offers a replay of the archetypal male fears of female sexuality. In this sense, the movie follows the conventions of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
. A dark and brooding Mr. Rochester with a daunting past is here played by a blond and brooding Leonardo DiCaprio with an equally painful past. Both men are obsessed with control. What they are trying to control so desperately is the irrational sphere of emotions and dreams associated with women.Both Mr. Rochester and Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception
are haunted by their wives who represent a raw, uncontrollable sexuality that threatens the obsession with control that drives these men. Both men manipulate their wives into what they see as 'insanity' and hide them either in the attic or in the basement. Both are helped in their quest to liberate themselves from the influence of their wives by a woman who embodies a completely different type of femininity: boyish, asexual, and fully dedicated to maintaining the world of logic and control at the expense of everything sexual, sensual, and irrational. The female lead in Inception is played by Ellen Page whose big head on a 10-year-old's body symbolizes her rejection of everything female.Even some small details that were present in Jane Eyre
reappear in Inception. A huge knife wielded by Berta Rochester is picked up by the main character's wife. A jump out of a window plays a similarly crucial role in both works. And, of course, the feeling of male terror that comes as a response to being confronted with the threat of an uncontrollable female sexuality informs both the novel and the movie in a very similar way.What Inception teaches us is that no matter how many special effects you pile up, some things remain the same throughout history.
14 comments:
Fascinating! I just saw it. Got home about an hour ago. Still processing. And now I'll consider your perspective, too...
I agree with you, but I also think Ellen Page is a great actress and was much more sexy than whoever played the wife. (Page was just amazing in Hard Candy.)
Inception needed more Ellen Page, and far less of the woman-fear.
-Mike
Of course, I didn't mean what actual people find sexy but rather the Hollywood coda of sexiness.
I like that clarification, actually. I wasn't totally sold on the idea because I thought the logic gal was hot in her own way. I'm still not sure I see the woman-fear as substantive. Still considering it since I can't explain the movie any other way now that I've read your review.
Can't you just watch a movie and enjoy it without trying so hard to add all this ideology onto it?
Not sure I agree with this interpretation. DiCaprio's wife doesn't actually appear in the film (except in flashbacks)- what we see is DiCaprio's somewhat malicious projection of her. She is dead, having committed suicide.
DiCaprio did not hide away his wife, because she's gone. He's hiding his own guilt, burying it inside his memories. In the end, DiCaprio rejects not his wife, but his guilt over her suicide, which he ultimately was not responsible for.
I really don't understand where you're getting this whole "female sexuality" motif. Gender politics are nonexistent in this film, as in all of Nolan's works. It's not something he's interested in.
"Gender politics are nonexistent in this film, as in all of Nolan's works. It's not something he's interested in."
-You can say that all you want but still for some reason the conflict that haunts the main character is not between him and a parent, a sibling, a best friend, or a former colleague. He is trapped by a woman. As to the main character hiding his guilt, etc., that's exactly what happens in Jane Eyre as well.
I'm noticing that people who are disagreeing with my reading of the film (which is perfectly acceptable, of course, are not providing any interpretation of their own). I'd love to see alternative readings of the movie.
Still processing my own reaction, but I laughed out loud at your description of EP as "a big head on a 10-yr old's body". [Personally I can't stand her, but that's probably residual prejudice leftover from "Juno"! However, a movie concerning a teenager making the choice to terminate an unwanted pregnancy would never have gotten past the drawing board in today's climate.]
I saw Cobb as tortured/trapped by his guilt as the "inceptor" of the idea which ultimately caused his wife's suicide, but your Rochester angle is intriguing.
Hi!
So great to come across this post; 'Jane Eyre in dreamland' is exactly how i read Inception - so now i don't have to blog about it!! I would add that, DC's 'crazy' first wife is French, in Hollywood coded as Foreign/dangerous/unstable (unlike balanced Page) - its also very much like 'The Cat People' in these respects. rochester's first wife is referred to as Creole; an alterity in the white, english protagonist's eyes explored by jean rhys in 'wide sargasso sea'...
Thank you, Phil! Cultural critics all over the world seem to think in a similar way. :-)
"You can say that all you want but still for some reason the conflict that haunts the main character is not between him and a parent, a sibling, a best friend, or a former colleague. He is trapped by a woman."
Well, yes she is- but I don't see how that's indicative of anything. Around 50% of us are women, so I don't think that fact means that there are gendered themes. To make the emotional thread of the story resonate, the Shade- the source of Cobb's guilt- has to be someone he truly cared above. The obvious choice here would be his wife.
How did I see the movie? Personally I don't think there was any social commentary- rather, it was (appropriately) a study of the human psyche.
Don't get me wrong- your post was interesting, and a good read. Kudos on that- but I just didn't get the same vibe from the film.
"Gender politics are nonexistent in this film, as in all of Nolan's works. It's not something he's interested in."
"Personally I don't think there was any social commentary- rather, it was (appropriately) a study of the human psyche."
There doesn't need to be an intention or even an awareness on the part of the film maker for gender politics to be an issue. Gender dynamics play out regardless.
Frankly? I think you're reading something that it's not there. Why? Because Rochester thought it was all Berta's fault, while Cohb eventually acknowledges he poisoned Moll's mind by manipulating her. Also: Rochester found a way out in Jane, while Cohb and Arianna do not get involved. She's the architect, she shoots Moll (who is by now the very incarnation of Cohb's guilt) and gets out on her own, leaving Cohb to his own devices. He does not get out for her; rather for his sons.
And ultimately, yes, it's all about the psyche. One last thing: the traditional mother-father roles are inverted, which to me seems pretty against the usual stereotypes.
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