ju Dou, the female is the lead character in the film as her actions are what primarily pushes the narrative forward. Although her actions alone are not what pushes the narrative. Tianqing looks at Ju Dou through a peephole while she washes. As she washes we see her scars and bruises, this disrupts the idea that Tianqing is looking for pleasure but maybe out of pity. ‘Visual pleasure is structured according to a patriarchal ideology where by the female image signifies sexual difference while the male gaze controls the representation.’ (Cui: 2003).
Themes of voyeurism within the film deal with questions of masculinity. Tianqing sexual desire for Ju Dou contradicts his social position, although this does not stop him from looking. The female body becomes an object of male desire. ‘The vision of the nephew towards the aunt moves swiftly from pleasure in looking to fear of being caught.’(Cui: 2003). Cui suggest that Ju Dou humanises Tianqing’s by turning him from a voyeur into a lover, overall making the female in control, underpinning the relevance of the males masculinity. As Ju Dou becomes in control of her sexual relationship with Tianqing. Cui interesting points out ‘ Tianqing sexuality and masculinity are socially impotent.’ His sexuality and masculinity are all hidden from the world outside the dye mill. As he is masculinity is socially impotent, we see the relation to the sexually impotent Jinshan, who has been unable to father a child. Jinshan’s masculinity is challenged as patriarchal role as the family head is treated when Ju Dou becomes pregnant with Tianqing’s child. This leads me to believe that both males within the narrative have their masculinity bound or in some way damaged to factors as characters they cannot control.
Even though we can identify that Ju Dou is in control and has power of these men she is still a possession. ‘her husband violates her body to prove his patriarchal power and to cover is sexual impotence. Her nephew posses the vision to fulfil sexual desire and deny his social impotence.’ (Cui: 2003). The male’s masculinity is damaged within the film, although it is recuperated. Jinshan sexual abuse is the reaction of his power of Ju Dou. Tianqing social impotence is recuperated due to his sexual relationship with Ju Dou.
The women are seen as an object due to the construction on the shots. We see several shots of Ju Dou, close up, capturing torment. In one particular scene as she undresses as Tianqing watches her, the mid shots of her are highly sexual as the camera lens ‘becomes the eye of Tianqing and the audience.’(Cui: 2003). The long take, allows the audience to watch Ju Dou sexual facial expression.
Although Ju Dou is in control, she is the one that audiences Tainqing, ‘she has to pose herself as an object of his desire by means of her sexuality.’(Cui: 2003)
Ju Dou challenges the idea of the male gaze, as she becomes aware that Tianqing is watching her as she becomes in control and allows him to watch her, ‘Ju Dou does not allow herself to e observes unaware’ (Chi: 2003) . We see Ju Dou take control of the gaze as shots of her turning and facing Tianqing gaze, confronting him as well as the audience. ‘Ju Dou thus reverses the visual dynamic back on to the male…’ (Cui: 2003). The use of shot- reverse shot keep Ju Dou and Tianqing is separate frames, but the use of the shot-reverse shot builds up the sexual tension of the couple. During this sequence we can see the use of colour conveying meaning to the audience. Fabrics of the colour blue are in the background, which symbolise turmoil.
We see several shots of Ju Dou surrounded by the colour yellow, she also wears yellows and the fabric draped around her is yellow. Yellow movies refer to the eastern term for pornographic films, so the use of yellow is portrayed as highly erotic.
Looking at the mise-en-scene the colours used are highly expressive. The use of the red water dye and the hanging colours fabrics allow us to visual the lowers passion. The colours used are bright and melodramatic, which heighten the moods, felt by the lovers.
With the use of these colours, the tight framing of Ju Dou and Tianqing, allows the audience to feel the confinement of their relationship, that they must keep confined from society.
The dye mill is cluttered with large pieces of machinery and is a confined space. The use of this confined space keeps the family socially away from the world. The wide angel shots frames the characters into looking confined within the space. ‘Confined spaces dramatizes a relationship between characters and objects.’ (Cui: 2003).
The use of framing keeps the couple part but does eventually bring them tighter and frames the tightly together, with the use of objects and machinery the director has created an expressionist feeling to the shot with the use of parallel lines, making the shot seem enclosing.
Another example of framing allows the audience to understand the relationship between Ju Dou and her son Tianbai. Shot- reverse shots are used here again to distance these characters, relating to their stare of mind. The amount of interaction between Ju Dou and her son has a limited time on screen. We never really see them bond. Although what we do see is Tianbai constant dislike of Ju Dou spending time with Tianqing. One sequence in particular she Ju Dou leaves Tianquing room late one night, we see shot-reverse shot of young Tianbai disapproval of the situation.
The death of the two males figures is also important with dealing with the idea of masculinity. Jinshan is the family head and is seen as the figure of power, although a ‘sexually castrated victim.’ (Cui: 2003). Jinshan power is then passed on to Tianbai after the death of his father. Tianbai pushes he father into the pool of water dye and watches his paralized father drown without any emotion on his face. His reaction is only a laugh at the end of this sequence. The laugh is key as I feel it refers to how helpless Jinshan was within his role the patriarchal father.
Jinshan death leads to the dominance to be passed on to Tainbai. We see his dominance by the use of a montage of images that create juxtaposition. Shots of the funeral cut back and forward to shots of Tainbai holding a plaque, Tainbai calmness to the dramatic outcries of Ju Dou and Tainqing create a juxtaposition of emotion that divides this family.
After the death of Jinshan, Tainbai becomes the head of the house, keeping Tianqing in the role of the ‘brother’. Chi discusses a type of rivalry between the brothers about who controls the woman. ‘Tianbai bonding with his mother and consequently hostility towards the brother causes the final termination: Tianqing death.
Ju Dou and Tianqing make an attempt to be husband and wife again in secret location they meet. Tianbai discovers them, and saves his mother from the deathly embrace with Tainqing. Tianbai then kills his biological father, beating him with a stick as Ju Dou screams dramatically. ‘Bound by the concept of filial piety and a desire to take revenge on the reneged couple’ (Cui: 2003), is what causes Tainqings death.
Overall the male masculinity is resorted with the control of the situation by a male (Tianbai), of the disapproved relation between Ju Dou and Tianqing. This masculinity is the challenged just like it has been throughout the film with Ju Dou burning down the Dye factory. The suicide is a protest to the refusal of the male masculinity.
Bibliography:
Berry, Chris. Appendix 1: Major Directors. Perspective on Chinese Cinema. BFI Publishing, 1997
Berry, Chris. How should Chinese woman look. China on screen, Columbia university press: New York, 2006. Page 124-129.
Cui, Shuqin. Gendered Perspective: The Construction and Representation of Subjectivity and Sexuality in Ju Dou. Transnational Chinese Cinemas: Identity, Nationhood, Gender (Ed. by Sheldon Hsiao-peng Lu). University of Hawai'i Press, 1997
Cui, Shuqin: the search of male masculinity and sexuality in Zhang Yimou’s Ju Dou: Gender and Nation in a Century of Chinese Cinema, University of Hawai'i Press, 2003. Page 127-148.
Filmography:
Ju Dou: Zhang Yimou 1989.
