I am no man
Aug. 6th, 2004 11:28 amListen up, Hollywood -- is there a female version of Spidey for our times?
This is an interesting article on female action heroes and their place (or lack there of) in Hollywood.
Excerpts:
For a while, television picked up the movie industry slack with series such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Xena: Warrior Princess," which featured women fighting for ethical ideals with no-holds-barred fervor. Buffy was a quintessentially American icon in the Spider-Man and Wonder Woman tradition; Xena was a mythic figure as sensually formidable as Brad Pitt's Achilles in "Troy." Yet despite their popularity, neither inspired cinematic imitations. What plays on the small screen, it seemed, didn't necessarily translate to the large.
and
If that's the case, and if Hollywood figures this out, future Wonder Women and vampire slayers will tackle their cinematic battles without apology. Perhaps even Eowyn will get enough onscreen time to recite in full her words in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Return of the King" text: "I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death. ... No living man am I! You look upon a woman."
This is an interesting article on female action heroes and their place (or lack there of) in Hollywood.
Excerpts:
For a while, television picked up the movie industry slack with series such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Xena: Warrior Princess," which featured women fighting for ethical ideals with no-holds-barred fervor. Buffy was a quintessentially American icon in the Spider-Man and Wonder Woman tradition; Xena was a mythic figure as sensually formidable as Brad Pitt's Achilles in "Troy." Yet despite their popularity, neither inspired cinematic imitations. What plays on the small screen, it seemed, didn't necessarily translate to the large.
and
If that's the case, and if Hollywood figures this out, future Wonder Women and vampire slayers will tackle their cinematic battles without apology. Perhaps even Eowyn will get enough onscreen time to recite in full her words in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Return of the King" text: "I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death. ... No living man am I! You look upon a woman."