Running head: THE GAZE IN CROSSING DELANCEY
Screen Literacy
FTV 10003
Swinburne University
Word count: 1022
1
THE GAZE IN CROSSING DELANCEY
2
The Gaze in Crossing Delancey
Crossing Delancey has a female protagonist, who is in control of her life for the most
part. Her name is Izzy, and she goes through the life struggle of people pushing her to find a
man, and even though Izzy thinks she knows what she wants, she has deep rooted feelings for
a different type of person. Male superiority in film is commonplace, but only in the past
couple of decades has there been development in the area where female’s play more
empowering roles that are less objectifying. Albeit there is improvement, the empowerment
of men and the objectifying of women is still prominent.
Mulvey (2009) believes the Male Gaze revolves around the “active/male and
passive/female” where the man has sexual fantasies about the female. The frequency of this
in Crossing Delancey is minimal, which is commendable. Generally, the Male Gaze appears
to be the sole focus of a film, where the hero falls in love with the attractive heroine, and
where she is seen as a mere ‘thing’ for pleasure, but of course that is not always the case. In
Crossing Delancey, the Male Gaze is displayed by Anton several times throughout the film.
In the beginning of the film, Anton is seen to use his finger to call Izzy, who dumbfoundedly
walks towards him in a daze. This initial interaction between the two presents Anton as
dominant, and Izzy, the opposite. Anton is portrayed as a wealthy, educated, and charming
man whom is attracted to Izzy extrinsically, but merely desires her bodily functions as well as
her skills as an assistant. In addition, the scene near the end of the film when Anton shows his
true intentions in his bedroom with Izzy displays the Male Gaze as well, where he seduces
and kisses her, to which she responded positively. The Male Gaze is also directed at
spectators of the film, rather than characters within the film. This is hinted at when Izzy is
seen with undergarments on, when she exercises, and when she is mostly naked in the sauna.
This develops the relationship between male spectators and Izzy, establishing that she is
attractive in several senses and whomever woos her is a lucky man, after all, most
THE GAZE IN CROSSING DELANCEY
3
heterosexual males have scopophilic tendencies. Although, there is an emphasis here on
objectifying Izzy through exposing her body. Not Anton nor Sam are presented in such a
fashion, and if they were, would it change the relationships within the film? Perhaps not, but
it may change the relationship between the spectators and the characters. Loreck (2016)
suggested that “a lifetime of seeing women sexualised…has made us very comfortable with
assuming the Male Gaze”, which is why the portrayal of males and females in film is
dependant on society and cultural cues. If it is ‘accepted’ to show a woman’s naked body on
screen, then it will be. If it is ‘not accepted’ to show a man’s naked body on screen, then it
won’t be. Society and its culture are the invisible hand that guides the film industry, and now
more than ever, is the world able to witness almost absolutely anything on television, which
is exciting to some but worrisome to others.
The Female Gaze may be assumed as the opposite to the Male Gaze, but it is not that
simple. The Female Gaze is not exactly about the female having sexual fantasies about the
male, as “cinema doesn’t invite women to desire men’s bodies” (Loreck, 2016). Rather a
“women’s desire is best expressed through sensation/sensory rather than vison/visual”
(Loreck, 2016), focusing more on aspects like attention, longing, kindness and similar
qualities. Sherwin (2008) states that “men and heterosexual intercourse are not necessary to
fulfil female desire”, and this is evident in the ending of Crossing Delancey. To begin with,
Izzy is seen to fall for the bodily image and charms of Anton, but in the end, it is Sam’s
kindness and longing for Izzy that allows her to realise what she has been too ignorant to see,
that he is the one for her. There are several small hints where Izzy is smitten by Sam’s
actions, like when they were out having dinner together and Sam mentioned that he has had
his eye on her for three years and that she was the only girl he agreed to meet with when a
marriage counsellor suggested Izzy as a candidate. There is also the scene where Sam
remembers Izzy’s birthday and sends her a cake and hat. Albeit it is a small and inexpensive
THE GAZE IN CROSSING DELANCEY
4
gesture, it is far more than what Anton or most stereotypical males who are usually portrayed
as thick-headed, would do. For this reason, Izzy is touched and slowly but surely falls in love
with Sam. In addition, when female desire of men is in film and television, it is usually an
“act designed to deceive men” as said by Sherwin (2008). This isn’t Izzy’s focus in Crossing
Delancey, but there are scenes like in the restaurant where Izzy pretends to be on a date with
Sam, when she was really trying to set him up with her friend, deceiving him.
In sum, both the Male Gaze and Female Gaze are present in Crossing Delancey,
where the Male Gaze is portrayed through Anton and his charming yet scopophilic
tendencies, and the Female Gaze is portrayed through Izzy and her admiration for Sam’s
kindness, as well as her deceitfulness towards him through the film. Both gazes are not
contrasted simply. A male can be simple and enjoy looking at a woman for indecent reasons,
while a female is more complex in what is desired and if deceit is used to gain power. The
Male Gaze creates a power imbalance, yet the Female Gaze can stabilise it, or take advantage
of it. Perhaps, Crossing Delancey aims to signal that today’s males are far more feminine
than in the past, and that is not a bad thing. Rather, having more males like Sam who respect
and love the woman in their life, is what will make the imbalanced relationship between male
and female much better in the future.
THE GAZE IN CROSSING DELANCEY
5
References
Loreck, J. (2016, January 6). Explainer: What does the Male Gaze mean. and what about a
Female Gaze? Retrieved from The Conversation:
https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-whatabout-a-female-gaze-52486
Mulvey, L. (2009). Visual and Other Pleasures (2nd ed.). England: Palgrave Macmillan.
Sherwin, M. (2008). Deconstructing the Male: Masochism, Female Spectatorship, and the
Femme Fatal in Fatal Attraction, Body of Evidence, and Basic Instinct. Journal of
Popular Film and Television, 35(4), 174-182. doi:10.3200/JPFT.35.4.174-182