bell hooks's "The Oppositional Gaze" and Jordan Peele's Get Out (2017)

This segment introduces a discussion on the film 'Get Out' from the perspective of Bell Hooks's interest in black female spectatorship and representation in American cinema. The lecturer poses research questions about the portrayal of black female characters in 'Get Out,' focusing on three main characters: Georgina, Detective Latoya, and Chris's mother. The discussion points to the lack of black women's representation in the film and its implications, as debated in popular film criticism. The lecturer suggests examining how the film reflects on black female stereotypes and the history of cinema, particularly through the character of Georgina, and how 'Get Out' parallels and diverges from the 1967 film 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' in its portrayal of racial dynamics and stereotypes.

This section delves into specific scenes of 'Get Out,' comparing them to 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' to explore themes of confrontation, internalized racism, and class mobility. It examines the interactions between Chris and the housekeeper, Georgina, and the historical context of black maids in cinema. The lecturer discusses how these interactions reflect on broader themes of racism, integration, and black spectatorship. The analysis highlights how 'Get Out' updates and transforms the encounter with the housekeeper to convey a sense of strangeness and menace, using horror movie tropes to enhance the experience. The discussion also touches on the film's commentary on black power and the fantasy of black integration for white audiences.

This paragraph focuses on the theme of the gaze, particularly how 'Get Out' addresses Bell Hooks's concept of the oppositional gaze in relation to black female representation. The lecturer questions the significance of Chris's character being a photographer and how his photography reflects his perspective and experiences as a black man. The analysis explores how 'Get Out' uses optical point of view as a cinematographic technique and its implications for black spectatorship and identification. The lecturer also discusses the portrayal of black women in the film, specifically Georgina's character, and how her situation compares to male characters who escape the sunken place.

In this section, the lecturer examines how 'Get Out' engages with themes of looking, spectatorship, and the power dynamics associated with the gaze. The discussion covers the historical context of black spectatorship in film and television, the impact of racial representation, and how the film uses visual storytelling to critique white supremacy and the negation of black representation. The analysis also considers how the film's portrayal of the sunken place metaphorically represents black spectatorship, passive consumption, and the lack of agency. The lecturer highlights the significance of the camera's flash in breaking the cycle of passivity, drawing parallels between the use of camera phones in documenting police brutality and the film's commentary on art, journalism, and activism.

The final paragraph wraps up the discussion by summarizing the main points raised throughout the video. It emphasizes how 'Get Out' can be analyzed through the lens of Bell Hooks's essay on the oppositional gaze, particularly in terms of black female representation, the use of gaze and spectatorship in film, and the critique of racial dynamics and stereotypes. The lecturer leaves the audience with provocations for further thought on the film's engagement with themes of looking, power, and resistance against a backdrop of white supremacy in cinema. The segment suggests that 'Get Out' serves as a productive case study for exploring the complexities of race, gender, and media representation.