bmcjmp (02/04/83)
I think that the shoddy treatment of females in motion pictures in general is one bad deal. It seems that every once in a while there is a short round of good women's roles, and then Hollywood having done it's duty, returns to its "safe" world of strong men and women that are little more than props. Science fiction films are often the worst offenders, much as I love science fiction. Even the role of a strong woman like Leia is defined more in terms of a woman being of value because she as "as good as a man" than of a woman being of value as a woman. The only science fiction/fantasy film I have seen of late where a woman was given any kind of fair treatment was the female lead in "CONAN". I know the movie was not wonderful, but here we have a woman who is brave, strong, loyal, etc., and still very much a woman. I think part of the problem in Hollywood is that because actresses were selected more on the basis of sex appeal than an abililty ot act, the parts available were more those of visual props than of thinkng people. Still, it is hard to deny talent, and I think that there are enough talented women in the acting business that if they are vocal enough about getting good roles, then the writers and producers will do something about seeing that the roles are there. Barb Puder burdvax!bmcjmp
wm (02/05/83)
Gee, I saw a movie recently with a woman in the lead. It was called Tootsie! What? Oh! never mind. Wm Leler - UNC Chapel Hill
dmmartindale (02/07/83)
I don't think that the occasional Hollywood film with a strong female lead has anything to do with Hollywood "doing its duty". If someone thinks that such a film will make lots of money, it gets made. (An Unmarried Woman was probably an example of this.) I suspect the lack of good women's roles in general is a reflection of the fact that neither Hollywood nor the audiences are used to it. Star Wars is a Western, a good guys vs. bad guys picture, and wouldn't seem quite as familiar and reassuring if the female lead was a strong as the male lead(s) or if there was no romance between them. There seem to be many more solid female roles in European cinema; I wonder if women are closer to being seen as equals there? Dave Martindale
bernie (02/16/83)
One of the main reasons there are so few good roles for women is that so few writers are female (or, put another way, so few women choose to become writers).