Next to Rear Window, Kramer vs Kramer is the only films we’ve watched for this blog that follows the male character. The main female character of this movie isn’t in too many frames. However, this film does a very good job at addressing the role of a woman at the time, and more specifically, breaking gender stereotypes of both men and women.
After watching this film, it was easy for us to come to the conclusion that it does not pass the Bechdel Test. There are only three female characters, only two of which interact, Joanna and Margaret. And when they do, they only discuss Ted Kramer. We don’t believe this to be a knock against the film because it is about the relationship between a father and his son. The movie does not revolve around Joanna by any means, though she is still an important part of the equation.
Kramer vs Kramer came out in 1979, towards the end of second wave of feminism. Beginning in the 1960’s and stretching until the early 80’s, women debated issues related to the workplace, sexuality, and the family. Women began to entering the workplace, and also began questioning whether it was truly the man's job to “bring home the bacon.” In 1972 Title IX banning discrimination on the basis of sex in public schools passed, in 1973 the Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade to affirm a woman's right to abortion, and in 1978 hundreds of thousands marched in Washington D.C. in support of the Equal Rights Amendment.
In Kramer vs. Kramer Ted and Joanna Kramer decide to get a divorce, and she decides to go out and work. It was only in 1969 that the No Fault Divorce law was passed, which allowed spouses to divorce without blaming one or the other for a specific wrongdoing. This is achieved by quoting “irreconcilable differences.” However, this was not the case in each state. Each state had the right to make their own marriage laws, and New York did not end up passing this until 2010. Because Joanna left both Ted and Billy, we are assuming that either abandonment or the fact that she had been gone for over a year is the reason they are considered divorced. Joanna is an example of a woman who decides to leave her husband, freeing herself from an oppressive life and a difficult situation. Many second wave feminists supported this idea, and many even objected to marriage because they considered it to be oppressive and controlling. In the 1970’s and 1980’s women began to join the workplace in areas such as the medical field and other non-traditional fields. In 1980 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission passed guidelines that prohibited sexual harassment, which helped to create an improved work environment for women. Throughout the 1980’s more and more women came into positions of power, such as Sandra Day O’Connor being chosen as the first female Supreme Court justice in 1981. Women continued to gain equality in the workplace and in divorce laws, which are two major themes explored in Kramer v. Kramer.
The New York Times review from December 1979 would agree that this movie is important in breaking stereotypes saying it is about many more things “than are explicitly stated.” This includes, “the failed expectations of a certain breed of woman in this day and age.” Women, more and more, were starting to not meet the expectations that came along with being a stay-at-home mom and wife. They wanted to discover who they were outside the identity of being a mom or a wife. As Robert Ebert put it in his review, Joanna left to “discover the unrealized person she left behind when she went into the marriage.” She jumped into marrying Ted so young, she was never able to discover who she was by herself. She was never alone. Besides that, her husband is a workaholic and she’s all by herself in this. He’s not helping with their son and she’s very upset about the state of her own life, so she needed to leave.
After watching this film, it was easy for us to come to the conclusion that it does not pass the Bechdel Test. There are only three female characters, only two of which interact, Joanna and Margaret. And when they do, they only discuss Ted Kramer. We don’t believe this to be a knock against the film because it is about the relationship between a father and his son. The movie does not revolve around Joanna by any means, though she is still an important part of the equation.
Kramer vs Kramer came out in 1979, towards the end of second wave of feminism. Beginning in the 1960’s and stretching until the early 80’s, women debated issues related to the workplace, sexuality, and the family. Women began to entering the workplace, and also began questioning whether it was truly the man's job to “bring home the bacon.” In 1972 Title IX banning discrimination on the basis of sex in public schools passed, in 1973 the Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade to affirm a woman's right to abortion, and in 1978 hundreds of thousands marched in Washington D.C. in support of the Equal Rights Amendment.
In Kramer vs. Kramer Ted and Joanna Kramer decide to get a divorce, and she decides to go out and work. It was only in 1969 that the No Fault Divorce law was passed, which allowed spouses to divorce without blaming one or the other for a specific wrongdoing. This is achieved by quoting “irreconcilable differences.” However, this was not the case in each state. Each state had the right to make their own marriage laws, and New York did not end up passing this until 2010. Because Joanna left both Ted and Billy, we are assuming that either abandonment or the fact that she had been gone for over a year is the reason they are considered divorced. Joanna is an example of a woman who decides to leave her husband, freeing herself from an oppressive life and a difficult situation. Many second wave feminists supported this idea, and many even objected to marriage because they considered it to be oppressive and controlling. In the 1970’s and 1980’s women began to join the workplace in areas such as the medical field and other non-traditional fields. In 1980 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission passed guidelines that prohibited sexual harassment, which helped to create an improved work environment for women. Throughout the 1980’s more and more women came into positions of power, such as Sandra Day O’Connor being chosen as the first female Supreme Court justice in 1981. Women continued to gain equality in the workplace and in divorce laws, which are two major themes explored in Kramer v. Kramer.
The New York Times review from December 1979 would agree that this movie is important in breaking stereotypes saying it is about many more things “than are explicitly stated.” This includes, “the failed expectations of a certain breed of woman in this day and age.” Women, more and more, were starting to not meet the expectations that came along with being a stay-at-home mom and wife. They wanted to discover who they were outside the identity of being a mom or a wife. As Robert Ebert put it in his review, Joanna left to “discover the unrealized person she left behind when she went into the marriage.” She jumped into marrying Ted so young, she was never able to discover who she was by herself. She was never alone. Besides that, her husband is a workaholic and she’s all by herself in this. He’s not helping with their son and she’s very upset about the state of her own life, so she needed to leave.
Given what we know about their relationship, we can’t say it’s understandable that she would want to get out of an unhappy situation. She felt weak and vulnerable. She knew she needed space to improve her mental health. The New York Times describes Joanna best; “She's not a character who can be conveniently categorized, and she is fascinating.” She left to do more with her life. She’s well educated and never got to do anything with that education. During the court battle, we find out that every time she explored getting a job, Ted strongly encouraged her against this.
What this movie really focuses on, though, is not a mother leaving, but a father and son getting to know one another. By the time Joanna returns, as Robert Ebert put it, “Our sympathies do tend to be with the father.” We’ve watched his progress as a father, we know how great his relationship with Billy is. We know how hard he tries and cares. Heck, he even loses his job because he has to miss work to take care of his son. Because of all of this, it’s hard to say that we automatically think Joanna has a right to her son right off the bat. It’s not that simple.
As for the costumes, we don’t believe they are crucial to understanding the plot and characters. They express their social class and job, as well as their personal state of mind. In the beginning, Joanna is a wreck. Her hair is coming undone, her face is shiny, and her clothes are messy. By the end, she is very put together and much more business like. She is wearing a trench coat and definitely looks like a woman who has her life in order. Compared to Ted, he starts off very professional with his suits. He also talks about the Burberry trench coat he bought. By the end, his clothes are more casual and laid back. He is much more of a stay at home dad than a businessman. The costumes help to show the role reversal with Joanna and Ted. What’s most important in this film, though, is the thoughtful character development throughout this film.
Now, as important as it is to discuss Joanna, we actually want to start by discussing our feelings towards Ted. He begins as a clueless, angry, and very traditionally masculine character. He is the breadwinner, he “brings home the bacon” for Billy and Joanna. However, he doesn’t interact with either of them much and Joanna says at one point that he was too preoccupied with work to listen to her problems. He admits this to his boss, his son, and at the trial.
What this movie really focuses on, though, is not a mother leaving, but a father and son getting to know one another. By the time Joanna returns, as Robert Ebert put it, “Our sympathies do tend to be with the father.” We’ve watched his progress as a father, we know how great his relationship with Billy is. We know how hard he tries and cares. Heck, he even loses his job because he has to miss work to take care of his son. Because of all of this, it’s hard to say that we automatically think Joanna has a right to her son right off the bat. It’s not that simple.
As for the costumes, we don’t believe they are crucial to understanding the plot and characters. They express their social class and job, as well as their personal state of mind. In the beginning, Joanna is a wreck. Her hair is coming undone, her face is shiny, and her clothes are messy. By the end, she is very put together and much more business like. She is wearing a trench coat and definitely looks like a woman who has her life in order. Compared to Ted, he starts off very professional with his suits. He also talks about the Burberry trench coat he bought. By the end, his clothes are more casual and laid back. He is much more of a stay at home dad than a businessman. The costumes help to show the role reversal with Joanna and Ted. What’s most important in this film, though, is the thoughtful character development throughout this film.
Now, as important as it is to discuss Joanna, we actually want to start by discussing our feelings towards Ted. He begins as a clueless, angry, and very traditionally masculine character. He is the breadwinner, he “brings home the bacon” for Billy and Joanna. However, he doesn’t interact with either of them much and Joanna says at one point that he was too preoccupied with work to listen to her problems. He admits this to his boss, his son, and at the trial.
I kept trying to make her be a certain kind of person. A certain kind of wife that I thought she was supposed to be. And she just wasn't like that. She was... She just wasn't like that. I think that she tried for so long to make me happy... and when she couldn't, she tried to talk to me about it. But I wasn't listening. I was too busy, too wrapped up... just thinking about myself. And I thought that anytime I was happy, she was happy. But I think underneath she was very sad. Mommy stayed here longer than she wanted because she loves you so much. And the reason why Mommy couldn't stay anymore... was because she couldn't stand me. She didn't leave because of you. She left because of me - Ted Kramer to Billy |
As the movie progresses he learns how to become a father and lets go of his anger. He learns what it means to take care of a house and kid, and not just provide the money to make it possible. When she first leaves, it is clear that Ted has no idea what he’s doing. Billy actually has more knowledge when it comes for how things are done around the house than he does. Our favorite attempt by Ted to take over the jobs that Joanna did is when he attempts to make french toast the morning after she leaves and fails miserably. By the end of the film, though, he is shown to be an expert at making breakfast.
Ted goes from the opening of the film, where he’s sitting in his bosses office and telling him the story of how and why he bought his Burberry trenchcoat, to the end of the film where he’s in that same exact position, except this time he’s telling an anecdote about Billy. Ted loses his job because he is taking so much time to care for his son, something that was unthinkable at the beginning of the movie. We see him take on traditionally feminine or motherly roles, such as going to see his son's performance at school. At one point Billy is arguing with him and Ted says, “I don’t care what the other mothers do.” As he becomes Billy’s full caretaker gender stereotypes about fathers begin to break down.
As the gender stereotypes begin to break down the relationship between Ted and Billy begins to improve. At first Ted has no patience at all for Billy, and they often fight over small things. Ted wants everything to be a specific way, while Billy is a confused little boy who’s mother has just left him. The best scene in the movie, and the moment that perfectly showed this was when Billy defiantly ate ice cream for dinner. Billy and Ted began to fight during dinner, Ted warned him not to eat the ice cream. We watch as Billy slowly stands up on a chair, pulls out the ice cream, takes off the lid, and slowly scoops a big chunk of ice cream and licks it. Ted flips and Billy goes to bed without dinner.
The strongest bonding moments between the two of them were when Billy asks if his mother left because of him, which we have quoted above, and when Billy falls off of the playground and Ted runs him to the hospital. Ted doesn’t hesitate to jump into action and help his son. He also insists upon being in the room while Billy gets his stitches saying, “If you’re gonna do something, I wanna be in there with him.” And in response to the doctor saying there was no reason for him to be in there, he repeats, “Yeah there is. He’s my son. If you’re gonna do something to him, I’m gonna be in there with him.”
Another moment we love is when Ted teaches him how to ride a bike. This is a very normal moment for parents. It’s a milestone not to be missed and Ted certainly lives up to the hype of this moment by taking pictures of Billy as he bikes away. It’s so sweet to see Ted pumping his fists in the air with pride and excitement. He’s one proud papa in this moment and it’s a drastic change from the opening of the film.
We also see them get into a pattern. Like with breakfast, they wake up, one of them sets the table, one grabs the box of donuts, they sit down and read their respective papers. And as the film progresses, we also see that Ted has hung up pictures made by Billy on the wall, that weren’t there before while Joanna was there.
How they settle into a routine is important because it is a major reason why Joanna decides in the last scene to let Billy live with Ted. She remarks that it’s unfair to rip Billy away from his home with Ted. She was “came here to take (her) son home, and (she) realized he already was home.” This moment in the closing scene is one of the most powerful in the movie. We think it took a lot of strength for Joanna to come and say this to Ted. We actually see this as a redeeming moment for Joanna. She loves Billy, and as much as she wanted him back, she realized she was the one who needed to compromise.
Billy and Joanna have a strong bond, shown in the opening scene when she kisses him goodnight and when they spend their day together and Billy runs towards her. Billy’s so young, we don’t think her leaving really had a negative effect on their relationship. He didn’t understand it, and even thought it was his fault, so if anything having her back helped him. She’s his mother, she should be a part of his life. However, she even states in her letter in the beginning that it’s better for him to be primarily brought up by his Dad.
Billy and Joanna have a strong bond, shown in the opening scene when she kisses him goodnight and when they spend their day together and Billy runs towards her. Billy’s so young, we don’t think her leaving really had a negative effect on their relationship. He didn’t understand it, and even thought it was his fault, so if anything having her back helped him. She’s his mother, she should be a part of his life. However, she even states in her letter in the beginning that it’s better for him to be primarily brought up by his Dad.
The relationship between Ted and Joanna began with anger, bitterness, and then became acceptance. Ted was upset and confused by her leaving. He knew he hadn’t been the most attentive husband, but he didn’t think she actually would leave. He was also bitter about her leaving him alone to balance work and Billy, but eventually he really came to appreciate the time they spent together. He was a complete workaholic, and the fact that raising his son helped him shake this is really remarkable. It was a gradual change, but it made him a much stronger character and much more respectable man and just human being all around. Without Joanna leaving, he wouldn’t have gotten so close with his son. He honestly wouldn’t really even know Billy at all. It was really a blessing in disguise. It gave him a chance to reevaluate and get his priorities back in order. After her 18 months away, when they meet at the restaurant, they appear happy to see each other. Even though there is clearly tension in their past, they are like two old friends reunited.
It’s not until he finds out that she’s been back for two months without contacting them, and that she says she wants to take Billy back, that any anger reemerges. Honestly, we don’t blame him for being mad at all. She doesn’t come off too well here. Not only is she trying to take Billy away from his beautiful relationship with Ted that we’ve watched bloom, but she’s been back for two months. Two months without a single phone call, just watching from afar. We were annoyed by this. We actually slammed the space bar down to pause that scene when she said it. It’s not that we don’t think Joanna has a right to be a part of Billy’s life, she is his mother after all, but she didn’t go about it the right way. She left him. She wrote him a letter saying Ted was going to raise him. And now she just wants to swoop in and change everything. She should have tried easing into the relationship again. Going from zero to infinity never ends well. Besides that, she didn’t even seem open to discussion or compromise. She was determined to get her way. Although determination and resilience is a nice change in Joanna from what we witnessed in the beginning, knowing how Ted would react, you’d think she could have come up with a better strategy.
It’s not until he finds out that she’s been back for two months without contacting them, and that she says she wants to take Billy back, that any anger reemerges. Honestly, we don’t blame him for being mad at all. She doesn’t come off too well here. Not only is she trying to take Billy away from his beautiful relationship with Ted that we’ve watched bloom, but she’s been back for two months. Two months without a single phone call, just watching from afar. We were annoyed by this. We actually slammed the space bar down to pause that scene when she said it. It’s not that we don’t think Joanna has a right to be a part of Billy’s life, she is his mother after all, but she didn’t go about it the right way. She left him. She wrote him a letter saying Ted was going to raise him. And now she just wants to swoop in and change everything. She should have tried easing into the relationship again. Going from zero to infinity never ends well. Besides that, she didn’t even seem open to discussion or compromise. She was determined to get her way. Although determination and resilience is a nice change in Joanna from what we witnessed in the beginning, knowing how Ted would react, you’d think she could have come up with a better strategy.
All that being said, we do like Joanna. We think it took a lot of strength to leave. She clearly loved her son very much, and was struggling when she was putting him to bed. We know she was torn, but she knew she needed to get better.
She was very assertive when she was telling Ted she was leaving, and that couldn’t have been easy.
We never really find out for certain why she left. All we know is she was unhappy. Other than that we’re just given little clues as to what could have happened. One obvious answer is that she was unhappy in the marriage with her husband being a workaholic and raising her son alone, and she just felt she needed to leave to find more. Another clue given is that she needed to “find” herself. She didn’t know who she was outside of being a wife and a mother. She never had time to just be alone with herself and figure that out before jumping into marriage. This is something many women experienced during the time, and we know her friends supported her and admired her for her strength. We also know she is a well educated woman.
One interesting and exciting thing is that Joanna attended Smith College. This is where Libby will be going to college in the fall, and really loves the school. We don’t know that much about her, so the fact that she attended Smith is very important. Smith College is an all women’s college in Northampton, MA. It was established in 1857 as another Seven Sisters school, which were all women's schools that were complementary to the Ivy League. The Ivy Leagues and all other colleges did not admit women, so from the very beginning Smith and the other Seven Sisters were a feminist idea.
Smith had a reputation for a long time of being a finishing school for rich young women, but in the 1960’s and 70’s that changed. Prominent feminists Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem attended Smith, and the school became known as strongly feminist. Women who attend Smith are known to be ambitious, determined, and successful in their careers. Joanna attending Smith fits in with her character because she wanted a career and life for herself apart from her husband. She successfully found a job that paid more than her husband’s job, and seemed much more happy and fulfilled now that she had a job.
We think Kramer vs Kramer is an excellent film all around. We were surprised by how much we enjoyed looking at a film through the lense of a man breaking traditional stereotypes, which helped support progressiveness for women. Aside from doing a great job of breaking stereotypes, it honestly does live up to all the hype. It is well written, directed, and it is clear why Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman won Oscars for it, as well as Justin Henry being the youngest actor ever nominated for Best Supporting Actor. We didn’t know what we were walking into when we watched it, and we were uncertain as to whether or not it would be as good as everyone told us. Now, we can strongly assert that it is one of the better films we’ve seen, not just for this project, but in general.
One interesting and exciting thing is that Joanna attended Smith College. This is where Libby will be going to college in the fall, and really loves the school. We don’t know that much about her, so the fact that she attended Smith is very important. Smith College is an all women’s college in Northampton, MA. It was established in 1857 as another Seven Sisters school, which were all women's schools that were complementary to the Ivy League. The Ivy Leagues and all other colleges did not admit women, so from the very beginning Smith and the other Seven Sisters were a feminist idea.
Smith had a reputation for a long time of being a finishing school for rich young women, but in the 1960’s and 70’s that changed. Prominent feminists Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem attended Smith, and the school became known as strongly feminist. Women who attend Smith are known to be ambitious, determined, and successful in their careers. Joanna attending Smith fits in with her character because she wanted a career and life for herself apart from her husband. She successfully found a job that paid more than her husband’s job, and seemed much more happy and fulfilled now that she had a job.
We think Kramer vs Kramer is an excellent film all around. We were surprised by how much we enjoyed looking at a film through the lense of a man breaking traditional stereotypes, which helped support progressiveness for women. Aside from doing a great job of breaking stereotypes, it honestly does live up to all the hype. It is well written, directed, and it is clear why Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman won Oscars for it, as well as Justin Henry being the youngest actor ever nominated for Best Supporting Actor. We didn’t know what we were walking into when we watched it, and we were uncertain as to whether or not it would be as good as everyone told us. Now, we can strongly assert that it is one of the better films we’ve seen, not just for this project, but in general.
Sources
"Decade by Decade: 1980s - Women of the Century - DiscoverySchool.com."Decade by Decade: 1980s - Women of the Century. Discovery Education, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.
"Kramer vs. Kramer." Rev. of Kramer v. Kramer. The New York Times 19 Dec. 1979: n. pag. www.nytimes.com. The New York Times. Web. 14 May 2015.
"The 1960s-70s American Feminist Movement: Breaking Down Barriers for Women." Tavaana. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.
Ebert, Roger. "Kramer vs. Kramer Movie Review (1979) | Roger Ebert." All Content. Rogerebert.com, 1 Dec. 1979. Web. 14 May 2015.
Ferrara, Greg. "TCM Presents: The Essentials." TCM Presents: The Essentials. TCM: The Film Essentials, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.
Turner, Natasha. "10 Things That American Women Could Not Do Before the 1970s." Ms Magazine Blog. N.p., 28 May 2013. Web. 14 May 2015.
"Decade by Decade: 1980s - Women of the Century - DiscoverySchool.com."Decade by Decade: 1980s - Women of the Century. Discovery Education, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.
"Kramer vs. Kramer." Rev. of Kramer v. Kramer. The New York Times 19 Dec. 1979: n. pag. www.nytimes.com. The New York Times. Web. 14 May 2015.
"The 1960s-70s American Feminist Movement: Breaking Down Barriers for Women." Tavaana. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.
Ebert, Roger. "Kramer vs. Kramer Movie Review (1979) | Roger Ebert." All Content. Rogerebert.com, 1 Dec. 1979. Web. 14 May 2015.
Ferrara, Greg. "TCM Presents: The Essentials." TCM Presents: The Essentials. TCM: The Film Essentials, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.
Turner, Natasha. "10 Things That American Women Could Not Do Before the 1970s." Ms Magazine Blog. N.p., 28 May 2013. Web. 14 May 2015.