Analysis of movies from 1950s-1990s

1950s

High Noon

Rear Window

In the 1950s the films almost always focused on male heroes. These men typically made the decisions which led the story, and were assertive, confident and dominant. High noon is a more western type of movie and mostly revolves around the men. The women are shown as frightened, in need of protection and direction, and offering love and support to the male character. In Rear Window the women hardly even have a role the whole movie is revolved around the male lead character, the women is shown a little bit and is shown as offering support and love to the male lead character. In these movies the female character had to cross gender and identify with the male characters.In the 1950s, especially, we witnessed an era of “reaffirming male dominance and female subservience; movies showed women as breasts and buttocks, again idealizing women who were ‘pretty, amusing, and childish,’” (Butler, 145).

1960s:

Lawrence of Arabia


The Sound Of Music


In the 1960s the roles of geder had not really chnaged much from the last decade. The male characters were shown more intelligent, more assertive- and much more prevavlent. In the film Lawrence of Arabia you do not see any female characters which proves that women were not taken seriously and did not have much of a role in society this can also suggest that "Women have been 'Symbolically Annihilated" as Tuchman said.
In The sound of music we see that women of the 1960s were represented as housewives and caring. The female character in sound of music is shown as a mother like figure to the children and is portrayed as the Madonna who is pure, innocent and caring.

1970s:

Star Wars


Alien


In the 1970s we are introduced to the second wave femenism were women fought to work and become more independent. In the 70s it can be seen that the role of women in movies is increasing and becoming more stronger. In Star Wars the whole movie is revolved around the female character Leia, she is shown as pretty and good at shooting stormstroopers which makes her loo powerfull, however she is also the prized princess that the heroic boys had to rescue and win the heart of. We also see a powerfull female in the movie Alien; the fact that women are begining to be shown in action movies more often is a celebration for femenists. Ripley is presented as strong and independant, this proves that women are becoming more elivated and this time its the men who have to cross gender and identify with the female character.

1980:

Terminator


Three Men and a Baby


In the 1980s we see that women are still shown as strong and powerfull e.g. Sarah Connor in The Terminator, however although she is shown independant she is patronised as people from the future send a man back in time to save her.In the 1980s we were also introduced to 'The New Man' for example in Three Men and a Baby' as this was a fresh and different movie to what we were usually shown to as the men were dealing with a baby and have become more domestic showing the men beoming more femenine.

1990s:

Fatal Attraction


In the 1990s there was a male backlash as "faludi" found out that there was a backlash against women having careers and being independent on themselves and women liberation's. Fatale attraction is able to expolit the different roles in which the women play throughout the film, one being the Madonna in the film is the housewife shown to be caring and innocent and pure compared to the other female charcter who is the Whore as she is the one who uses her sexual appearence in order to get what she wants and comes across as sexual and sinful , the whore also relates to the femme fatale.