Directed and written by: Allison de Fren
Narrated by: Julie Newmar
It is no secret that I have somewhat of an obsession with RealDolls – the $6,000 life-size sex toy – and the whole idea/fetish surrounding them. I'm constantly hunting down films that creatively explore the topic, such as Love Object, Lars and the Real Girl and Air Doll. So, when I saw the trailer for The Mechanical Bride, Allison de Fren's documentary on the topic, I knew I had to see it.
As is often the case with "pop" documentaries about alternative lifestyles and sexuality, I was expecting The Mechanical Bride either to rely on shock value by exploiting its participants for entertainment purposes or to take a critical/judgmental approach to the topic. I'm happy to report that was I wrong.
Instead, de Fren takes an anthropological approach, skillfully providing an overview of this fascinating "fetish" while trying to explain what it is that makes people fall in love with inanimate objects. She does so by interviewing a small but varied group of people whose insights offer a well-rounded view of the topic, once again proving the old adage "quality over quantity."
In the first half of the documentary, we are introduced to different men who explain the dynamics and the variety of reasons – grief, isolation, attraction, etc. – behind their lifestyle decision to enjoy companionship with a doll. Offering insightful transitions between the interviews, photographer Elena Dorfman, whose body of work focuses on portraits of real-life man-doll couples, helps humanize the love these men have for their dolls. The viewer gets a sense that Dorfman has come to know most of them personally; her message is one of respect and understanding. We are also privy to a tour of the factory where RealDolls are created and we get to meet some of the employees working there – most of the key positions are filled by females – whose anecdotes and genuine love of the product help reinforce the nonjudgmental tone of the film. Even during production, these dolls are treated as if they have distinct personalities, thus helping to differentiate them from other generic "disembodied" sex toys.
Then, the documentary takes a darker turn as it looks at the mechanization of these dolls in the constant, ongoing attempts at creating the perfect sexual robot. As an overview of key sci-fi films, TV shows and books helps contextualize the current obsession with sexual androids, a quick look at how various countries contribute to the mechanization of the dolls and adapt them to their own cultural needs is presented. This is where I had a problem with the film. One of the examples presented, the "children" dolls popular in Japan, is downright disturbing and raises important questions without offering any satisfying answers. Given the short running time of the film, this is the one area that I feel would have benefitted from a more thorough exploration as some topics simply cannot be glossed over.
On the technical side, the film is a bit uneven: A really slick animated sequence (suggesting high production values) pulls you in, yet there are numerous (seemingly random) fades to black, which are characteristic of documentaries made for TV. However, the strengths do outweigh the flaws and, as the disembodied voice of Julie Newmar – perhaps the first idealized mechanical bride, in the mid-1960s sitcom My Living Doll – hauntingly takes us on this fascinating journey, we can't help but develop empathy for these dolls.
Holding up an unflinching mirror to the current state of our society in which dolls are increasingly more realistic while women are surgically trying to become dolls, The Mechanical Bride offers more than an exploration of a misunderstood fetish. Once we scratch away the surface, we uncover the intricate underlying mechanics which raise important questions about the current state of our society, questions about the quest for perfection in this technologically advanced world, about the philosophical difference between man and machine and, above all else, about the inherent loneliness of the human soul in a time when we can be connected with anyone, anywhere.
I'll have to check out the film. Several authors have written books on the future of human/robot interaction, the only one I have personally read goes into great detail on the various positions a human might use with a robot (though I didn't know this when I started it).
These living dolls seem to focus more on the emotional aspect of human interaction with machines, while the sub-genre of porn referred to as "sex machines" deals with the carnal aspect more appropriately than the dolls in my opinion. The dolls seem to be more popular with men, while the machinery is most popular with women. I could be way off the mark here, but it is likely due to the fact women have become comfortable with sex toys featuring little in the way of human features (vibrators) and men have used printed images, blow up dolls, etc all of which possess an abundance of human features. It's not a perfect generalization, as there are exceptions but it seems the most obvious reason.
Looking over the wiki page for the dolls, it appears they specially make shemale dolls also which are likely purchased by males more than females along with the regular female model. A recent book suggests that straight men look at shemale porn more than any other demographic out of the sites who shared data with the study, it wouldn't surprise me to find they also buy these dolls. I've been trying to find some type of sales figures for the dolls to support these assumptions, but I haven't been able to locate anything other than the various films such as this, the show Taboo, and films like Lars.
Marwencol also touched upon the subject of dolls, but he was using miniatures as a form of therapy rather than RealDolls.
__________________
" I grant, at least, that there are two distinct conditions of my mental existence -- the condition of a lucid reason, not to be disputed, and belonging to the memory of events forming the first epoch of my life -- and a condition of shadow and doubt, appertaining to the present, and to the recollection of what constitutes the second great era of my being. Therefore, what I shall tell of the earlier period, believe; and to what I may relate of the later time, give only such credit as may seem due, or doubt it altogether, or, if doubt it ye cannot, then play unto its riddle the Oedipus. " - Eleonora, Edgar Allen Poe
These living dolls seem to focus more on the emotional aspect of human interaction with machines, while the sub-genre of porn referred to as "sex machines" deals with the carnal aspect more appropriately than the dolls in my opinion. The dolls seem to be more popular with men, while the machinery is most popular with women. I could be way off the mark here, but it is likely due to the fact women have become comfortable with sex toys featuring little in the way of human features (vibrators) and men have used printed images, blow up dolls, etc all of which possess an abundance of human features. It's not a perfect generalization, as there are exceptions but it seems the most obvious reason.
Looking over the wiki page for the dolls, it appears they specially make shemale dolls also which are likely purchased by males more than females along with the regular female model.
This is one of the arguments raised in the documentary; the fact that women have become used the the disembodied body part and uses her imagination as a trigger for the fantasy while men need a visual stimuli. However, I hadn't noticed what you point out that women are used to sex toys which have a 'machinery' component. Interestingly, other than making the dolls thrust, most of the technological development seems to be making her feel more 'real': having the silicone contract in the vagina, having the doll talk dirty and moan when you touch certain spots, etc. Again, all pointing toward a more 'human' or emotional type of connection. Arguably, machine/robot sex might be more of a woman thing!
However, please note that the emphasis of the doc is mostly on the dolls rather than 'robots'.
It really is a fascinating topic which awfully reminds me of Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation.
I'll try to check out Marwencol! You got me intrigued! And you should check out the work of Elena Dorfman
However, please note that the emphasis of the doc is mostly on the dolls rather than 'robots'.
It really is a fascinating topic which awfully reminds me of Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation.
I'll try to check out Marwencol! You got me intrigued! And you should check out the work of Elena Dorfman
I've not done much reading on RealDolls, I assumed they were more mechanical than what they were based on the demonstrations in that trailer and the current state of fleshed out robots in Japan. I am looking over the website you suggested right now, my favorite image is by far the image of the woman at the table smoking a cigarette with the doll. I glanced at the cosplay gallery, but I prefer steampunk costumes and medieval costumes (ren faire) myself.
I have not read Baudrillard's treatise, I will have to pick up a copy.
__________________
" I grant, at least, that there are two distinct conditions of my mental existence -- the condition of a lucid reason, not to be disputed, and belonging to the memory of events forming the first epoch of my life -- and a condition of shadow and doubt, appertaining to the present, and to the recollection of what constitutes the second great era of my being. Therefore, what I shall tell of the earlier period, believe; and to what I may relate of the later time, give only such credit as may seem due, or doubt it altogether, or, if doubt it ye cannot, then play unto its riddle the Oedipus. " - Eleonora, Edgar Allen Poe
I can see how the documentary's title can be misleading and suggest the dolls are mechanical... I think it was mostly used as a reference to the sci-fi ideal of the perfect android (such as Metropolis among many examples) and the way these dolls can be seen as a step closer to this.
Baudrillard can be quite challenging to read, but really interesting as it deals with perception of reality - the Matrix was was in part inpired by his writings.
Baudrillard can be quite challenging to read, but really interesting as it deals with perception of reality - the Matrix was was in part inpired by his writings.
I thought the Matrix was inspired by Ghost in the Shell and anime in general. Philosophy isn't my strongest subject, but what I read of Baudrillard on Wikipedia and the excerpts from other websites were not too difficult to comprehend though I did have to read a few of them multiple times.
__________________
" I grant, at least, that there are two distinct conditions of my mental existence -- the condition of a lucid reason, not to be disputed, and belonging to the memory of events forming the first epoch of my life -- and a condition of shadow and doubt, appertaining to the present, and to the recollection of what constitutes the second great era of my being. Therefore, what I shall tell of the earlier period, believe; and to what I may relate of the later time, give only such credit as may seem due, or doubt it altogether, or, if doubt it ye cannot, then play unto its riddle the Oedipus. " - Eleonora, Edgar Allen Poe
I thought the Matrix was inspired by Ghost in the Shell and anime in general. Philosophy isn't my strongest subject, but what I read of Baudrillard on Wikipedia and the excerpts from other websites were not too difficult to comprehend though I did have to read a few of them multiple times.
True... Well, I think Baudrillard helped shape an ideological framework that many sci-fi films/books are based on.
Thanks for the vid! I keep forgetting about Ghost in the Shell! Given your interest in the topic, I trust you're also familiar with Chobits?
Thanks for the vid! I keep forgetting about Ghost in the Shell! Given your interest in the topic, I trust you're also familiar with Chobits?
Nope, I have heard of it but never watched it. The last anime I watched was Dragonauts, where advanced robotic dragons can take on human form and their pilots sometimes fall in love with them or become emotionally attached. I will give Chobits a chance if it's anything like Lain or GitS.
[EDIT]
I got my dvd's from HHMI in the mail this evening, covering a large number of topics. Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, stem cells, obesity, biological clocks, genomics and chemical genetics, sex: genes and gender, etc, etc. None of it comes close to drawing me away from the .pdf I found of Simulacra and Simulation.
Thanks a lot, you've just created a junkie.
__________________
" I grant, at least, that there are two distinct conditions of my mental existence -- the condition of a lucid reason, not to be disputed, and belonging to the memory of events forming the first epoch of my life -- and a condition of shadow and doubt, appertaining to the present, and to the recollection of what constitutes the second great era of my being. Therefore, what I shall tell of the earlier period, believe; and to what I may relate of the later time, give only such credit as may seem due, or doubt it altogether, or, if doubt it ye cannot, then play unto its riddle the Oedipus. " - Eleonora, Edgar Allen Poe
Haha, glad you like it! :-) I had a similar reaction when I first read it!
As for Chobits, it's really different from Lain (which I LOOOOVE) of GitS. It's the only 'comedic' anime I watched and often had to take little breaks in there because there is a limit to how much high pitch excitement I can take. But I thought I'd mention it as the story line revolves are 'persocons' which are androids that serve as companions and computers. And yes, the 'on' switch is strategically placed... There isn't any emphasis on sex though (other than the fact that most men go crazy for the main character) but talking about sexual androids made me think of this as this is yet another example of our society's obsession with dolls/automatons.
There isn't any emphasis on sex though (other than the fact that most men go crazy for the main character) but talking about sexual androids made me think of this as this is yet another example of our society's obsession with dolls/automatons.
Look at Japan, those fleshed out robots I mentioned can talk, act as secretaries, etc now. They are always designed by men also, I have yet to see a male robot created in Japan that looks human. Like all complex machinery though the Japanese robots are fragile because most of the time they don't have any redundant systems so if something breaks there is no way to bypass it.
__________________
" I grant, at least, that there are two distinct conditions of my mental existence -- the condition of a lucid reason, not to be disputed, and belonging to the memory of events forming the first epoch of my life -- and a condition of shadow and doubt, appertaining to the present, and to the recollection of what constitutes the second great era of my being. Therefore, what I shall tell of the earlier period, believe; and to what I may relate of the later time, give only such credit as may seem due, or doubt it altogether, or, if doubt it ye cannot, then play unto its riddle the Oedipus. " - Eleonora, Edgar Allen Poe
It is no secret that I have somewhat of an obsession with RealDolls – the $6,000 life-size sex toy – and the whole idea/fetish surrounding them. I'm constantly hunting down films that creatively explore the topic, such as Love Object, Lars and the Real Girl and Air Doll. So, when I saw the trailer for The Mechanical Bride, Allison de Fren's documentary on the topic, I knew I had to see it.
Then, the documentary takes a darker turn as it looks at the mechanization of these dolls in the constant, ongoing attempts at creating the perfect sexual robot. As an overview of key sci-fi films, TV shows and books helps contextualize the current obsession with sexual androids, a quick look at how various countries contribute to the mechanization of the dolls and adapt them to their own cultural needs is presented. This is where I had a problem with the film. One of the examples presented, the "children" dolls popular in Japan, is downright disturbing and raises important questions without offering any satisfying answers. Given the short running time of the film, this is the one area that I feel would have benefitted from a more thorough exploration as some topics simply cannot be glossed over.
I'll have to check out the film. Several authors have written books on the future of human/robot interaction, the only one I have personally read goes into great detail on the various positions a human might use with a robot (though I didn't know this when I started it).
These living dolls seem to focus more on the emotional aspect of human interaction with machines, while the sub-genre of porn referred to as "sex machines" deals with the carnal aspect more appropriately than the dolls in my opinion. The dolls seem to be more popular with men, while the machinery is most popular with women. I could be way off the mark here, but it is likely due to the fact women have become comfortable with sex toys featuring little in the way of human features (vibrators) and men have used printed images, blow up dolls, etc all of which possess an abundance of human features. It's not a perfect generalization, as there are exceptions but it seems the most obvious reason.
Looking over the wiki page for the dolls, it appears they specially make shemale dolls also which are likely purchased by males more than females along with the regular female model. A recent book suggests that straight men look at shemale porn more than any other demographic out of the sites who shared data with the study, it wouldn't surprise me to find they also buy these dolls. I've been trying to find some type of sales figures for the dolls to support these assumptions, but I haven't been able to locate anything other than the various films such as this, the show Taboo, and films like Lars.
Marwencol also touched upon the subject of dolls, but he was using miniatures as a form of therapy rather than RealDolls.
" I grant, at least, that there are two distinct conditions of my mental existence -- the condition of a lucid reason, not to be disputed, and belonging to the memory of events forming the first epoch of my life -- and a condition of shadow and doubt, appertaining to the present, and to the recollection of what constitutes the second great era of my being. Therefore, what I shall tell of the earlier period, believe; and to what I may relate of the later time, give only such credit as may seem due, or doubt it altogether, or, if doubt it ye cannot, then play unto its riddle the Oedipus. " - Eleonora, Edgar Allen Poe