The 100-Year Evolution of Movie Heroines
video description
Date: 2023-11-20
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 14
Karl
Not a solid effort.
How did this list miss anti-heroes Thelma and Louise? Or for that matter, Theron in Monster?
Heroines I would have liked to have seen:
1. Anything Pam Grier did -- Foxy Brown, Coffy etc. An entire genre is missing here.
2. Heroines who have their own characters trying to get somewhere, eg, Hepburn in African Queen and The Desk Set; Weaver/Griffith in Working Girl; Beals in Flashdance.
3. Detective/action characters, eg Anne Francis in Honey West (yes, it's TV) others like Dick Tracy; La Femme Nikita (or anything by Luc Besson)
4. Action Fantasy Sci-Fi heros: Nielsen in Red Sonja -- way, way before Gadot's Wonder Woman; Leeloo Dallas, Multipass in Fifth Element; Beckinsale in Underworld; and on and on: Atomic Blonde, Annihilation, G. I. Jane, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Resident Evil, .
Not to mention Color Purple, Steel Magnolias, True Grit (both versions, Labyrinth, Terms of Endearment, The Princess Bride, all of Meg Ryan's comedies. and those are just from the 1980s.
reply
Not a solid effort.
How did this list miss anti-heroes Thelma and Louise? Or for that matter, Theron in Monster?
Heroines I would have liked to have seen:
1. Anything Pam Grier did -- Foxy Brown, Coffy etc. An entire genre is missing here.
2. Heroines who have their own characters trying to get somewhere, eg, Hepburn in African Queen and The Desk Set; Weaver/Griffith in Working Girl; Beals in Flashdance.
3. Detective/action characters, eg Anne Francis in Honey West (yes, it's TV) others like Dick Tracy; La Femme Nikita (or anything by Luc Besson)
4. Action Fantasy Sci-Fi heros: Nielsen in Red Sonja -- way, way before Gadot's Wonder Woman; Leeloo Dallas, Multipass in Fifth Element; Beckinsale in Underworld; and on and on: Atomic Blonde, Annihilation, G. I. Jane, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Resident Evil, .
Not to mention Color Purple, Steel Magnolias, True Grit (both versions, Labyrinth, Terms of Endearment, The Princess Bride, all of Meg Ryan's comedies. and those are just from the 1980s.
reply
Marly
The origins of the female action hero can be traced to Sarah Connor and Trinity? Did blaxploitation never happen? Do Pam Grier and Tamara Dobson not exist? Of course films like Coffy and Cleopatra Jones arent the MOST feminist pieces of media, but neither are Kill Bill, Charlies Angels, and many of the other films in this video.
This video also could have included more heroes in the vein of clueless, like Jess from Bend it Like Beckham (the rare mainstream teen comedy with a leading woman of color) or even the girls from DEBS. Im sure theres tons more examples Im missing/unaware of, but its not my job to bother coming up with more inclusive examples, its yours. Pretty disappointing.
reply
The origins of the female action hero can be traced to Sarah Connor and Trinity? Did blaxploitation never happen? Do Pam Grier and Tamara Dobson not exist? Of course films like Coffy and Cleopatra Jones arent the MOST feminist pieces of media, but neither are Kill Bill, Charlies Angels, and many of the other films in this video.
This video also could have included more heroes in the vein of clueless, like Jess from Bend it Like Beckham (the rare mainstream teen comedy with a leading woman of color) or even the girls from DEBS. Im sure theres tons more examples Im missing/unaware of, but its not my job to bother coming up with more inclusive examples, its yours. Pretty disappointing.
reply
Michelle
I'd like to add a type: The Conspicuously Unattractive Female Lead. For so many years, actresses' main value on the big screen was to be pretty, ALWAYS, no matter what role they played. Now you have actual storylines where the actress' performance has higher value than her appearance. I mean roles like Charlize Theron in Monster, or Rooney Mara in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This is a leap in cinematic evolution, because it might mean that female worth is related to something other than their attractiveness.
reply
I'd like to add a type: The Conspicuously Unattractive Female Lead. For so many years, actresses' main value on the big screen was to be pretty, ALWAYS, no matter what role they played. Now you have actual storylines where the actress' performance has higher value than her appearance. I mean roles like Charlize Theron in Monster, or Rooney Mara in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This is a leap in cinematic evolution, because it might mean that female worth is related to something other than their attractiveness.
reply
Rosanna
A couple of historical goofs you might want to correct: Although Clara Bow was the star of It, Greta Garbo was the star of Flesh and the Devil, and Mary Pickford was the star of Coquette. In Mary Pickford's case, Coquette was one of her last films, and her first talkie after almost 20 years in silent films. She had long been the girl with the golden curls with her long ringlets, but in Coquette she tried to update her image with a Clara-Bow-like character.
reply
A couple of historical goofs you might want to correct: Although Clara Bow was the star of It, Greta Garbo was the star of Flesh and the Devil, and Mary Pickford was the star of Coquette. In Mary Pickford's case, Coquette was one of her last films, and her first talkie after almost 20 years in silent films. She had long been the girl with the golden curls with her long ringlets, but in Coquette she tried to update her image with a Clara-Bow-like character.
reply
Ethan
You guys should give Padme Amidala a mention as an action hero. Wildly underrated female character. I mean, the Arena battle ij AoTC, all these Jedi with powers gettinf killed, and she fights her way out of it. Gotta give her props
reply
You guys should give Padme Amidala a mention as an action hero. Wildly underrated female character. I mean, the Arena battle ij AoTC, all these Jedi with powers gettinf killed, and she fights her way out of it. Gotta give her props
reply
caitie
Hermione Granger? Harry and Ron would of died in literally every book/movie without her. She is the biggest Heroine i know. She is confident, intelligent, not scared to be herself, pretty, kind etc. How is she not here!
reply
Hermione Granger? Harry and Ron would of died in literally every book/movie without her. She is the biggest Heroine i know. She is confident, intelligent, not scared to be herself, pretty, kind etc. How is she not here!
reply
ErickSoares3
What about Star Trek's Uhura? She wasn't the protagonist, but I think she worth a mention as a woman of color in a important position during the 60s (or the 24th century.
reply
What about Star Trek's Uhura? She wasn't the protagonist, but I think she worth a mention as a woman of color in a important position during the 60s (or the 24th century.
reply
Damian
My favorite female characters are Zev Bellringer from Lexx, Leeloo from the fifth Element, Trinity from the Matrix, Sil from Species and Black Mamba fom kill Bill.
reply
My favorite female characters are Zev Bellringer from Lexx, Leeloo from the fifth Element, Trinity from the Matrix, Sil from Species and Black Mamba fom kill Bill.
reply
MsMojo
We tried out something a little different! What do you think of this style of video? We'd love to do more of these; let us know your thoughts!
reply
We tried out something a little different! What do you think of this style of video? We'd love to do more of these; let us know your thoughts!
reply
MsMojo
We tried out something a little different! What do you think of this style of video? We'd love to do more of these; let us know your thoughts!
reply
We tried out something a little different! What do you think of this style of video? We'd love to do more of these; let us know your thoughts!
reply
Jorge
Unexistent -> Characters -> Good Characters -> Perfect Characters -> Strong Female Independent Characters -> Mary Sues -> Rei -> Rei Skywalker
reply
Unexistent -> Characters -> Good Characters -> Perfect Characters -> Strong Female Independent Characters -> Mary Sues -> Rei -> Rei Skywalker
reply
Lauren
Can't believe they skipped over the 2000s and early 2010s Manic Pixie Dreamgirls
500 Days of Summer
Elizabethtown
etc
reply
Can't believe they skipped over the 2000s and early 2010s Manic Pixie Dreamgirls
500 Days of Summer
Elizabethtown
etc
reply
Roland
I hope there is one of these for tv heroines soon. When you get to it don't forget Lindsay Wagner and Lynda Carter.
reply
I hope there is one of these for tv heroines soon. When you get to it don't forget Lindsay Wagner and Lynda Carter.
reply
Daniel
The Femme Fatale mentioned in this video was long before Britney Spears released an album called Femme Fatale.
reply
The Femme Fatale mentioned in this video was long before Britney Spears released an album called Femme Fatale.
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
