The two main characters in Daisies are constantly eating or at least playing with food. They have lavish dinners at restaurants, bathe in milk and playfully slice bananas and sausage. This trend culminates in the scene in which they sneak into a feast, indulge their palettes, and engage in a food fight. What is the point of all this food, glorious food? Can you make sense of the use of food in at least some of these scenes?
The 1966 Czech new wave film, “Daisies,” written and directed by Věra Chytilová, is a movie with little pot structure and coherence. Despite this, one constant throughout the film is the presence of food, whether on a plate to eat or a bath to bathe in. The Marie’s constant indulgence in food separates them from the typical female gender role in society. In the 1960s, and even today, women are expected to show virtues such as self-restraint, abnegation, and temperance, however, when food is present in the film, the women show no sign of basic manners at the dinner table. During the final scene at the feast, the Marie’s stuff their faces with all of the food and do not use any utensils. Some actions are especially distasteful, such as when they stir the egg yolks with the beef tartar with their unwashed hands. These dreadful table manners ultimately culminate in a food fight that leaves the entire room in a mess. Rather than being clean and dignified, the two female protagonists are slovenly. Regardless of whether intended by the director or not, the unrefined character of the Marie’s has the effect of detaching these women from the female gender role. Food is a key tool to accomplish this disconnection, as feasting on vast amounts of foods is considered a masculine trait, whereas neatness and less of an appetite is associated with women. Using food as a median, the film “Daisies” makes a comment on how gender roles during this time period were purely social constructs present in a society, and that women can act in all sorts of manners that are not traditional.
ReplyDeleteThe Czech film, "Daisies," is a film that uses the presence of food to portray the idea of gender roles along with something more under the surface. The film itself is confusing, disorganized, and has no sense of plot. However, the common theme that comes up is food. In almost every scene, the two Marie's are eating food and drinking excessively. In general, regarding food, men are supposed to have a greater appetite, whereas women are supposed to be more dainty and delicate. When the Marie's are eating food, they eat as much as they can without using any proper utensils or manners. The best example is from the final scene where the Marie's eat a whole table of food without any sign of restraint, and they also chew with their mouths open which is considered rude in many instances. The way that the Marie's demolish their food does not demonstrate the daintiness and cleanliness that was expected of women at the time. Although not only does the Marie's appetite breach gender norms but the idea of a strong appetite is more figurative. Appetite can mean ambition or the desire to do something more. The way that the Marie's eat their food shows that their appetite is way beyond that expected of their gender which could signify the Marie's having a greater ambition than most women. Overall, the film, "Daisies," suggests that gender roles were not always so cut and dry and that women had just as much appetite as men, literally and figuratively.
ReplyDeleteThe 1966 film Daises, directed by Věra Chytilová, asks the question of excessive modern indulgence in luxury, portraying the message that this behavior is rotten. The film's start centers around two young women, both named Marie, who paint the picture of how the world indulges itself in luxury too often through food. At one point, the women even comment on the world's decadence by saying, “Since the world is bad, we will be bad too.” Referencing Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, as after they declare “they will be bad,” the audience sees them dancing around an apple tree without conscience, much like the biblical pair after being coerced into eating the fruit. Except instead of becoming mortal this time, the girls are renouncing their consciences becoming fully puppet-like. In a separate scene, viewers see them moving like robots making creaking noises as well to portray this effect. And as the film unfolds, the audience watches as the two women, ungoverned by moral constraints, change the world around them. Running a scam against men where they trick them into buying them lavish lunches, where they gluttonously devour the food, leaving the men with no expected sexual rewards in return. They continuously chase a life of luxury, giving no thought to how they affect the men around them, as some even pronounce their love to them, only to be met by uninterested riff-raff. However, the way they eat and act directly reflects the world and the war occurring at the time. Scenes with scary machinery, bombs exploding, and collapsed buildings display the larger picture of humanity's rottenness. How we can produce horror on such a large scale to pursue a life of luxury is nothing compared to the smaller interpretations by the Marie’s act in film.
ReplyDeleteThe extremely confusing 1966 film “Daises” directed by Věra Chytilová secretly asks questions about lavishness, laziness, gender roles, and acceptable behavior through the use of food. The film is composed of seemingly random scenes of two young women – both named Marie – enjoying life and doing literally whatever they want with no consequences. They watch people for the fun of it, travel to many different places, trick men into thinking that they are interested in them, break the rules of the universe, and eat whatever they want whenever they want. It seems that, from their point of view, they are meant to enjoy their lives free of responsibility and punishment for ‘bad’ behavior. Some of their ‘bad’ behavior involves eating lavishly. They take men out to fancy lunches where they eat without restraint or regard for social norms and then trick those men into thinking they will be ‘rewarded’ only to abandon them shortly after lunch. They sneak into some sort of fancy dining room near the end of the movie as well, where they discover fancy food and decide to eat it without any sort of traditional manners – they use their hands, break cutlery, and take over the whole room. It shows that they are demonstrating ‘bad’ behavior on purpose, for they believe that the world itself is bad – as they mention at some point during the movie. This makes sense because, at the time, there is a war going on where they live (as shown in multiple unrelated scenes) – and they recognize how truly evil humans can be because of this. Their consumption of food and socially unacceptable behavior is insignificant compared to the bloodshed going on all around them.
ReplyDeleteThe Czechoslovakian Surrealist film "Daisies" by Věra Chytilová holds many confrontational messages about the support of affirming stereotypic gender roles and values. Perhaps the greatest example of this is the constant sense of gluttony seen throughout the show. From the various foods consumed, to the manner in which they eat said foods, the main characters, both named Marie, express a rebellious flair when confronted with typical presumptions of how their appetites should be. This goes against the norms at the time as they continue to exploit men for food and drinks, which one of the Maries labels as "bad". But perhaps the greatest example of their rebellion against gender norms is the food fight near the end of the film. The sheer waste and disregard for societal norms at the time proves harmful and they are left in the shattered remains of the dining area. This notion that the damage caused by this is irreversible is further proven by the following shot. We see both Maries attempting to repair the ceramic plates, but only being able to place them in a somewhat close pattern. Their futile attempts are matched with silence. Unlike nearly all other parts of the film, neither one makes a quip or comedic remark. Instead, the audience is treated to silence as they attempt to fix their mistakes. The idea that confronting gender norms is evil and impure is taken even further as, when one of the Maries shows no remorse for her actions, they are immediately killed by a falling chandelier.
ReplyDeleteThis sudden and harsh death relates to the idea of karma, where bad people are punished and good people are rewarded. But the more important aspect of this scene is the reason for this retribution. They are punished for their gluttony and unwillingness to meet the status quo.
DeleteThe use of food in the 1966 film Daisies serves as a metaphor for the indulgence of society during the Prague Spring, a time of political and social upheaval. The two main characters, Marie and Marie, are young women who rebel against societal norms and expectations, and their playful and excessive behavior with food serves to highlight their rejection of traditional values. Throughout the film, the Maries are constantly eating or playing with food, a symbol of their rejection of societal norms around food and consumption. They playfully slice bananas and sausage, which can be interpreted as rejecting the gender roles that suggest women's roles to be working in the kitchen. Slicing bananas and sausages could also be suggesting more of a sexual interpretation, going along with their scam to eat expensive dinners with rich men, which adds to the theme of the Maries disregarding typical good behavior. Similarly, the scene in which the Maries sneak into a feast and engage in a food fight can be seen as a rejection of the typical good behavior and the conventions of society. The food fight is portrayed as very chaotic, which serves to disrupt the order of the feast and further demonstrate their bad behavior. In several of the scenes where the Maries were eating, they chew the food very haphazardly, seemingly disregarding common etiquette as well. Overall, the use of food in Daisies serves as a metaphor for the indulgences of society during a time of upheaval. The Maries' playful behavior with food serves to demonstrate their rejection of traditional values and their desire for social change.
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