Framed: Women in Law and Film (E-Duke Books Scholarly Collection)

Some women attack and harm men who abuse them. Social norms, law, and films all participate in framing these occurrences, guiding us in understanding and judging them. How do social, legal, and cinematic conventions and mechanisms combine to lead us to condemn these women or exonerate them? What is it, exactly, that they teach us to find such women guilty or innocent of, and how do they do so? Through innovative readings of a dozen movies made between 1928 and 2001 in Europe, Japan, and the United States, Orit Kamir shows that in representing “gender crimes,” feature films have constructed a cinematic jurisprudence, training audiences worldwide in patterns of judgment of women (and men) in such situations. Offering a novel formulation of the emerging field of law and film, Kamir combines basic legal concepts—murder, rape, provocation, insanity, and self-defense—with narratology, social science methodologies, and film studies. __Framed__ not only offers a unique study of law and film but also points toward new directions in feminist thought. Shedding light on central feminist themes such as victimization and agency, multiculturalism, and postmodernism, Kamir outlines a feminist cinematic legal critique, a perspective from which to evaluate the “cinematic legalism” that indoctrinates and disciplines audiences around the world. Bringing an original perspective to feminist analysis, she demonstrates that the distinction between honor and dignity has crucial implications for how societies construct women, their social status, and their legal rights. In __Framed__, she outlines a dignity-oriented, honor-sensitive feminist approach to law and film.

Some women attack and harm men who abuse them. Social norms, law, and films all participate in framing these occurrences, guiding us in understanding and judging them. How do social, legal, and cinematic conventions and mechanisms combine to lead us to condemn these women or exonerate them? What is it, exactly, that they teach us to find such women guilty or innocent of, and how do they do so?

Through innovative readings of a dozen movies made between 1928 and 2001 in Europe, Japan, and the United States, Orit Kamir shows that in representing “gender crimes,” feature films have constructed a cinematic jurisprudence, training audiences worldwide in patterns of judgment of women (and men) in such situations. Offering a novel formulation of the emerging field of law and film, Kamir combines basic legal concepts—murder, rape, provocation, insanity, and self-defense—with narratology, social science methodologies, and film studies.

Framed not only offers a unique study of law and film but also points toward new directions in feminist thought. Shedding light on central feminist themes such as victimization and agency, multiculturalism, and postmodernism, Kamir outlines a feminist cinematic legal critique, a perspective from which to evaluate the “cinematic legalism” that indoctrinates and disciplines audiences around the world. Bringing an original perspective to feminist analysis, she demonstrates that the distinction between honor and dignity has crucial implications for how societies construct women, their social status, and their legal rights. In Framed, she outlines a dignity-oriented, honor-sensitive feminist approach to law and film.

Through Innovative Readings Of A Dozen Movies Made Between 1928 And 2001 In Europe, Japan, And The United States, Orit Kamir Shows That In Representing 'gender Crimes,' Feature Films Have Constructed A Cinematic Jurisprudence, Training Audiences Worldwide In Patterns Of Judgment Of Women (and Men) In Such Situations. Offering A Novel Formulation Of The Emerging Field Of Law And Film, Kamir Combines Basic Legal Concepts - Murder, Rape, Provocation, Insanity, And Self-defense - With Narratology, Social Science Methodologies, And Film Studies--p. [4] Of Cover. Rashomon (japan, 1950) : Construction Of Woman As Guilty Object -- Pandora's Box (germany, 1928) : Exorcising Pandora-lilith In The Weimar Republic -- Blackmail (england, 1929) : Hitchcock's Sound And The New Woman's Guilty Silence -- Anatomy Of A Murder (u.s.a., 1959) : Hollywood's Hero-lawyer Revives The Unwritten Law -- Adam's Rib (u.s.a., 1949) : Hollywood's Female Lawyer And Family Values -- Nuts (u.s.a., 1987) : The Mad Woman's Day In Court -- Death And The Maiden (u.s.a., 1994) : Challenging Trauma With Feminine Judgment And Justice -- A Question Of Silence (netherlands, 1982) : Feminist Community As Revolution -- Set It Off (u.s.a., 1996) : Minority Women At The Point Of No Return -- High Heels (spain, 1991) : Almodovar's Postmodern Transgression. Orit Kamir. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [299]-311) And Index. Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Preface 12 Introduction: Conceptual Framework 22 Part I: Feminist Critique of Law Films that Honor-judge Women 62 1. Rashomon (Japan, 1950): Construction of Woman as Guilty Object 64 2. Pandora’s Box (Germany, 1928): Exorcising Pandora-Lilith in the Weimar Republic 94 3. Blackmail (England, 1929): Hitchcock’s Sound and the New Woman’s Guilty Silence 111 4. Anatomy of a Murder (U.S.A., 1959): Hollywood’s Hero-Lawyer Revives the Unwritten Law 133 Part II Cinematic Women Demanding Judgment 154 5. Adam’s Rib (U.S.A., 1949): Hollywood’s Female Lawyer and Family Values (Read with Disclosure and Legally Blonde) 156 6. Nuts (U.S.A., 1987): The Mad Woman’s Day in Court 181 7. Death and the Maiden (U.S.A., 1994): Challenging Trauma with Feminine Judgment and Justice (Read with The Piano) 206 Part III Women Resisting and Subverting Judgment 236 8. A Question of Silence (Netherlands, 1982): Feminist Community as Revolution (Read against ‘‘A Jury of Her Peers’’) 238 9. Set it Off (U.S.A., 1996): Minority Women at the Point of No Return 264 10. High Heels (Spain, 1991): Almodovar’s Postmodern Transgression 285 Notes 306 Bibliography 320 Index 334 Intervenes in the emerging discipline of law-and-film by developing a framework for evaluating how films represent "gender crimes" and how those representations affect audiences' ideas about women, their legal rights, and their roles in society Theorizes the emerging field at the intersection of law and film through a detailed, feminist analysis of masterpiece films about law from around the world