Matthew Jones
Matthew Jones wrote the article “Metzger’s Women: Gender Representations and Visual Abstraction in ‘60s Sexploitation,” featured in issue 4.4 of Film Matters, soon after graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in film. He has since gone on to work in various areas of production and is presently working on casting for an upcoming project. Additionally, he is still researching about the visual representation of women and is currently writing an essay about the portrayal of lesbianism throughout film’s history.
Meredith Bryant: This article you wrote is specifically about Radley Metzger’s films. Was this sexploitation that you speak about relevant for the majority of films in this era?
Matthew Jones: No, sexploitation was almost entirely relegated to independent, low-budget filmmakers, who used sex and nudity to attract audiences. Using sexual themes and nudity generally made up for the lack of production value and/or the filmmakers’ inability to market the films. However, with the changing times of the 1960s, even many mainstream films from Hollywood began incorporating sexual themes and imagery (such as many James Bond films, like Dr. No and Goldfinger). There were also many different directors (besides Radley Metzger) who specialized in making these kinds of films, including Doris Wishman, Russ Meyer, and Armando Bó, among others.
MB: Have you done any more research relating to gender representation in films of other eras?
MJ: Yes, I am working on an essay regarding lesbians in film, from the silent era to today. I have focused specifically on a book by Andrea Weiss, Vampires and Violets: Lesbians in Film, which focuses on the changing themes and imagery of lesbianism throughout film history.
MB: Are you still pursuing a career in film production?
MJ: Yes, I am currently working in casting, and have worked on numerous films and television series over the past two years.
MB: Have you written any other published articles?
MJ: Not as of now, but I do continue to write film essays on my blog, philosophyinfilm.com, as well as working on several scripts.
MB: Do you feel that the sexploitation and the negative representation of women in film have improved since the 1960s?
MJ: Unfortunately, no, I do not. However, it is a complicated question. There has been a sharp increase in women directors/producers in the last fifteen years, but it seems that the sexualized nature of Hollywood films (and to some degree, more independent films) has remained relatively constant. There have been some attempts to improve the roles of female characters in film, but more often than not, they are still used primarily as sexualized objects within the film or relegated to secondary roles.
Author Biography
Meredith Bryant is a film studies student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She plans to complete her undergraduate degree in 2016 and hopes to further her education at graduate school in California. She is passionate about film and aspires to work in various areas of the production industry.
