Mulvey writes that we live in a phallocentric, patriarchal society where maleness is revered and women viewed as a threat. She suggests that, in the eyes of men, women symbolize castration due to the physical lack of a penis and are thereby an uncomfortable image for men. Men can only regain their comfort by reducing women into objects which they can dominate. (Mulvey, 22-23) In Memories of Underdevelopment, Elena and Laura are both under the control of Sergio. He submits Laura to humiliation and psychological torment by setting up secret recording devices and then playing with her mind, degrading her to a cowering, miserable woman. She can only find relief by leaving Sergio and Cuba. After Lauraís departure (which Sergio handles with indifference), he moves on to a young, naive Elena whom he tries to manipulate and conform to his idea of a desirable woman. He exploits both women and views them as inferior to himself. They are things, objects, like cattle that he can use for his own pleasures.

Another author addresses the issue of the way women are perceived in the visual arts. John Berger in his book Ways of Seeing writes, "she turns herself into an object(and most particularly and object of vision: a sight" (47). Woman becomes a commodity, like a work of art, whose only purposes is for the aesthetic enjoyment of men. Berger goes on to state that ìultimately how she appears to men, is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as the success of her lifeî (46). A woman's image is so important that it determines the course of her life, especially in a patriarchal society where woman is subject to man. The snapshots of Elena in the window of Hemmingwayís house exemplify the notion of women as purely sexual objects. Her sensual poses are inviting and similar to those found in classical nudes and girlie magazines. This kind of pose transforms Elena from a person with an identity and personality into an embodiment of female sexuality and a focus of male lust. Sergio's only reason for being with Elena is that she is beautiful and attractive. It is her physical appearance that wins her a lover and supporter. Mulvey presents in her essay the belief that "film reflects, reveals and even plays on the straight, socially established interpretation of sexual difference which controls images, erotic ways of looking and spectacle" (22). Here the words "looking and spectacle" are important to show that women are objectified as a display where the intended audience is presumed to be male. Elena poses to please men and show women what they should expect to be and how to be viewed. Going back to Bergerís idea that the treatment of women rests on their countenance, Sergio remarks that Cuban women are like ripe fruit that after 30 or 35 rot with extraordinary rapidity, implying that he looks on women for only their bodies.

This action of gazing on and critiquing of the female form in film leads to the conclusion that cinema is a voyeuristic experience. Mulvey explains that "the darkness in the auditorium, and the brilliance of the shifting patterns of light and shade on the screen helps to promote the illusion of voyeuristic separation". She goes on to say that people want to be the actors in the movie and to have what they have (25). The male audience of Memories of Underdevelopment identifies with Sergio and put themselves in his role encountering all the events along with Sergio. In the same vein, just as Sergio possesses Elena so does the audience. Mulvey states, a woman "holds the look, plays to and signifies male desire" (27). She is a tool in the male sexual satisfaction. Berger further elaborates, "[women] are there to feed an appetite, not to have any of their own" (55). They idea of a women having a sexual appetite goes along with the threat of women as representative of castration; both threaten male domination and superiority over a passive woman. Elena and Sergio's maid are portrayed as filling Sergioís sexual taste and act appealingly yet do not exhibit any appetite of their own. The maid simply cleans and wanders around the house while Sergio fantasizes about her. In the bedroom Elena teases and provokes Sergio but not because she is displaying any kind of sexual desire her own but to heighten Sergio's (and, as a result, that of the male audience). Through Sergio the audience feels that it too can indulge in sexually activities with Elena and the maid, hence cinema becomes a form of voyeurism.

For centuries and in many countries and cultures, women have been considered in be in the same category as chattel, decorative ornaments, and a display of the wealth of her husband. In our contemporary era of technology, women are still portrayed in films in the same fashion in spite of decades of womenís liberation and feminist movements. By psychoanalyzing the Cuban film Memories of Underdevelopment, it portrays the plight of women in a culture embedded with machismo. Both John Berger and Laura Mulvey offer insights into examining the role of the modern female form.

Works Cited

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting and Penguin Books, 1997.

Mulvey, Laura. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Page 1.

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