Originally posted on the Filmspotting Forum
In the last couple days I watched a few movies that caused me to reflect on the relations between men and women in film.
The Chronicles of Riddick
This sequel to Pitch Black is easily more imaginative as the first. You have a militarized fundamentalist group and one bad guy who is seen as the savior against them, although he has his own motivations. The universe is more complex than one might expect, and the editing and special effects are quirky and fun (except when they are overblown). The worst of the film was its characterization of women. It is a male teen fantasy, more than anything. The men are tough and fight to prove superiority. The women are seductive and pursue the strongest men, but the strong men resist the woman crawling over them lasciviously. I understand it's a fantasy, and a Van Diesel film, but why must we have films that perpetuate this caveman fantasy? Again, it had a lot of positive points, but overall it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
This is a pretty shoddy adaptation of a fascinating George Bernard Shaw play. Except for Claude Rains and (occasionally) Vivian Leigh, the acting was horrible. The physical set up of many in between scenes were awful. The script, however, shone. It is about how Julius Caesar comes to Egypt and teaches Cleopatra to be a woman-- not in a sexual sense, for it is clear that Shaw thought Caesar to be too old for Cleopatra-- but instead taught her to be independent and regal. The verbal play, of Caesar especially, is wonderful, and a joy to hear. I love Shaw scripts. Even so, it is clear that the play was written in 1898, and an attitude of "a woman needs a man to teach her wisdom" prevails all the way to the last scene. A woman can be strong in this movie, but never wise. That is something that men must teach them. Foolishness.
In A Lonely Place
I have seen a number of Bogie's films, and only a couple have really stood out to me-- The Big Sleep, Key Largo. But this one tops them all. What a charming, lighthearted film with a heart of sorrow and oppression. Dixon is a screenwriter who has had trouble keeping relationships, especially with women, due to his reliance on violence. If someone says a bad word about himself or another, he flairs up and begins to get physical. Overall, he's a good guy-- charming, funny, smart. One day, he is suspected of murder, and through that gets involved in a relationship with his funny and smart neighbor, Laurel. Rarely have I seen a better screenplay. The relationships are perfect: believable and fascinating. It is all so wonderful until it goes gradually wrong.
Dixon actually has the same immature attitude toward men and women that is displayed in the Chronicles of Riddick: Men fight to prove their superiority, women desire men and should be dominated.
** Spoiler Paragraph** (and the conclusion of the matter)
However, by the end of In a Lonely Place it is clear that reality doesn't work this way. You can't have good relationships with people in modern society as if you were a caveman. In this way, not only is In A Lonely Place a superior work of art, but it is also morally powerful. It shows the end of living in a teenage fantasy: frustrated, angry loneliness. So sad, but so true. There are many people like Dixon who I wish could learn this lesson before it is too late.
In the last couple days I watched a few movies that caused me to reflect on the relations between men and women in film.
The Chronicles of Riddick
This sequel to Pitch Black is easily more imaginative as the first. You have a militarized fundamentalist group and one bad guy who is seen as the savior against them, although he has his own motivations. The universe is more complex than one might expect, and the editing and special effects are quirky and fun (except when they are overblown). The worst of the film was its characterization of women. It is a male teen fantasy, more than anything. The men are tough and fight to prove superiority. The women are seductive and pursue the strongest men, but the strong men resist the woman crawling over them lasciviously. I understand it's a fantasy, and a Van Diesel film, but why must we have films that perpetuate this caveman fantasy? Again, it had a lot of positive points, but overall it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
This is a pretty shoddy adaptation of a fascinating George Bernard Shaw play. Except for Claude Rains and (occasionally) Vivian Leigh, the acting was horrible. The physical set up of many in between scenes were awful. The script, however, shone. It is about how Julius Caesar comes to Egypt and teaches Cleopatra to be a woman-- not in a sexual sense, for it is clear that Shaw thought Caesar to be too old for Cleopatra-- but instead taught her to be independent and regal. The verbal play, of Caesar especially, is wonderful, and a joy to hear. I love Shaw scripts. Even so, it is clear that the play was written in 1898, and an attitude of "a woman needs a man to teach her wisdom" prevails all the way to the last scene. A woman can be strong in this movie, but never wise. That is something that men must teach them. Foolishness.
In A Lonely Place
I have seen a number of Bogie's films, and only a couple have really stood out to me-- The Big Sleep, Key Largo. But this one tops them all. What a charming, lighthearted film with a heart of sorrow and oppression. Dixon is a screenwriter who has had trouble keeping relationships, especially with women, due to his reliance on violence. If someone says a bad word about himself or another, he flairs up and begins to get physical. Overall, he's a good guy-- charming, funny, smart. One day, he is suspected of murder, and through that gets involved in a relationship with his funny and smart neighbor, Laurel. Rarely have I seen a better screenplay. The relationships are perfect: believable and fascinating. It is all so wonderful until it goes gradually wrong.
Dixon actually has the same immature attitude toward men and women that is displayed in the Chronicles of Riddick: Men fight to prove their superiority, women desire men and should be dominated.
** Spoiler Paragraph** (and the conclusion of the matter)
However, by the end of In a Lonely Place it is clear that reality doesn't work this way. You can't have good relationships with people in modern society as if you were a caveman. In this way, not only is In A Lonely Place a superior work of art, but it is also morally powerful. It shows the end of living in a teenage fantasy: frustrated, angry loneliness. So sad, but so true. There are many people like Dixon who I wish could learn this lesson before it is too late.
