Friday, September 01, 2006
Females in film
It is widely felt that female characters in film have been restricted to the easy categories that classical narratives and familiar genres demand of them (the typical complaint is that women in films are either 'virgins, mothers or whores').
While a number of famous female protagonists have been presented as strong models of motherhood we have rarely seen women whose priority is to pursue and develop their ambitions, talents or vocations. Female characters who are uninterested in motherhood and domesticity are frequently depicted as lacking something or paying a price for their success. Those who do pursue larger ambitions are often portrayed as being in some sense naïve, manipulated by other (male) characters in the pursuit of their dreams.
The representation of women in film depends as much on issues of production, institutions and genres as on social, political and historical contexts. Gainsborough melodramas, Carry On films, Hammer horrors, heritage films and recent 'Brit-grit' realist films all necessarily place limitations upon the kinds of roles open to female (and male) actors.
The situation for non-white women is slightly less rosy, in that fewer representations exist, but we still have the varied and careful characterisations.
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824016/index.html
Sherish at 3:49 AM