Great DirectorsFilm Studies 120

JANE CAMPION

I think of my heroines as going into the underworld in a struggle to make

sense of their lives.

I think the real danger is in playing safe and avoiding the truth of your

imagination in your art and in your life.

JANE CAMPION

Jane Campion has made seven feature films to date. Sweetie (1989) An Angel at My Table (1990) — based on the

autobiography of Janet Frame

The Piano (1993) The Portrait of a Lady (1996) — based on the

novel by Henry James

Holy Smoke! (1999) In the Cut (2003) — based on the novel by Susanna

Moore

Bright Star (2009)

JANE CAMPION

Themes: Madness as a Refusal to Conform

JANE CAMPION

Feminist theorists and historians have examined the ways in which female protest and refusal to conform to the patriarchal order have been labeled as 'madness'. Several of Campion's heroines are

labeled as 'mad' or 'crazy' by virtue of their refusal to conform to what their society considers to be the feminine ideal.

Themes: Madness as a Refusal to Conform

JANE CAMPION

The female protagonists in Campion’s films are labeled as 'mad' because of their refusal to conform to what their society considers to be the feminine ideal: For example, film critics have

described Dawn (Sweetie) as “insane”, “mentally disturbed”, “obviously unbalanced”, “mentally ill”, “genuinely mad” and “nuts”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8gBh6YABn4&feature=related

Themes: Madness as a Refusal to Conform

JANE CAMPION

In this clip, Sweetie is so angry at being left behind that she refuses to speak to her family => she growls and whimpers like a dog, and even tries to bite her father's hand. Like Ada in The Piano (who also refuses

to speak), Sweetie's nonverbal communication and attempted assault on her father's hand manifest her rejection of the “Law of the Father.”

Themes: Madness as a Refusal to Conform

JANE CAMPION

Sweetie's refusal to conform to the patriarchal order is taken to fatal extremes: in her final scene, she is naked and covered with black paint, shouting obscenities at her father from her tree-house from childhood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaAgwMJslUU&feature=related

The tragic outcome of Sweetie's rebellion underscores the potential problems in reclaiming madness as protest => for feminist critics, madness represents a position of powerlessness that only serves to reinforce the Law of the Father (Campion’s feminist critique).

Themes: Madness as a Refusal to Conform

JANE CAMPION

The female protagonists in Campion’s films are labeled as 'mad' because of their refusal to conform to what their society considers to be the feminine ideal:

For example, in An Angel at my Table , Janet Frame is misdiagnosed as schizophrenic, as a result of her extreme shyness and her inability to socialize.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfj4GI0GqRc&feature=related (8/15)

Themes: Madness as a Refusal to Conform

JANE CAMPION

New Zealand poet Janet Frame is the subject of this biographical drama. The film begins with a look at Frame's childhood, showing her as a bright but odd-looking, emotionally fragile young girl with a talent for writing. Frame faces great difficulty in adapting to the conventional rural life around her, and her social awkwardness only worsens as she grows older. After she fails in her attempt to become a schoolteacher due to an intense panic attack, she is subject to a psychiatric evaluation and shamefully misdiagnosed as a schizophrenic. Frame is subsequently committed to a mental institution, where she suffers years of unnecessary shock treatments and other horrors. Her salvation comes through her writings, which attract the attention of a renowned author who arranges her release.

An Angel at my Table (1990): Synopsis

JANE CAMPION

Originally made as a television mini-series (three parts), An Angel at my Table was later released theatrically as a 155 minute feature.

While Campion consciously avoided the striking framings of composition and color that characterized Sweetie, An Angel at my Table has a strong visual sense in its broad vistas of the New Zealand landscape and its evocation of Janet's private world.

An Angel at my Table (1990)

JANE CAMPION

The female protagonists in Campion’s films are labeled as 'mad' because of their refusal to conform to what their society considers to be the feminine ideal:

For example, in The Piano, Ada has refused to speak since she was six years old; Campion never tells us why. Her husband Stewart wonders if she's not also “soft in the head”.

Themes: Madness as a Refusal to Conform

JANE CAMPION

The female protagonists in Campion’s films are labeled as 'mad' because of their refusal to conform to what their society considers to be the feminine ideal:

For example, in Holy Smoke, Ruth rebels against her suburban upbringing and begins a new life in India. Her family hires a counselor “to bring her back to her senses.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgFMdjjdJG8&feature=related

Themes: Madness as a Refusal to Conform

JANE CAMPION

Themes: Ambiguity

JANE CAMPION

The concept of ambiguity is a key feature of art cinema discourse.

The Piano demonstrated the potential for art cinema to cross over into mainstream commercial success, with its unprecedented box office takings and several Oscar nominations.

Campion is not interested in telling her audience what to think => ambiguity

Ambiguity

JANE CAMPION

For example, at the heart of The Piano's plot there are many unanswered questions : Why does Ada refuse to speak? Who is the

father of Flora? Why did Ada's father send her away? What to make of the film's conclusion that contrasts an image of domestic 'bliss' with that of Ada suspended at the bottom of the ocean, tied forever to her piano? There is much about Ada's past that is unspoken.

Ambiguity

JANE CAMPION

The inscrutability of character motivation was the subject of intense critical discussion with regards to Isabel in The Portrait of a Lady: The ambiguous nature of Isabel's desire is

expressed in the openness of the film's ending, as Isabel appears literally frozen on the threshold between escape with Caspar Goodwood and retreat to the oppressive sphere of the domestic: what will Isabel's final decision be?

Ambiguity

JANE CAMPION

Ambiguity in Campion's films is not limited to her characters => it extends to critical analysis of her own directorial project. For several film critics, it is unclear

whether or not Holy Smoke explores or exploits alternative belief systems. Does Campion praise or parody Ruth's pursuit of spiritual enlightenment?

Ambiguity

JANE CAMPION

Themes: Romance & Desire

JANE CAMPION

Campion's films suggest she is acutely aware of the risks of romance and the dangers of desire for women in patriarchal society: For example, in The Piano, while Ada is

successful in achieving romantic union with George, it comes at significant cost – the loss of a finger and two attempts at rape by her jealous husband.

Romance & Desire

JANE CAMPION

However, The Piano was also the catalyst for debates about what constitutes women's cinema => the film explores female desire and sensibility.

CLIP: Chapters 24-25

Romance & Desire

JANE CAMPION

In The Portrait of a Lady, the opening credit sequence has contemporary teenage Australian girls discussing the thrill of their first kiss and their romantic aspirations for future relationships. The girls' voice-overs narrate

instances of feminine desire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrk0uePKRMI&feature=rel

ated

Romance & Desire

JANE CAMPION

In The Portrait of a Lady, Isabel imagines her three suitors lying in bed with her, kissing and caressing her face and body, or looking on with desire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsNDexNexqM

Romance & Desire

JANE CAMPION

In Holy Smoke, sex becomes a bargaining chip between Ruth and PJ. Perceiving the weakness at the heart of his machismo, Ruth seduces PJ in an attempt to reverse the power structure implicit in her position as a cult follower in need of 'de-programming'.

PJ assumes the feminized, pathetic position of delirious lover, stumbling across the desert in a red dress and lipstick, finally collapsing and hallucinating images of Ruth as an Indian goddess. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcc3Y642Cv8&feature=related

Romance & Desire

JANE CAMPION

The Piano (1993)

Main Subject: Women, power,

and sexuality in the colonial context of mid-19th century New Zealand (Scottish colonists)

Holy Smoke (1999)

Main Subject: Women, power,

and sexuality in the context of contemporary Australia.

JANE CAMPION

The Piano (1993)Holy Smoke

(1999)

JANE CAMPION

The disturbing nature of Campion's films comes from the physical and emotional violence that is inflicted upon the female protagonists:

In Sweetie, Dawn is rejected by her family. In An Angel at My Table, Janet undergoes

electroshock therapy. In The Piano, Ada is assaulted by her

husband. In Holy Smoke, Ruth is hit by PJ.

Physical & Emotional Violence

JANE CAMPION

The themes of madness as a rejection of the patriarchal order, ambiguity, female desire, and violence as a male’ reaction to women’s emancipation are central to Campion's films.

Campion’s Films: Themes

JANE CAMPION

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2009/09/video-jane-campion-talks-bright-star.html

Video: Jane

Campion talks Bright

Star