Liberation for Rebecca Only In Death
“Woman on a Motorcycle� is far from a liberating film for women. This can be noted by the use of phallocentrism and the male gaze.
From the motorcycle Rebecca rides to the various actions of the characters, the use of phallocentrism throughout the film reinforces the audience’s perspective that women are marginal, inferior, and passive. As Rebecca sneaks outside to go see Daniel we first lay eyes on the motorcycle. This bike is a phalicized object that is responsible for penetrating all that is in front of Rebecca. The first thing she says as she approaches the bike is “there he is.� Rebecca’s motorcycle, a gift from Daniel and a phalicized object, is at the center of the film. It is the bike that is responsible for the film’s action, as well as a means of control Daniel has over Rebecca. All she can talk about while riding the bike is Daniel and she behaves as though she is a giddy teenage girl. Her behavior and lack of independence from Daniel makes it hard to associate with Rebecca. Even when the motorcycle isn’t present we are still given the impression that women are not free based on the characters actions. For example when Daniel enters Rebecca’s fathers book store the two men exchange dialogue in the center of the screen while Rebecca appears in the margin on a ladder. Or when Rebecca arrives at Daniel’s and falls into his arms. She submissively lays there as he begins to undress her.
From phallocentrism to the male gaze the film continues to follow the same theme. In the opening scene of the film Rebecca walks around her home naked and we watch in pleasure (scopophilia). The door frames her body to emphasize that she is on display for us. As we sit in the dark voyeuristically watching her every move we feel a sense of perversion. Another important scene that demonstrates how the male gaze is established is when Rebecca is with Daniel who is wearing sunglasses. The sunglasses block us from seeing his eyes and leave us associating more with him. We watch Rebecca just as we assume he is.
For all of these reasons the film “Woman on a Motorcycle� is far from a liberating tale. The only moment in the film when we could say Rebecca is liberated would be in her death.