Some Like It Hot (1959) Could Have Been a Feminist Film
A Look at Billy Wilder
Veteran filmmaker Billy Wilder is no stranger to creating satire out of unfortunate situations. With films such as Double Indemnity (1944), Sunset Boulevard (1950), and The Seven Year Itch (1955), he is arguably one of the most versatile filmmakers in the industry. These films tackle several internal issues, for example, the danger that’s accompanied by lust, the battle to accept change, and the urge against infidelity, respectively. The major difference with these films is that, while they do show the range in skill Wilder has, they all keep a focus on one characteristic — being mostly dark in nature or straight comedic.
What Could Have Been
However, Wilder gives himself a challenge in Some Like It Hot (1959) by creating a film that contains a range of elements from his previous films. Wilder’s cat-and-mouse, boy-meets-girl flick is as intense as is Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard, but also funny like The Seven Year Itch. Moreover, much like these films, there’s an overall theme to be analyzed. Some Like It Hot pushes gender norms and raises questions regarding sexuality. But, where the issue lies is in its contradictory plot. While the film attempts to praise women for dealing with the everyday hardships they face at the hands of men, that praise is equivalent to a backhanded compliment. Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry’s (Jack Lemmon) sexualization of women in the film and Marilyn Monroe’s typical doe-eyed-damsel portrayal of her character, Sugar Kane, takeaway from what could have been a revolutionary message.
Don't Be So Contradictory.
For the time-period, this film was one bat-eye away from being what is now call R-rated. However watching the film today, one could argue for its innocence in comparison to some of the more raunchy films that have been released, like Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), perhaps. While this film does not tackle BDSM, what it does contain was more than enough to get a considerable amount of criticism at the time of release. Simply put, the film was seen as inappropriate (for its time); it has cross-dressing, hefty sexual punch-lines, barely-there wardrobe, and even a hint of homosexuality, all of which would not been possible had Wilder gone according to The Motion Picture Production Code (Saporito). Consequently, these elements are what lead to the film’s contradiction.
Men Will Be Men.
Sugar Kane’s sexualization, which is seemingly vital to the overall theme, is also the downfall. This journey begins when the men are about to embark on the train. As Joe and Jerry go back and forth complaining about the woes of womanly attire and whether their plan will work, Sugar with her innocent doe-eyes and flustered demeanor sashays her way past them. Within seconds of her introduction, she becomes an object. The camera acts as Joe and Jerry’s eyes by following her movements; the camera starts at her face and then pans out to include all three characters, where it then shows the men following her walk and trailing her body — similar to a dog being teased by an intangible bone. As the camera continues to follow her derriere’s rapid sways, capturing the ironic smoke scene, Jerry’s famous line, “that’s just like Jello on springs!” (31:09) rolls off his tongue as he stares at her backside in amazement. The scene does several things here, specifically calling out the tribulations that women go through daily. For example, prior to Sugar’s entrance, Joe and Jerry, in an attempt to be “womanly” are putting forth their best runway walk, pursing their lips, and swaying their hips. After twisting his ankle, Jerry stops to complain, noting that he “feels like everyone’s staring” and he doesn’t know how women do it (29:51). Alas, here’s an example of one of the many ways this film praises women for what they go through. Unfortunately, it’s also a moment where the film takes a step backward in what could have been a step forward. The comment that Jerry makes is a direct parallel to his comment about people staring at him. In these introductory moments, he complains about a problem whilst being the problem.
I conclude.
So, Some Like It Hot does praise women. It showcases the hardships they go through, but it reveals that it takes a man to show society these hardships. In the 2-hour run time, Wilder transforms two hormone-driven characters into honest and sympathetic men, but at the cost of a woman. While these men do change, in the end, there is still Sugar, whose character development is almost non-existent. I’m not taking away from what is considered the “greatest comedy of all time. Period” (Errigo), it really is a funny film, but Some Like It Hot could have had a bigger impact if it hadn’t based its male character’s internal success off the negative stereotype of a woman.
Sugar Kane’s sexualization, which is seemingly vital to the overall theme, is also the downfall. This journey begins when the men are about to embark on the train. As Joe and Jerry go back and forth complaining about the woes of womanly attire and whether their plan will work, Sugar with her innocent doe-eyes and flustered demeanor sashays her way past them. Within seconds of her introduction, she becomes an object. The camera acts as Joe and Jerry’s eyes by following her movements; the camera starts at her face and then pans out to include all three characters, where it then shows the men following her walk and trailing her body — similar to a dog being teased by an intangible bone. As the camera continues to follow her derriere’s rapid sways, capturing the ironic smoke scene, Jerry’s famous line, “that’s just like Jello on springs!” (31:09) rolls off his tongue as he stares at her backside in amazement. The scene does several things here, specifically calling out the tribulations that women go through daily. For example, prior to Sugar’s entrance, Joe and Jerry, in an attempt to be “womanly” are putting forth their best runway walk, pursing their lips, and swaying their hips. After twisting his ankle, Jerry stops to complain, noting that he “feels like everyone’s staring” and he doesn’t know how women do it (29:51). Alas, here’s an example of one of the many ways this film praises women for what they go through. Unfortunately, it’s also a moment where the film takes a step backward in what could have been a step forward. The comment that Jerry makes is a direct parallel to his comment about people staring at him. In these introductory moments, he complains about a problem whilst being the problem.