Date of Award
Spring 5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Film Studies
First Advisor
Leah Aldridge, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Emily Carman, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
John Chichester, M.F.A.
Abstract
This thesis compares the two versions of The Fly, the 1958 film directed by Kurt Neumann and the 1986 film directed by David Cronenberg, and places them in conversation with one another to examine the ways in which expressions of patriarchal dominance and the ways women operate within their contemporaneous patriarchal systems changes over time. I pinpoint two key tenets of patriarchy – women’s subordination to men and women’s role as mother and caretaker – and analyze them in their historical and filmic contexts. As Andre and Seth entangle Helene and Veronica into the messes they create, their patriarchal dominance becomes apparent either within the home, as with Neumann’s The Fly, or outside of the home, as with Cronenberg’s The Fly. Andre, however, loses his dominance as he transforms, whereas Seth’s only grows stronger. By analyzing how the women in the films interact with these expressions of patriarchal power, I argue that Helene acts as an agent of patriarchal norms while Veronica threatens its eminence. Ultimately, this thesis utilizes the women’s roles in both films to trace a shift in patriarchal operations from the contained, domestic patriarchy of the 1950s to a more aggressive and expansive patriarchy of the 1980s, which is marked by a heightened violence and threats to female autonomy as masculine insecurities and anxieties grew through the rise of the feminist movement.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Daigrepont, Emma. Uncovering the Monster of Patriarchy: Women of The Fly (1958, 1986) and Shifting Gender Politics. 2026. Chapman University, MA Thesis. Chapman University Digital Commons,https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000734