the girl with the dragon tattoo

[SantaIAmSoFuckingRock]

i saw the film last night for the first time having no clue what it was about. i am really impressed. it seemed like a reversal of the usual, "woman needs, rescued from abuser/ help to catch a killer, man swoops in, seduces her, solves crime and sails off into the sunset"

just wondering what others thought of it from a feminist perspective.

Was it the original or the Daniel Craig version?

The original is fabulous - Noomi Rapace is just amazing as Lisbeth - the rape and sexual abuse scenes are harrowing but well done and she isn't a helpless female "victim", it's good to see a woman getting even with her rapist.

I applaud the whole er thrust of the series (just wait until the denouement of nr 3)
BUT
I disliked in the books just how much of a focus there was on the journalist bloke being a real player with women. The films didn't seem quite so bad.
I felt that was hackneyed (within the genre as a whole) and would have liked to have seen a more refreshing male lead.
Not to detract from the kick-ass Salander. Though I wondered at times if her Aspergers wasn't being exploited a little, but that's not really a feminist issue.

it was the original (haven't seen daniel craig version. didn't know there was one!)

stephanie i have to say i didn't get a player vibe at all from the journalist in the film, quite disappointing that it is in the book really!

yes it was great to see her, not getting revenge IMO, but protecting herself from being hurt and manipulated anymore and also preventing him doing it again (i interpretted the tattoo on the rapist as a way of preventing him trying it with others, like a permanent reminder that he didn't get the better of her?)

i just kept finding myself getting surprised again and again throughout at what happened. and when i thought more about it today i realised just how un-normal (in terms of movie heros) this one was. i think the only point at which i felt the male character was 'saving' her in any way was when he said he was glad she had been there and she cried and thanked him but that is completely appropriate for the story IMO. all the other parts, it was her comning to hsi rescue both physically and WRT solving the case.

i'm looking forward to the second film tonight.

The book was originally titled Men Who Hate Women and the premise was how abusive society can be towards women.

i think i would have read it if it had been published with that title.

I watched both of them this week and preferred the one with subtitles.
Amazing actresses in both.

whats part 2 called?

I agree about the tattooing of the rapist. That whole scene was hard to read/watch but yes his permanent reminder...ha.

I've just remembered another hting I didn't like, not squeamishness about bisexuality but I felt it was overdone (again, int he book) and served as yet another wish-fulfilment scenario for the author.

Also my grandmother read the books and loved them and this creeped me out somewhat

nailak it's called 'the girl who played with fire'

i think i'll have to read the book to compare although it sounds like it has been adapted for the better for the screen.

the second film is starting now on channel 4+1 if anyone hasn't seen it. i hope it lives up to the first one.

I've read all three books and have seen all the films (including the new one)
The 2nd and 3rd film imo don't do justice to the books at all
I couldn't put the books down but the films were not so good

The new film was imo a better version of the book in that it had all the details that were missed out

Fabulous books - but films of the 2nd and 3rd books were boring compared

weird. I really hated it. Was just violence for titillation. I don't buy the whole 'wanting to make a statement about violence against women' crap either. There was no need to linger on the violent scenes so much, and Salander's violence is no better than that of the guy who abused her in the first place. It's snuff, calling it anything else is dishonest imho. Reminds me a bit of Moll Flanders where a moralist editor plot device was used to allow readers to read the smut without fear of being accused of reading the smut for enjoyment.