Semiotics of the Kitchen, Secret Daughter, Meshes of the Afternoon

Semiotics of the Kitchen:

I really enjoyed Martha Rosler’s “Semiotics of the Kitchen.” Watching it today, over 30 years later, I have a completely different reaction from what I think I would have had if I had viewed it when it was created in 1975. The film was made to poke fun at figures like Julia Child. Although there are similar figures existing today, such as Martha Stewart, and I appreciate the film, I find the more humorous. The exaggerated gestures and her straight facial expressions make the piece more comedic. I also thought displaying the utensils in alphabetical order made it more entertaining and engaging. I kept wondering what utensil she would use for the next letter. I also thought the framing, having her and the table take up most of the frame in the center held my attention – there wasn’t much else to look at which made it more focused and less distracting.


Secret Daughter:

It was interesting to compare all the different types of “documentaries” we watched in class to June Cross’ “Secret Daughter.” Unlike the other videos we watched, “Secret Daughter is more of a traditional documentary – it consists of interviews, old photos, reenactments and old found footage (home videos as well as television programs and concerts). What made “Secret Daughter” really interesting for me was to compare and contrast the way both her mother and father dealt with racism. While her mother was ashamed of her and felt the need to come up with stories to explain her (when they took a family photo for the television show), her father continuously dated white women and had another child with one. In the beginning of “Secret Daughter” I found the mother very aggravating and could not believe some of the things she did, but as the movie progressed, I grew fonder of her. I especially enjoyed the end of the film when it was June and her mother and it seemed as if her mother had realized she was wrong and hurtful. I looked the movie up online and was upset to see that her mother passed away in 2003. I also enjoyed the ending because it looked to the future with June’s realization that she must “keep the conversation going.”


Meshes of the afternoon:

I loved the use of light and shadows in Maya Deren’s “Meshes of the Afternoon.” Especially in the beginning when she was is walking next to the wall and you see is her shadow holding the flower and when she drops the key. High contrast and shadow is used affectively throughout the film to add to the dream-like/surreal state.

I tried watching the film both silent and with the music and although the film was originally created without the music in mind, I prefer it with the music. I thought the music matched the film well and added to the eerie tone – especially when she sees the cloaked figure through the window.


Also, it seems as if the library has lost Caught Between Two Worlds (they lost it a while ago) and they couldn't find YiYi for me tonight.