Alfie (1966) vs. Alfie (2004): Changing Representation with the Development of the Sexual Revolution

Alfie (1966) vs. Alfie (2004)

Possible Paper Topics:

- How gender and representation changed in a new sexualized society - woman moving from homemakers to sexmakers

- How have gender and sex and relationships changed from the beginning of the sexual revolution to now when the world is almost entirely sexualized

- The clashing of old ideals and new ideals: Is there place for both?

- Alfie's depiction as a womanizer: Is he a horrible excuse for a man or is he justified in that he is always honest with the woman that he sleeps with about what he wants? Is it the woman's fault when she falls for him?

WOMEN AND GENDER IN THE 60’s

-       Expected to be a homemaker (married early 20s, make a child, be her husband’s keeper)

-       Had no legal rights

-       Very minimal job opportunities little opportunity for advancement (expected to get pregnant anyway)

However, the second wave of feminism was under way. Mostly concentrated on workplace equality at the moment however, not making huge impact, but there was more freedom for woman in terms of sexuality and restructuring love and family life.

BUT SEXUAL REVOLUTION

Reasons

     1)   Birth Control Pill

     2)   STD Medicine

     3)   The Women’s Movement that helped to eradicate sexual taboos

     4)   The Baby Boomers who rebelled against their ideals

Results

     1)   Divorce rates doubled

     2)   Multiple Unmarried women having sex

     3)   Sex was no longer solely to get married

Reflected in the 1966 Alfie is the meeting place of the old ideals and new ideals and the complications that the characters face.

The main view of women: Very needy, falls in love, looking to get married, but still willing to have sex out of marriage. Holding onto ideals of marriage and the perfect family, but acting differently

However the ideal woman who Alfie eventually decides to settle down with is essential a ‘man’: She makes a lot of money, has sex like a man, is carefree, sleeps around, never asks Alfie if he loves her etc.

Also shows the complications of casual sex: Alfie impregnates two characters during the show, and has a son.

The female characters

GILDA: Needy, pretty average, not very intelligent, lives a simple life, always asking Alfie if he loves her, gets bossed around by her. Falls pregnant, has the baby, Alfie loves the child but not her (What might have happened if the child was a girl?). She eventually marries a man she doesn’t love because he loves her and she respects him.

RUBY: The man-like woman who Alfie goes for in the end, unsuccessfully

MS MERCHANT: Alfie’s friend’s wife. Has sex with her and she falls pregnant. Has a very painful, illegal late stage abortion

ANNIE: Hitchhiker who constantly cleans and cooks and takes Alfie’s abuse. Running away from a man she loved but the relationship didn’t pan out

Overall, the original film shows the conflict that women face with the new ideals. These ideals were supposed to liberate woman and free them but in many times they were still left behind or ostracized.  The only powerful woman in the whole movie is Ruby, everyone else is frankly rather pathetic. Alfie often refers to woman as "it" and constantly orders them around - however, they don't seem to mind one bit.

What’s interesting though is that there is still much censoring. While the movie is about sex, there is no sex seen and none of the women are really sexualized. It more hints at it, and focuses on the relationships and how his world kind of falls about and his actions finally catch up with him

LOOK UP:

Audience reactions to the first film vs. the second film