Feminism in Vera Chytilová’s “Daisies”: Montage, Collage, and Symbol
Abstract
Vera Chytilová’s “Daisies” offers a particular case to view how montage, collage, and symbolism could contribute to feminist cinema. “Daisies” was subject to censorship when it was first released for its rebellious story which strongly challenged the social norms of that time. Although it has been widely regarded as a surreal exploration of nihilism, it explores the deconstruction and reconstruction of female identity. This study adopts a feminist theory to investigate how this movie communicates its feminist ideals using a defamiliarized visual language system. Specifically, the study analyzes certain scenes in the movie with a particular focus on how “Daisies” challenges conventional gender roles and creates a feminism narrative. It figures out that montage expands the inner space of these characters; collage allows for the fragmentation of their identities; symbolism such as apple trees, apples, and other motifs carry additional thematic possibilities of temptation, sin, and female resistance. These stylistic choices and visual strategies present a fresh female perspective, encouraging the audience to question social norms and embrace unfiltered viewpoints. By upending conventionally male-centric ideas, the movie’s defamiliarized visual language reinforces feminist messages and helps us comprehend its complex artistic and thematic issues.
References
- Lim, B. C. (2001). Dolls in Fragments: “Daisies” as Feminist Allegory. Camera Obscura, 16(2),37–77.
- Hames, P. (2000). Czech Cinema: From State Industry to Competition. Canadian Slavonic Papers / Revue Canadienne des Slavistes, 42(1/2), 63-85.
- Soukup, K. (1998). Banquet of Profanities: Food and Subversion in Vera Chytilova’s “Daisies”. Tessera, 24, 38-52.
- Owen, J. L. (1966). Spoiled Aesthetics: Realism and Anti-Humanism in Věra Chytilová’s “Daisies”. Avant-Garde to New Wave: Czechoslovak Cinema, Surrealism, and the Sixties. Berghahn Books.
- Geller, T. L. (2018). Thinking Sex Doing Gender, Watching Film. The Anthem Handbook of Screen Theory, edited by Hunter Vaughan and Tom Conley. Anthem Press.
- Parvulescu, A. (2006) So We Will Go Bad: Cheekiness, Laughter, Film. Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies, 62, 144-167.
- Mayne, J. (1985). Feminist Film Theory and Criticism. Signs, 11(1), 81–100.
- Boon, M.(2013). In Praise of Copying. Harvard University Press.
- Scalia,B.R. (2012). Toward a Semiotics of Poetry and Film: Meaning-Making and Extra-Linguistic Signification. Literature/Film Quarterly,40(1),46-53.
- Raaberg, G. (1998). Beyond Fragmentation: Collage as Feminist Strategy in the Arts. Mosaic: An Interdisciplinary Critical Journal, 31(3),153-171.