Deadlock
New member
Joe Brody and I were having a really interesting conversation via e-mail, and I was curious about that the rest of you thought.
He and I were talking about women in film, particularly in the Indy films. Joe noted that in today's world there are expectations set by the powers that be (Hollywood, women's lib movement, etc.) regarding the way woman are portrayed in films.
Though I agree that these politics exist, I think that they are applied inconsistently and illogically. In particular, I feel that films in the male-dominated genres (action, comic book, etc.), only pay lip service to the ideals of respect and equality for women (if at all). As crazy as it sounds... Yes, I'm suggesting that scantily clad babes MIGHT not be the greatest proponents of respect for women.
Bringing this back to Indy... Let's look at the female leads. Marion was a firebrand, but she had to be rescued by Indy constantly. Willie... let's not even go there. And Elsa, even though she's supposed to be Indy's "equal," ultimately, she can't figure it out on her own. She needs Indy and uses her standard-issue feminine wiles to get what she wants. Draw your own conclusions.
One last point. While I wholeheartedly support respect for women, I don't think EVERY movie needs to be a platform from which to preach this ideal. Call me a chauvinist pig, but I think it's okay for stories to have damsels in distress. I don't want to see every story scrubbed of characters that might give unbalanced view of the demographic they represent. (Which is good, because that's actually impossible.) For example, as a male, I will fully admit that there are men who are idiots (and far worse). Therefore, I'm not really offended by movies that portray them as such.
Feel free to discuss.
He and I were talking about women in film, particularly in the Indy films. Joe noted that in today's world there are expectations set by the powers that be (Hollywood, women's lib movement, etc.) regarding the way woman are portrayed in films.
Though I agree that these politics exist, I think that they are applied inconsistently and illogically. In particular, I feel that films in the male-dominated genres (action, comic book, etc.), only pay lip service to the ideals of respect and equality for women (if at all). As crazy as it sounds... Yes, I'm suggesting that scantily clad babes MIGHT not be the greatest proponents of respect for women.
Bringing this back to Indy... Let's look at the female leads. Marion was a firebrand, but she had to be rescued by Indy constantly. Willie... let's not even go there. And Elsa, even though she's supposed to be Indy's "equal," ultimately, she can't figure it out on her own. She needs Indy and uses her standard-issue feminine wiles to get what she wants. Draw your own conclusions.
One last point. While I wholeheartedly support respect for women, I don't think EVERY movie needs to be a platform from which to preach this ideal. Call me a chauvinist pig, but I think it's okay for stories to have damsels in distress. I don't want to see every story scrubbed of characters that might give unbalanced view of the demographic they represent. (Which is good, because that's actually impossible.) For example, as a male, I will fully admit that there are men who are idiots (and far worse). Therefore, I'm not really offended by movies that portray them as such.
Feel free to discuss.