Kaplan analyzes the portrayal of women in a film using Laura Mulvey’s The Male Gaze theory and psychoanalysis. Kaplan argues that historically women have only been the focus of attention in the melodrama genre, and while melodrama exposes the limitations that the family places on women, it also forces women to accept those limitations as inevitable and normal. Kaplan argues that culture is deeply rooted in male and female dominance-submission patterns. The male gaze calls for a sexual, political gaze and offers a sexualized way of looking that empowers men and objectifies women. In the male gaze, a woman is visually positioned as an object of heterosexual male desire. Her feelings, thoughts, and sexual desires are less important than her framing of male desire.
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) is a famous example of the male gaze. The viewer is introduced to the main character of the film, Cora Smith, focusing on her sexuality. Indeed, the viewer knows that Cora is sexy even before knowing her name. Using close-ups, the camera forces the viewer to look at Cora’s body. It creates a way of looking that is sexy and connected to the point of view of the male protagonist. In terms of contemporary examples, the Transformers film series (2006–2014) presents women as desirable sex objects.
Filmmakers often try to avoid portraying female characters as just sex objects by giving them complex backstories, strong motivations, and an active role in the plot of their story. However, the male gaze is still common. Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) has important personal motivations, but she is still clearly there to be looked at.