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Her Voice: On the Cinematic Representability of the Coming into Being of Woman

by | Vol 32 (2) 2014

In this paper the author reflects on the creative process of her film Her Voice (2012) and describes how its sensory imagery generates an alternative image of woman, beyond the clichés encountered in classical narrative cinema. Finding one’s voice as a woman here refers to the process of identification at stake in the coming into being of woman. More specifically, it is argued that the experienced body image that is evoked in Her Voice is first, inspired by female stereotypes as displayed by icons such as Hildegard von Bingen, Lola Montez and Betty Boop and second, at the same time, through the body memories of both the author and the interpreter (L. Gruwez, the actress), these stereotypes are being dismantled.

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