The Portrayal of Women in the Works of Agnes Varda

Yıl 2023, Cilt: 4 Sayı: 1-2, 91 - 107, 08.01.2024

Mine Çimen

Öz

In her long-lasting career spanning more than six decades, Agnès Varda has created myriad works varying from short to feature, documentary to fiction, even some of uncategorised. Despite mostly regarded as hybrid, they are unswervingly revolving around two contexts: women and their experience of everyday urban life. Positioning within the main scheme of gender and urban studies, the first part of this review study, I will try to shed a general light on Varda’s peculiar feminine universe reflecting upon her filmography with references to her personal life and her films. The eclectic style of hers that is highlighted with the themes of versatility and reflexivity will be the main trajectory. In the second part, the act of walking as well as the act of looking; that is, her nomadic cinema and how she subverts the male gaze will be explored. Overall, while the portrayal of women in the works of Agnès Varda will be on the main agenda, through the perspective of her women who are always on move, who always transgress the boundaries and subvert the patriarchal discourses; the representation of the body, the notion of gaze and experimenting with city spaces will also be analysed.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Agnès Varda, urban studies, feminist films, woman directors, female gaze, nomadic cinema

Agnes Varda’nın Çalışmalarında Kadın Tasviri

Öz

Atmış yılı aşkın kariyerinde, Agnès Varda kısadan uzuna, belgeselden kurmacaya birçok farklı işler üretmiştir. Bunlar genellikle hibrit çalışmalar olsa da, hepsi temelde iki eksen etrafında dönmektedir: kadınlar ve onların gündelik şehir yaşamları. Toplumsal cinsiyet ve şehir çalışmaları ekseninde konumlanan bu çalışmanın ilk kısmında, Varda’nın filmografisine de yansıyan kendine has feminen dünyasına genel bir ışık tutmayı amaçlamaktayım. Bunu yaparken yönetmenin kişisel hayatına ve filmlerine de referanslar verilecektir. Çok yönlülük ve özdüşünümsellik gibi temalarla vurgulanan yönetmenin eklektik tarzı ana izleği oluşturacaktır. İkinci kısımda, yürüme ve bakma eylemleri, başka bir deyişle göçebe sinema ve eril bakışı nasıl yıktığı araştırılacaktır. Özetle, temel tartışma konusu Agnès Varda’nın çalışmalarında kadın temsili iken, sürekli hareket halindeki, sınırları aşan, ataerkil söylemlerin yıkan Varda’nın kadınlarının perspektifinden bakarak, beden temsiliyeti, bakış (nazar) kavramı ve şehir deneyimleri üzerinden ilerleyecektir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Agnès Varda, şehir çalışmaları, feminist filmler, kadın yönetmenler, dişil bakış, göçebe sinema

Kaynakça

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