Right from the very beginning, we see the choice to use chiaroscuro lighting to highlight Sugar and the disco ball in the middle of the ballroom. Amidst the grey and dark mass of people, Sugar stands out like a sparkling diamond, outshining everything else in that ballroom. The high key lighting used here to create contrast shows how enchanting and beautiful Monroe is, to an extend even portraying her like an angel. As the camera closes in on Sugar, we see her standing higher than the mass of heads below her, in a way elevating her to a higher level than them. Also, this could represent how the male gaze worships her, and even more so, her body. At the same time, we also can't help but notice how seductively she is dressed. In wearing a body hugging dress the same color as her skin, it instantly draws the audience in to pay closer attention to her bust line, while at the same time, the dark shadow dances tantalizingly up and down her bust. Effectively, this has drawn us into the world of Marilyn Monroe, we hang on to her every word, and at that instant, we were completely at her mercy.
The same lighting technique continues to be used throughout the length of the number, effectively drowning out the performers at the back, solely focusing our attention on the one person that mattered in the sequence, Monroe. No doubt that she has become the object of sexual objectification here. This, in addition to the one sided lyrics such as "I wanna kissed by you, just you." couldn't be any more subtle. From this, we can see that the sexual objectification of Monroe was specifically aimed at the male gaze, as the lyrics were clearly aimed for men, not women. Lyrics like these play to the male superego, as it exposes Monroe's vulnerability, almost as if she was yearning for a man to sweep her off her feet and kiss her. Obviously the same wouldn't be true if a woman was listening to this. It was as if she was calling to every man who was listening to her, "come and get me!"
The male gaze in this sequence is embodied in the brief but sure shot of Osgood Fielding waving at Daphne and Josephine while they were playing. With a smug smile and a wave of his hand, he was showing them his pleasure from watching them perform for HIM. And that essentially is the male gaze, the sense of dominance a man feels when a woman does something for his pleasure. In a way, a man feels self gratified when a woman submits, albeit indirectly to his will. The male superego is gratified when a man is able to establish this dominance over someone or something. In this case, a man feels powerful when he is able to get women to do things for his pleasure. However, what Osgood Feilding didn't know was that he was actually flirting with a man. And that is where symbolism comes in.
Drawing our focus to symbolism in the movie, the shot of Daphne and Josephine receiving flowers from each of their admirers no doubt draws some laughs from us. However, it is also extremely ironic as they are not who they seem to be. In actual fact, they are men dressed as girls. Symbolically, someone who acts like a girl, talks like a girl and dresses like a girl is a girl. However, this is not the case with them, as it is also not with many other things in the movie, which aren't what they seems to be. For instance, at first glance, one may write off Osgood Fielding, simply by the typology of his face, that he was a dirty old man who craved for sex. However, we soon find out that it is not the case, that in fact he was a sweet gentlemen who genuinely desired love. Another example is in the case of Mr. Shell Jr., Sugar thought that she had met the man of her dreams, rich, caring and what not. However, we know all too well that he was actually Josephine, and Josephine on the other hand, was actually Joe. Nobody is who they seem to be. The symbolism here is intriguing. On the surface, it seemed that Mr. Shell Jr. was a rich billionaire, when in fact he was Josephine; Josephine seemed to be a demure woman from a conservatory, when in fact she was actually Joe. In addition, we also see how symbolism was used by Joe to get intimate with Sugar. Symbolically, Mr. Shell Jr. was a man, yet, Joe tells Sugar that he does not have the "potency" of a man, wherein he suffers for erectile dysfunction. So does this make him a man or not? This manipulation of signifiers in the movie sends confusing signals to Sugar, which finally induces her to get intimate with him.
The signifier of sending flowers also has a dominant cultural meaning. The meaning of a gesture lies in the interpreter of the gesture, where a sign has no meaning unless it is interpreted. In many cultures, flowers are sent by men to women. By sending flowers, a men establishes his dominance in the relationship as he is actually the one whom is in control. An unmannered/rude man wouldn't send flowers like what a gentlemen would do. In this sequence, we see Osgood Fielding sending flowers to two men instead of women. However, the meaning of this gesture is distorted to the audience, as we know that Daphne and Josephine were both men. Also, through a simple signifying gesture of sending flowers, we actually see the difference in character between Osgood Fielding and the Bellhop. We discern that while one is a true gentlemen, the other is simply a sexually charged teenager, from a mere simple gesture. Semiotics are widely used throughout the rest of the movie. As many issues discussed in this movies are culturally sensitive or inappropriate, many forms of symbolizers are used to cover up what is actually being said. For instance, when Sugar said that she always got the "fuzzy end of the lollipop," she actually meant some other "lollipop". Also, words like "toothpaste", "italian opera" and so on are some of the signifiers used throughout the movie to mean something else entirely. Even the "problem" Mr. Shell Jr. meant when he took Sugar on his boat was referring to something more culturally sensitive which was erectile dysfunction. Taking it even further, this "problem", which was supposed to make him "safe" from girls, was actually turned on its head and used to take advantage of Sugar.
From a feminist view, symbolically, Josephine, or Joe was a man, in the sense that he was in love with Sugar, yet he was dressed up as a woman. On the other hand, Daphne was the embodiment of a woman, in finally becoming a real "woman" even accepting the captain's proposal, but in fact he was actually a man. This is extremely ironic. The use symbolism in this movie truly adds another layer of humor to it. The classic player, portrayed by Joe here, is actually a man dressed up as a woman playing a man, and using his/her friendship with Sugar to take advantage of her vulnerability. However, the woman, Daphne, actually falls in love and gets whisked on a fantastic romance with Osgood Fielding, who in actual fact, a man! As we take a closer look at the characters portrayed by both these men, we actually see elements of feminity in both of them. Physically they are fully male, but because of this transformation, we see them actually incorporate elements of the female physique into their character. And not forgetting Marilyn Monroe, although she plays the naive blonde in this movie, underneath that, she's actually the a femme fatale. She leverages her beauty and seduction to her benefit, playing to the male gaze, so as to getting what she wants. And this is true even today, that because of that vulnerability, today she's one of the most well known sex-symbols on the planet. And it is no wonder that this kind of humor and irony that has garnered Some like it Hot a top spot as one of the best comedies ever made.
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