WATCHMEN WEEK: Why Film Violence Against Women?

This week, I'm going to delve into the movie Watchmen. If you haven't seen the movie or read the comic then you'll probably want to avoid my blog for a few days- especially since I'm not going to do the *Spoiler Alert* thing- save this disclaimer. We're dealing with source material that's a quarter century old. It's open game as far as I'm concerned...

* * *

I had a friend walk out of the movie Watchmen during the scene where The Comedian attempts to rape the Silk Spectre. Another friend of mine sent me a text message moments before I went to see the film, warning me that the movie was one long depiction of violence against women (based on that scene and a few others where women are hurt, killed, or beaten).

Having read the graphic novel prior to viewing the film, I knew that these particular scenes would be in the story, so I went anyway, because I wanted to write about it this week.

As it turned out, however, the film version was a bit more intense (and less meaningful) than the novel and so I'm not really sure how I feel about the choice to include these scenes.

In the book, violence against women (by one character) was an important piece of the story- not because of the actual acts of violence- but rather because these acts spoke volumes about the man who was doing them. The man who attempts to rape a fellow vigilante, later kills a pregnant woman in Vietnam (pregnant with HIS child), and also seems to enjoy lobbing smoke grenades into a crowd of protesters. He's depicted as a monster who is trying to save the world from monsters.

It's ironic (or at least strange coincidence).

This entire character description is there so that we can delve into the way that another character, Lori (the Silk Spectre 2), is dealing with her own emotions about this monster of a man. She is the daughter of the woman he tried to rape and she knows about the violence he perpetuated against her mother. She knows this man is a horrible wretch of a person and in the wake of his death there's anger simmering within her toward him and confusion over why her own mother doesn't seem to hate him any longer.

When she discovers that he is actually her father (not by the rape, but through a different encounter with her mother), it's a twist almost as grand as Darth Vader's revelation that he is, in fact, Luke's father. We feel the despair set it and the absolute hatred that she must feel toward this man- and also the miracle that out of such a brutal man could come such a wonderful woman.

The film, however, didn't do a very good job dealing with these conflicting emotions. It didn't dwell on Lori's story enough for us to really understand how The Comedian's life (and death) were bothering her. Thus, the violence perpetuated against women and the revelation scene that this monster was, in fact, Lori's father seemed pretty cheap and contrived (especially to anyone who hadn't read the book before going to see the film).

Rather than irony, the violence was reduced to the insertion of some action into the plodding narrative. Not meaningful or useful as far as I'm concerned.

* * *

This morning, I read a stunning article by Mary Mackey about women, violence, and film. You can read it here.

If you don't feel like reading it, here's a short summary: Mackey makes the argument that Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a symbol of how men view women; as meat, meant to be slaughtered and tormented so that the males of our human race can feel powerful and strong.

* * *

I wonder if that's how my friend felt when she saw the violence perpetuated against women in the film Watchmen?

I believe that in the graphic novel this violence had a point. I'll get into it later in the week, but a lot big theme of Watchmen is picturing the sorrow that Nietzsche felt over "the death of God." The fact that these "gods" have fatal flaws that make them violent and gruesome was practically the point.

But in the film version, this explanation seems flimsy.

Why, then, included any of these scenes at all? Couldn't Zach Snyder figure out a way to vilify The Comedian in some other way if he wasn't planning on making these acts of violence mean anything? Or was that his point- to create a world of meaningless violence?

* * *

Hopefully you took the time to read Mary Mackey's article. After digesting her assessment of violence against women and the (unintentionally) meaningless violence against women in Watchmen:

1. Do you feel that it was a poor choice to include these scenes in the film version of Watchmen?

2. What could Director Zach Snyder have done differently to either eliminate or redeem his use of violence against women?

3. Do you feel like this is an overreaction? Why or why not?