Although it can be said that the visual medium of film often represents reality, the representations of the world presented through some films may not be entirely truthful. Despite this, it is suggested by many that cinema is a branch of ideology and every film created is in some ways political (Comolli and Narboni 197). It should be said, however, that representation in film does not fully present the world around us, but rather shows a world that supports and dejects certain political and cultural movements. The way in which gender, race, ethnicity and class is represented in film has the ability not only to effect a change in society but also to maintain a desired social order (Branston 155). Through the way in which the filmmaker presents the plot of the film, the characters and the characters actions this can allow certain cultural perspectives to be normalized and accepted by the audience (Branston 156). Through the introduction of different feminist theories surrounding film and the representation of women in All That Heaven Allows, the idea of gender representation will be the main point of focus within this essay.
The emergence of the feminist movement in the 1960’s gave way to the beginning of the feminist film theory of the 1970’s and this is said to have helped to shape Anglo-American film studies (Hollinger 7). Many of the theories and arguments brought about by these feminists surround the notions of representation of women in film (White 117). Their