We don’t see a lot of *good* female characters, especially on the silver screen. I’m often tearing my eyes out with rage at the depiction of women as hapless victims – or conversely, super-hard, super-capable men with boobs. Where are all the real women??? The average movie might not know, but depressingly a lot of spec scripts don’t either. Read my take on what makes a strong female character – it’s over on Twelve Point right now. What do you mean, you haven’t got a subscription?? No excuses! Get one now. You’re missing out, buster.
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ooh, goody!
I’m too cheap (Recession notwithstanding) for 12point but I think one problem is getting bogged down in male/female stereotypes. If I remember from Seinfeld, they told the writers to treat Elaine as a guy.
http://www.overthinkingit.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/hallecatwoman.jpg
I think one of the biggest problems for the female protagonist occurs when the writer chooses to tell the story of “how much she is/is not a man” rather than giving her a story of her own.
It’s a result of Hollywood cinema, that the female is nothing more than a prize for the male lead. To combat this, it seems a lot of writers like to prove this theory wrong.
While I agree with the notion, most strong females come from having their own story. Their own trials and tribulations that aren’t dependent on whether or not a man can or can’t do it.
Ripley is a strong character because she does exactly what anyone would do in her given circumstance, kicks ass, and comes out on top.
So is Helen Tasker. Sarah Connor. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Etc.
The booby prize for the audience is they look oh so good in their undies 🙂