I am pretty sure throughout the entire time I watch Orlando I just thought it was quite odd to say the least. I mean when you really think about someone just waking up and having a completely different biology. But what I really found interesting was when Orlando did wake up to discover "he" had become a woman and he states "Different body, same person". Really I think what seems to change here rather than the person, would be the way society looks at Orlando differently when he takes on one roll over another. The scene that really stands out to me would be when Orlando is dressed up in a huge dress that is clearly not comfortable, especially when they show her being put into the corset. Since Orlando is now a women she is expected to dress like this, and is also expected to simply take in what is said about women when she is in the presents of men. While at some sort of "tea party" Orlando does not respond to anything that they say even though some of the remarks that are made seemt to be directed towards her directly.
I the quote that was brought up in class that was said by Ursula LeGuin about everyone being androgynous seems to also come into play with the comment that is made by Orlando. While Orlando was in the form of a man I thought that he really took on some female characteristics, however while also carried male characteristics while living life as a woman. The only thing that has changed here was the fact that he has biologically changed and societies view of the roles that need to be taken due to this change. ex. when orlando is no longer able to own his own house after the change.
I see what you are saying about despite the extreme sex change Orlando still having androgynous features. I'm not sure what your question is so I will just talk about my ideas on this topic. First of all, Orlando's face seems androgynous. There is no makeup, yet the face could be perceived as male or female. Also, the voice also does not have a very "feminine" or "masculine" tone. Also, Orlando's hair is always long, and in the setting of the movie long hair is androgynous. However, depending on how Orlando does the hair paired with an outfit, it could be interpreted as male/female (ie: ponytail with pants versus curly up-do with dress). There are some natural androgynous characteristics for Orlando, and I think we cannot escape androgyny completely because nature plays a role in it.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that all of us had an uncomfortable feeling when watching Orlando. I really like how Hayley brought up that really the only thing that changed in Orlando was her biology. She portrayed the same characteristics throughout the entire film wether she was he or she. Just like Aimee said the Orlando's voice wasnt really masculine or feminine. My question here is wether the actress was told to do this or if it was how the movie was intended to play out. Overall Orlando was definitely on odd film and a hard to analyze.
ReplyDeleteEven from the beginning of the film I felt that Orlando was more feminine than masculine. I'm not sure if that was just because I knew that Orlando was played by a woman or because the actress was told to act in that manner. I wonder if as a man, Orlando felt he related better to women then men. If he did feel that way, would he have been comfortable admitting it? That is how it seemed to me in the film, but it also seemed that Orlando was trying to hide how he felt. Did society prevent Orlando from acting in the manner in which he was most comfortable? Although I certainly felt uncomfortable when Orlando suddenly became a women, he seemed better suited as a women than as a man. Like you mentioned, the only thing that really changed was his biology. Because his mannerisms and behavior didn't really change, it almost seems that there isn't much need for society to be shocked. Although it is odd that his sex changed, Orlando seemed to change with ease and society should be accepting of that.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Orlando may have demonstrated being androgynous, I'm not sure if that is true for everyone. Maybe on some level, but your entire personality? Can we even comprehend this if there is no possible way to change our sex without surgery? I almost think that we may be over-analyzing Orlando. Perhaps the simple message is not to judge people, particularly by their appearance. I don't know, I'll be honest, this was an uncomfortable film for me to watch.
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