Top Ten Feminist Movies, my edits
frogfarm points to this link in the comments here. Needless to say, even if I was bright enough not to stick my finger in the electrical socket, how could I not respond?
Alien - No argument. The superiority of this action heroine is in the tale: had Ripley remained a man, how would this movie have changed? No sex, no crew conflicts, just suspense and horror. Wonderful. Please note: this movie is listed as a "feminist achievement": had Ripley actually been a man, it would simply be dismissed as another patriarchal attempt to "demonize the alien Other". *grrr*
Adam's Rib - Meh. Preachy. Not even the best Tracy/Hepburn film, it gets ranked higher because it is somewhat about feminism, not because it has anything to say about it.
All About Eve - Camille Paglia would bitch slap me, but I've not seen this. Clearly, I'm not as gay as I might be.
Batman Returns - Meh. Nebbish loses his/her grip. Old.
Jackie Brown - Good film, and yeah, Pam and Jackie were killer. Not only a great film about a great chick, but a great film about middle age. Robert Forster rocked, too; together he and Grier were perfect.
Auntie Mame - Classic. This is less about Aryans from Darien than you might think, especially if you read the book (which was written as an extended parody on the stereotype of the eccentric aunt). New York society was famous for its rigidity; The New York Times was always preachy, hidebound and servile to the Manhattan upper crust. In those days, they were paleocons; now they're limousine liberals. The Times ever follows suit. In the book and movie, Patrick turns out as happily married and bourgeois as anyone: Mame, though older, remains single, wild and free.
Silence of the Lambs - Preachier than Victor/Victoria which, if you take all the preachy bits out, would possibly be the greatest comedy of the '80s. Great horror flick. Lousy feminism. "Clarice, we really must stop meeting like this." *turns* "People will say we're in love." *shudder*
Remember the creepy moment when Anthony's finger touched her hand? Remember that?! Did anyone else get the paranoid conviction that he now somehow had her scent or something and could track her anywhere?! Agh! That completely creeped me out!
Fight Club - My dad put up the walls. My mom decorated them. Shopping at IKEA is not decorating. Decorating is not buying. End of argument.
To Kill a Mockingbird - I like this flick, though the liberal pieties make me gag enough to miss any pro-woman content.
Star Wars - Leia doesn't fight much in ESB, but neither does anyone else. Neither Han nor Chewie can fix the Millennium Falcon, Han's choice for refuge (of a limited range, to be sure) ends up being a trap and Luke gets his hand chopped off for nothing.
So, what films would I nominate?
The Lion in Winter - Kate Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitane is purely delicious and absolutely dangerous. Peter O'Toole as Henry II invites his family and the King of France (what Henry's left him of it) to Christmas Court to terrorize them. Eleanor, quickly realizing no one else is up to snuff to oppose Henry or rival her, proceeds to terrorize Henry. Classic.
Dangerous Liaisons - God, Glenn Close is evil in this. No femme fatale of noirish film can hold a candle to Glenn in this. Proof positive, some of the best roles in cinema are the villains.
Kill Bill - Hollywood is full of actresses who have kids and suddenly reroute their careers: "My priorities have changed." It is a matter of considerable interest to me that Quentin Tarantino, too often dismissed as a machismo-bound, violence-obsessed nerd, crafted a marvelous action film that:
But far more interesting to me is that after this device is used for laughs it is utterly discarded. After Dante gets over his shock, he doesn't care. Besides, the only other girl who could capture his affection (or lust) is his serial cheater ex-girlfriend; in the face of this, what's a few long-past blowjobs? Veronica is far more memorable for:
Alien - No argument. The superiority of this action heroine is in the tale: had Ripley remained a man, how would this movie have changed? No sex, no crew conflicts, just suspense and horror. Wonderful. Please note: this movie is listed as a "feminist achievement": had Ripley actually been a man, it would simply be dismissed as another patriarchal attempt to "demonize the alien Other". *grrr*
Adam's Rib - Meh. Preachy. Not even the best Tracy/Hepburn film, it gets ranked higher because it is somewhat about feminism, not because it has anything to say about it.
All About Eve - Camille Paglia would bitch slap me, but I've not seen this. Clearly, I'm not as gay as I might be.
Batman Returns - Meh. Nebbish loses his/her grip. Old.
Jackie Brown - Good film, and yeah, Pam and Jackie were killer. Not only a great film about a great chick, but a great film about middle age. Robert Forster rocked, too; together he and Grier were perfect.
Auntie Mame - Classic. This is less about Aryans from Darien than you might think, especially if you read the book (which was written as an extended parody on the stereotype of the eccentric aunt). New York society was famous for its rigidity; The New York Times was always preachy, hidebound and servile to the Manhattan upper crust. In those days, they were paleocons; now they're limousine liberals. The Times ever follows suit. In the book and movie, Patrick turns out as happily married and bourgeois as anyone: Mame, though older, remains single, wild and free.
Silence of the Lambs - Preachier than Victor/Victoria which, if you take all the preachy bits out, would possibly be the greatest comedy of the '80s. Great horror flick. Lousy feminism. "Clarice, we really must stop meeting like this." *turns* "People will say we're in love." *shudder*
Remember the creepy moment when Anthony's finger touched her hand? Remember that?! Did anyone else get the paranoid conviction that he now somehow had her scent or something and could track her anywhere?! Agh! That completely creeped me out!
Fight Club - My dad put up the walls. My mom decorated them. Shopping at IKEA is not decorating. Decorating is not buying. End of argument.
To Kill a Mockingbird - I like this flick, though the liberal pieties make me gag enough to miss any pro-woman content.
Star Wars - Leia doesn't fight much in ESB, but neither does anyone else. Neither Han nor Chewie can fix the Millennium Falcon, Han's choice for refuge (of a limited range, to be sure) ends up being a trap and Luke gets his hand chopped off for nothing.
So, what films would I nominate?
The Lion in Winter - Kate Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitane is purely delicious and absolutely dangerous. Peter O'Toole as Henry II invites his family and the King of France (what Henry's left him of it) to Christmas Court to terrorize them. Eleanor, quickly realizing no one else is up to snuff to oppose Henry or rival her, proceeds to terrorize Henry. Classic.
Dangerous Liaisons - God, Glenn Close is evil in this. No femme fatale of noirish film can hold a candle to Glenn in this. Proof positive, some of the best roles in cinema are the villains.
Kill Bill - Hollywood is full of actresses who have kids and suddenly reroute their careers: "My priorities have changed." It is a matter of considerable interest to me that Quentin Tarantino, too often dismissed as a machismo-bound, violence-obsessed nerd, crafted a marvelous action film that:
- Addresses the concerns of the actresses mentioned above.
- Fixes my chief problem with chop socky: the utter lack of Western morality. (Note: I do not care to put Western morality into Hong Kong flicks. I just refuse to watch them.)
- Gives a pure revenge flick a perfect story: everything Bill and the Bride do is entirely reasonable and leads to inevitable conflict. I sympathize with Bill. I also agree that Uma needs to cut his freakin' head off. Wonderful.
But far more interesting to me is that after this device is used for laughs it is utterly discarded. After Dante gets over his shock, he doesn't care. Besides, the only other girl who could capture his affection (or lust) is his serial cheater ex-girlfriend; in the face of this, what's a few long-past blowjobs? Veronica is far more memorable for:
- Saving Dante from the evil gum rep.
- Her well-intentioned attempts to get Dante out of his rut.
- Bringing him make-up lasagna.
- Dumping his dumb ass.