Evolution of Women Heroes in Film
From Sally Field as Norma Rae to Buffy, Lara Croft and Princess Leia
Jun 3, 2008
The hero’s journey is a theme explored in countless films revolving almost exclusively around men. Women in films are rarely portrayed as heroes outside the realm of motherhood, and even then they’re often painted more noble than heroic. This is mainly an issue in fiction; real-life heroines are abundant, from Elizabeth I to Madame Curie to Norma Rae to Karen Silkwood (all Oscar nominated roles, with a win for Sally Field).
The female hero in American film has evolved from villainess to sexpot to superhero, shepherded by a select number of male filmmakers. Key players include Walt Disney, Roger Corman, Ridley Scott, James Cameron, and Quentin Tarantino, all men who recognized and capitalized on the heroic potential of women.
What’s a Good Girl to Do?
Disney’s cartoon villainesses were larger than life and terrifying as hell. Snow White’s wicked stepmother, the vengeful witch Maleficent, and power-mad squid-woman Ursula all wielded tremendous power – and pure evil. Exploitation films of the early 70’s brought the game to a new level; Roger Corman’s heroines were not known for being “good girls” (or if they were, it wasn’t for long), but they weren’t always the bad guy. They could fight and they could screw – qualities that qualify for kick-ass status.
Corman was a visionary and invested in the early films of a true pioneer for women in film, Pam Grier. “Blaxploitation” films were often schlocky and Grier might’ve gotten slapped around a little, but she could give as good as she got. Because movies like Foxy Brown, Coffy, and White Mama, Black Mama were low budget and the subject matter perceived as “low brow”, mainstream Hollywood was not paying attention and the trend of feisty, bad-ass women wouldn’t be embraced for another 20 years.
Evolution of the Tough Chick
In the late 1970’s and early 80’s directors Ridley Scott and James Cameron used science fiction as a vehicle for strong, intelligent, take-charge women. Ripley of Alien (directed by Scott) and Aliens (directed by Cameron) and Sarah Connor of Cameron’s The Terminator and T2 remain iconic figures and successful box office draws, with four movies in the Alien franchise and The Sarah Connor Chronicles a current hit on Fox TV.
These guys recognized that women could tell a kick-ass adventure story and proved that people are willing to pay to see them do it. They continued to feature female heroes throughout the 90’s with Cameron’s The Abyss and Titanic and Scott’s G.I. Jane and that ultimate kick-ass duo, Thelma & Louise.
The next major contributor to the cause was Quentin Tarantino. From Jackie Brown to Kill Bill’s Bride and the girls of Deathproof, he consistently features a variety of women who are capable of great strength and great vulnerability, all of whom kick tremendous amounts of ass, both literally and figuratively.
What the Future Holds
Doors continue to open for chicks who kick ass. Some stories are better executed than others, but they all possess interesting characters, from Princess Leia to Catwoman (in all her incarnations), Mrs. Smith to Lara Croft, Buffy to Scully. The next level of female heroism in film could very well be chicks who write and direct chicks who kick ass. Maybe, just maybe, that’s the ticket to addressing the absence of America's greatest female hero and answering the question: Where’s Wonder Woman?
