Ruin your favourite books/films with a spot of feminist analysis

[ElephantsAndMiasmas]

Got thinking about this on another thread where I was wittering talking cleverly about the problems I have with Bridget Jones's Diary (the book, the problem with the film is that stuffy faced plonker Firth).

One of her boyfriends is a total cheating dickhead, obviously. But the "nice" one, Mark Darcy, is incredibly patronising towards her, repeatedly "rescuing" her because he wants to fuck her. Which is all well and good, but whereas in Pride and Prejudice (the origin of BJD) Darcy has a lot of respect for the female protagonist, which she earns by being smart, witty, standing up for herself etc, BJD removes that whole side of her. When she stands up for herself it is something she later apologises for.

Anyway - anyone else want to join me?

Well, it's not a favourite film, but I never understand why so many women love Pretty Women:

Desparate hooker (miraculously with no drugs involvement) hired by very rich man. Lots of sex - for which she is being paid. Whoops, falls in love.

Bleurgh

Brilliant, these are great. Had no idea about Carrie Fisher having that done to her

Reality - I watched that at about 12 and wondered what the hell was supposed to be so good/romantic about it as well. Although I like the fact that the relationship ends and she doesn't want to live happily ever after with the big buffoon.

Reality - Oh, and add in, she prances about on stage to cover for a pregnant woman who has to have a botched backstreet abortion. Whatever your stance on abortion, that ain't a romantic backdrop for a film.

"Elizabeth" with Kate Blanchet(spelling?) - kind of "Elizabeth, the Bridget Jones years", when in fact this was a young woman (in her teens, I think) who used to write letters (in Latin) to her father discussing statesmanship, the role of the monarch and military strategy. Not really an airhead. Still love Eric Cantona's part, though.

Anyone seen Jackie Fleming's cartoon synopsis of Frankie and Johnie? (I seem to remember it ends with the comment "audience leaves, thoroughly chastened and fully prepared to marry anyone with a pulse")

I quite liked Up In the Air though, on a more positive note. Female character screws around just like men in films so often do and (whilst morally I wouldn't condone her behaviour) there is no moral judgment meted out on her as a result, as there normally would be on a woman in a film who behaved that way.

Can I go the other way? I'm horrified to be moderately impressed by some of the Barbie films that dd was given by friends.

In The Princess and the Pauper; the prince who's supposed to marry the princess falls in love with Erica the pauper who dreams of being a singer. At the end she doesn't settle down with him right off but goes to follow her dream first and then returns to him when she's ready to.

In Barbie and the Three Musketeers; the prince obviously wants a relationship with Barbie after her and her friends rescue him. But when he asks if she wants to go for a hot air balloon ride she's like: 'sorry, there's an emergency and I have to ride off into the sunset with my mates. Maybe some other time?'

I mean there are some pretty blah things about them, but I worry when Barbie stuff better than films/books supposedly about strong female adult characters

Grease - teenage girl reinvents herself as sex bomb to be accepted by bloke who is embarssed to be seen with her.

Oh, and Rizzo, whilst being robust about her right to shag about, sings about how the worst thing she could do is make the boy take some responsibility when she thinks she's pregnant.

Peter Pan - Wendy is not interested in having any fun, just in "mothering" all the other children who are boys for some reason. Then nearly dies. Love interest and mummy figure in one. and all before hitting puberty.

Atonement (not my fave book actually, I hate it, but it's certainly popular) - little girl gets abused. Other little girl gets disturbed by this and wrongly accuses grown man of rape (something that happens all the time obviously, unlike real child abuse). Second little girl is villified. First little girl is ignored for the rest of the book, while the abuse, we presume, continues. :(

Not a particular film, but the 'Smurfette' effect annoys the hell out of me too.

Why is there one female smuf, one main female fraggle, one female character in ITNG (I held out hope for the Tombliboos being a mix, but DS's book uses the male pronoun).

Ribena - agree entirely about Grease. But Rizzo actually sings that the worst thing she dould do would be to be a cock-teaser, I think.

Are they all male in ITNG. Haven't watched it but I know that at least some of the wobbly ones - tomblisomething? - are played by women :o

But yes, "smurfette" effect is incredibly annoying.

The rule is - all characters are male (default human) unless there is a clear and present need for them to be female so that male character has someone to kiss at the end for fear people thnik he is gay. Or in order to die/be raped and provide "motivation" for heroic male.

Nah, she starts out that way, but that's not the 'worst thing' she could do. Those are all examples of things that are not as bad as the worst thing:

"There are worse things I could do,
Than go with a boy or two.
Even though the neighborhood thinks I'm trashy,
And no good,
I suppose it could be true,
But there are worse things I could do.

I could flirt with all the guys,
Smile at them and bat my eyes.
Press against them when we dance,
Make them think they stand a chance,
Then refuse to see it through.
That's a thing I'd never do.

I could stay home every night,
Wait around for Mr. Right.
Take cold showers every day,
And throw my life away,
On a dream that won't come true.

I could hurt someone like me,
Out of spite or jealousy.
I dont steal and I dont lie,
But I can feel and I can cry.
A fact I'll bet you never knew.
But to cry in front of you,
That's the worst thing I could do."

Quite shocking when you actually pay attention to the last line of the song.

BeerTricks there is another Marion, well Marian, like that, the one in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. She is a better sword-fighter than Robin at the start, yet at the end he has to defend her honour in a sword fight while she screams in traditional style.

The worse thing Rizzo can do is to cry in public.

LurcioLovesFrankie - I've got the book with the Jackie Fleming cartoon in!

Raiders of the Lost Ark was on TV a few months ago and I had to turn it off because I couldn't stand the whole "take a feisty woman into the jungle and watch her squeal at spiders, break her heels and cling helplessly to the nearest man" thing. I think there were quite a few 80s films based around this.

I thought Rizzo was singing that the worst thing she could do was allow him to face the emotional consequences by crying in front of him. Such a shame because Rizzo is great.

No, cry in front of him, the boy with whom she had sex, as a result of which she thinks she's pregnant. Accompanied by footage of him all carefree and her taking the whole weight on her shoulders as she is ostracised.

Sorry, it's a bugbear of mine. And I love her as Abbie Bartlett...

oh yes - x-posts.