Busby Berkeley and the Male Gaze

Geometric patterns and shapes have never been more so apparent in film than in those directed by Busby Berkeley.

Berkeley's 1920/30's Hollywood musicals really capture the audiences attention with their innovative kaleidoscope viewing. Placing the viewer within the stage the audience are propelled into unique and unusual points of view.



Although Berkeley is celebrated today, I would like to question his repetitive use of the female figure in the majority of his choreographed work. Maybe it was just the way society was at the time, but if Berkeley could challenge ideas of viewing then why could he not challenge the norms of sexuality in his films?

What is displayed before us is a display of the female body, it is passive, sexualized and glamorized for the audience. Yet the male roles in the films all seem to hold a sense of power over the female dancers, and so the male audience are given permission to hold gaze of the women as objects.


Kylie Minogue takes significant influences from the work of Berkeley in her new video for the track 'The One'. As can be seen, the kaleidoscope effect Berkeley introduced to our screens in the 1920's is now transferred into the contemporary realm by music video director Ben Id.





In contrast to Berkeley, Ben Id adapts the male body to the formation of shapes within the background of this video. Perhaps this shows just how much times have changed, or maybe we are just seeing a gender role reversal before us. Men are becoming feminised, they are now the object of the gaze, whilst women are becoming masculinised through their acquisition of power and equality over the past fifty years.