I'm a media studies student, and I'm currently under-taking some critical research into how the representation of women has changed in film from the past to the present day. I would particularly like to focus on the role of the 'superhero'. Women used to act gullable and scream and hardly ever fight back, whereas now, we have characters like uma thurman in kill bill, angelina jolie in tomb raider and the girls from the descent, who all appear very strong.

Please help, it would be great if you could give me your opinions. Thanks :D

I enjoy seeing films where women take back their lives, so to speak. Jody Foster comes to mind - she has played some excellent roles. Strong, intelligent, determined, understanding the power within. Of course many women were exactly that but not allowed to express that in their films. I think of Lauren Bacall standing "helplessly" while Humphrey Bogart was fighting the bad guy. Makes you want to scream - "help the guy already."

I of course am all in favor of Uma Thurman and Angelina kicking butt in tight outfits . The Amazon Women is not a new plot line in literature but you are right in that it is gaining acceptance in action films.

But let's not forget that women like Kate Hepburn has always played strong women on the screen .Not physically strong necessarily ,but no one can deny the characters she played in movies like African Queen and Bringing up Baby ,among others ,are very strong women.

Greta Garbo, Maureen O'Hara,and many others have played roles where they had to show their skills in action movies like Garbo in Queen Christina (1933 and O'Hara in At Sword's Point (1952) .

So although it was the exception ,strong women have been a part of the movie world and they paved the way for today's heroine

What about My Fair Lady - Audrey Hepburn. She took charge of her life, took the steps necessary to make a difference, and ultimately sang "Without You!"

Its an oldie, but a goodie. I don't think its actually necessary to put a woman in tight clothes and give her a sword in order for her to appear superhero-ey.

Try looking at some of the old movies and pulling the superhero-isms from them in addition to Kill Bill, Electra, and Tomb Raider...

Just a thought...

Thanks ! Also, does anyone know why the media began accepting more and more women to play bigger roles? Does anyone have opinions about the women that played with Christopher Reeves in the 1978 film superman? Compared to the more modern 1997 Batman and Robin film, where there were also the characters of Poison Ivy (played by Uma Thurman) and Batwoman. And how that has progress even more to films like The Descent and Kill Bill? Does anyone have any more examples of films with different roles of women in? Both modern and classic.

Thanks so much:D

Thanks historianchick :) Yea that is true about Audrey Hepburn, she was great.

You know, that would actually be a very interesting topic for a media studies "thing"... LOL

Finding the superhero in women in film before they actually became symbols of superheroes...

Scarlett O'Hara in 'Gone with the Wind' wasn't just one of those 'helpless' women, though in the beginning it might seem that way. During the war, she fought to get back to her homeland, Tera, and made it with a sick woman, a baby and a helpless slave. She did have help along the way but Rhett left her half way through her journey.

When she got back home, she was in horror to see that her once primped and rich life had now gone to ashes. She worked out on the fields and around the house just to barely get by whereas in the beginning of the film, she would never of thought to bend down and pick up a piece of trash and throw it away.

I wasn't sure about Eliza Doolittle... Do you remember the last line of the movie ?
Eliza? Where the devil are my slippers?

Then again ;I can't deny her ambition and her determination to achieve her goal .

Ah, yes. Classic line.

But, Eliza had risen to the occasion, taken control of her life, and decided on her own to return to Professor Higgins. The nebulous ending of the line, "Where the devil are my slippers?" refers to when she threw them at him after he treated her horribly upon returning from the ball... one of the first steps toward her independence. It wasn't a demand for her to fetch his slippers, but an acknowledgment on his part of her independence... at least, in my opinion! :) My Fair Lady is left with the watcher/reader interpreting their own ending.

The original George Bernard Shaw Pygmalion confirmed that Eliza chose to marry Freddy Hill...

Maybe it stems from being in the play and interpreting the character of Eliza Doolittle for myself. I adore Eliza :)