Girl on a Motorcycle/ Female Liberation
Many questions and ideas were raised in my head, while watching Girl on a Motorcycle. First it was very apparent apparent that even though the movie stared a female in the leading role, it somehow still managed to maintain a phallocentristic point of view. Though to Rebecca's credit, she seemed to hold some power over her husband. It was very clear to see that, as they say, she wore the pants in the relationship. Raymond seemed to have no say as to what she did and didn't do. Though I do not think that this film overall was very liberating for women, parts of it gave hint to liberation. The independence that Rebecca showed and the fact that she did what she wanted and when she wanted was very outside the norm for women of her time. So, in that way she showed some liberation. Although, the power of the male gaze was also very evident throughout the film. Mainly at the border of Germany when she was on her way to see Daniel. The way the border men looked at her, and touched her, showed that no matter what she did female liberation could only go so far in those times. The men knew that they had a certain power over her, and her lack of resistance proved them right. It almost seemed as if she thought it was their right to touch her inappropriately which doesn't go far in the goal to liberate women.
Though Rebecca seemed to have great power over her husband Raymond, it was the opposite with Daniel. He was almost like a drug for her, she just couldn't stop or get enough. Though she tried many times to "quit him", she just couldn't find the strength to stop seeing him, and that was what ultimately led to her death. He along with her motorcycle became almost a fetish to her, though she knew seeing him was wrong, she couldn't pull herself from him. Though I would say this film had moments of women liberation, it still portrayed the power that men had over women back in those times. It was a new role for a woman to have as the adulturer, rebellious, motorcycle driving lead that was up until then always given to a male, but it still had to a certain degree the idea of a man being in control.