On MA course we had a British cinema module and one of the last movies we discussed was The Full Monty (1997). I started to think about Calendar Girls as a contrast to this film, so when I got home I decided to re - watch it. I was surprised that the film often puts forward some rather subversive and interesting points.
The film I think gets away with this so well due to being able to hide this subversion under the guise of British quirkiness. At first you are presented with a traditional British comedy, with wacky characters and a self - deprecating style of comedy. However, if you scratch the surface you may well see what I see. A film that often comments on the way women are portrayed in film and media.
The film follows Annie (Julie Walters) who looses her husband John to cancer, and her friend Chris (Helen Mirren). Both women attend the WI (Women's Institute) a British organisation for women that houses many traditionally feminine activities such as cake baking and knitting, which allows women in very traditional roles to become more developed and gain some independence. This is shown with the character Ruth in particular, who was very quite, but then is able to stand up for herself and gain a voice. When Annie sits in the waiting room in the hospital she has to wait on a horrible old sofa, so she wants to raise money in order to get a new one for the hospital. Chris gets the idea to do a calendar from a calendar of young naked women on a mechanic's wall. This together with the porn magazines Chris finds under her son's bed shows how aware the film is of how women are objectified through cameras. Chris's son has a friend Gaz who talks to him constantly about 'tits', this comments on the male gaze. How when women are photographed it is often by a male, for a male audience.
There is an interesting distinction made by the ladies, that is the difference between naked and nude. Nude is artistic, and naked is sexual. When they are just trying it out and take a picture of Chris with her bra off, Jessie (Annette Crosbie) poses the question 'What is the difference between this and the Venus De Milo?' Annie replies 'I think the answer to that is very simple, an artist'. Therefore they go looking for a photographer that will treat them with respect and photograph them in artistic way. The way he does treat them in the photographs means that they are not objectified but suddenly their act of taking their clothes off becomes inspirational. The calendar is a hit, selling millions of copies, and even successful in America as well. These women are presented as gaining something from posing naked. They feel liberated. Not only do they gang together and find strength in all being joined in this act, but they are suddenly reacting against the stereotypical ideals of beauty. They are all middle age and have bodies with flaws, whereas the women presented in the calendar are perfect looking robots, young and air brushed. They are almost presenting the idea that women of all ages should feel comfortable with their bodies and that society should celebrate how women's bodies look naturally, at all ages.
There is a lot of other interesting points being made when the women go to America. They all are very excited to go to Hollywood. They are welcomed and get to live a life of luxury in a very swanky hotel and can afford new designer clothes. Annie is a bit annoyed with Chris and her indulgence of the press. She thinks that Chris is loosing track of why they were doing the calendar to begin with. Chris gets caught up, as do most of the women, in this new life of glamour and loose the values behind the idea of the calendar. When Chris signs them up to do a laundry commercial they are asked to remove their clothes. Annie storms off set and they wonder into a lot which Annie calls 'a cardboard street' and states how Chris is talking about 'meeting George Clooney'. Here, these British quirky characters are plonked onto a Hollywood set. They almost loose their identity. As a film it could easily loose its identity as British and resort to Hollywood cliches. I think it says a lot about the film that is willing to question whether it is doing that. The film is saying that it is attempting is to remain a character piece with heart rather than a cliched Hollywood film with big star names.
Even though the film has big British names, they are playing characters, all with individual charm. For instance, Jessie walks around with journalists asking her questions. She walks to Chris' house and says 'I have brought my journalists to meet your journalists.' This film does has a wonderful sense of humour. It does give into a few cliches but it has charm and does care about the characters it presents. It also tries to present an inspiring way in which a group of women all took on the traditional images of women presented by the media. I may be giving this film a bit too much credit but I do think it is very much aware, it does often reference it after all, of the male gaze and how the women are all gaining something from subverting that stereotypical representation.
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