Friday, October 29, 2010
It's Foxy Cleopatra!
In the beginning of Jennifer Brody’s article “The Return of Cleopatra Jones” there is an interesting quotation by Ossie Davis that says, “What's Past is Prologue; but in black history it's also Precedent.” This statement in my opinion reflects the African American identity being assimilated into popular culture in the 70’s. Prior to these times in history the African American woman had no identity in the media and were left out in the cold. After watching Cleopatra Jones I was instantly reminded of Austin Powers: Goldmember as Beyonce’s character was ‘Foxy Cleopatra” a strong but feminine secret agent who spoke as strongly as she was physically. This goes back to the article’s idea of a 1970’s revival in the 1990’s. Cleopatra Jones may dress outlandishly and her high-flying karate skills may come under scrutiny but in my opinion she is the sole representation of a strong African American female with a power position among her peers and law enforcement. The reading then focuses on the possibility of Cleopatra Jones to be a “queer” character more so in the sequel than in the original film that came out in 1973. Queer not necessarily meaning lesbian in this case as she dressed in a pristine and outrageous manner. She was the epitome of the African American feminist but carried herself in a highly masculine way. She reigned over the law enforcement and other male characters instilling fear and respect among her peers. There were a couple of instanced in which she totally served these guys up. When she was in the airport and foiled the attack by mommy’s stooges she kills a man, flashes her presidential identification and scampers off like nothing even happened. Even further into the film she places a call to the police department over their raid over an African American safe-haven and the one officer states that “it’s Cleo, and she’s hot”. The cowardice of the officers in dealing with Cleopatra Jones is almost laughable as she carries the stick. I would not say this warrants the character of Cleo as a lesbian as the author of the article tries to prove. Brody insists that there were several references of Cleopatra Jones in Lesbian related movies made in the 1990’s. These references according to Brody’s article were based off of the second installment of Cleopatra Jones, which we were unable to see in class. The article said that she was “heterosexualized” in the first movie and made queer in the second. The only homosexuality we saw in Cleopatra Jones was the queer behavior of the antagonist in Shelly Winter’s character, mommy. What can be said for Cleopatra Jones and movies like it in the 70’s was that it was highly revolutionary for both African Americans and Feminists. In class we discussed that African American females were very hesitant to support feminist ideologies as they were still focused on the civil rights movement. What do you think of the article? Do you view Cleopatra Jones as “queer” or even as a lesbian? Do you think the author of the article went and overanalyzed the movie as most of the author’s of the readings do? Do you think I’m wrong? I know Nic probably does.
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When watching the film I never thought of Cleo as being a lesbian. She is portrayed as a strong woman, and involved in a profession that is generally associated with men. This, stereotypically, would lead viewers to believe that she may be a lesbian. However she is shown with a boyfriend and it never really crossed mind that she was a lesbian. I agree that the only hints of homosexuality in the film would be Mommy's relationship with the girl who "always knows what mommy wants." As usual the article does seem to go overboard with it's analysis of the film. Also I agree that most of the articles we've read do go overboard.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely interesting that the film both shows feminist and African American views. Especially since you mentioned that African Americans were very hesitant to join the feminist movement. I think the film does a fantastic job showing both.
Before reading the article, I never once considered Cleopatra Jones as a lesbian. Her character represents a resistance to patriarchy. She is in command of her own sexuality, and even though many characters in the film are in awe of her physical beauty, she only engages and accepts advances on her own terms. What makes her so striking is her independence. She is not reliant whatsoever on a man and thriving in a field dominated and almost entirely associated with men. This is probably one of the first films in which we don’t see a woman directly tied to or portrayed through a man. Cleopatra Jone’s sexuality is not in possession of a boyfriend, husband, or father figure; she exists as a new model of female representation. I think all of these factors could be used to support a lesbian identity but I don’t feel that is necessarily the case.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, i find it offensive to suggest that Cleopatra Jones is a lesbian. "Oh wow. A strong, independent, fast driving, high kicking, badass women. Must be a lesbian." To try and suggest that she is a lesbian just because she is strong and independent completely degrades women everywhere. Can only lesbians be as strong as Cleopatra? All women can be strong minded and willed, lesbian or not. If there was any evidence at all in this movie that she was a lesbian i wouldnt be so put off by the claim, but there isnt. That's all that i have to say about the homosexual aspect.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, i loved this movie. It was hilarious and fun, and though the fight scenes weren't all too well choreographed, they were so bad they they were good. The awesome music, the overzealous characters and their attire, and the over the top villain, made this a movie to be watched for pure entertainment. Other than the entertainment factor, it had a positive anti-drug/anti-crime sentiment, as well as ideas of equality between races and peoples of all types. All together, an enjoyable movie, which says alot about the times it was made in.
I think that Tom put it best, or at least I like what he said about Cleopatra Jones being a lesbian, because it can definitely be taken as offensive. Thinking about it, as we were told in class, this movie was made for a dominantly male audience, and obviously enough, though it was implied many times during the film that the Cleopatra was the epitome of sexy, there had to have been a number of that male audience that felt threatened by this strength-adorned female figure. These men probably thought that the answer to Tom's question "Can only lesbians be as strong as Cleopatra?" was an absolute yes. Reason being that they probably felt intimidated by the idea of a woman who did not need a man's help and that the only way conceivably possible for a woman such as Cleopatra to exist would be if she were not a "normal" female, therefore setting aside their fear of a possible self-reliant, "normal" female existing in their midst. Maybe that is taking what the article talked about a little out of context, but I don't agree that Cleopatra Jone stood as a lesbian figure to begin with.
ReplyDeleteThis of course speaks for my thoughts on the first movie only, as I did not watch the sequel like you guys, but even still, Cleo a lesbian? I'm not convinced in the slightest bit.
Matthew you qualify the point and summarize the reading nicely, but then kind of distract yourself. Nobody suggested that Cleo was a lesbian (though I don't know why that would be offensive.) Rather, as you quite precisely outline, the role she plays crosses over gender stereotypes, there's a whole lot of flirtation going on between Cleo and another woman in the sequel, and the ways in which she is stylish to the point of camp appeals to contemporary queer audiences.
ReplyDeleteI'd have liked to see even a bit more exploration of how you as a contemporary audience react to this movie, its cartoonishness, and its emphasis on style. But please don't distract yourselves by raising and disagreeing with points nobody has actually made. It derails the level of consideration of much more interesting issues that you're all capable of.