JCM312/Claire Denis (Discussion)

http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T340/Chocolat04.jpg

1. Considering the sexual politics of the gaze, how does Chocolat splice the politics of race and colonialism onto it? See the scene where Protée helps Aimée dress, in particular.
2. Just because a film is made by a woman does not mean it will necessarily be feminist. Do you think that Chocolat is pro-feminist? Why or why not?
3. If, indeed, it is a feminist film, into which category does it fit? (These categories may overlap.)
   1. Documentary
   2. Socialist Realist
   3. Women's cinema as counter cinema

Bibliography

• Mayne, Judith. Claire Denis (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2005), pp. 33-48.
• Kuhn, Annette. Women's Pictures: Feminism and Cinema. Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1982.

External links

• Vagabond examples
• Godard and Brecht: Godard's Criticism, Vivre sa Vie & Breathless