Essay - Film Feminist and Anti-feminist Film: the Themes of Male Protection...

Film

***** and Anti-feminist Film:

***** Themes of male protection against male violence in Someth*****g Wild and Thelma and Louise

What does it mean to produce a feminist—or an anti-feminist film? According to the Internet dictionary, WordReference.com "Feminism" is simply defined as a "doctrine that advocates equal rights for women." But even if this is true politically, how does this translate artistically? How do films that deal with the psychology of human sexual relations define ***** ***** in a world where laws cannot settle all human disputes, nor protect the female body? Clearly, ***** of Thelma and Louise, for **********, believes ***** although ***** law theoretically may deal with men and ***** equally in its text and frameworks of justice, ***** human legal and social practice women ***** men are far from equal. This is why, after her friend Thelma is almost raped, she flees with the women after killing Thelma's attacker in ***** friend's defense.

Good outlaws who ***** on the run from ***** law are a typical theme of American cinema. Both Something Wild, directed by Jonathan Demme, and Thelma and Louise, directed ***** Ridley Scott, are of the 'road movie' genre, which features the American myth ***** the open road, and free ***** e*****y access to changing one's life through motion. Usually the road pictures, ***** ***** motorcycle-riding Easy Rider-s in the 1960's films of the genre, ***** back to B*****g Crosby and Bob Hope's popular 'road' *****, like The Road to Bali, ***** the Golden Age of Hollywood musical comedies, involve men. These pictures share a common ***** ***** Something ***** and ***** and *****, in that road ***** traditionally stress that friendship outside the *****, rather than 'equal rights before the law,' a l*****w ***** is often seen as *****adequate, creates more just relationship between human individuals, is a more effective way of reckoning *****.

Thus, both films deal with a problem—if feminism is ********** wo*****'s *****, what of women's rights if ***** law, for ***** men ***** women, is so ***** wrong. One re*****on both films provide different answers is that ***** Wild involves a male and a fem*****le, while Thelma and Lou*****e ***** two females. Something Wild suggests that the female is only capable ***** full motion and movement on the open ***** in ***** presence of a male, while the plot of Thelma and Louise suggests ***** the road provides a potential *****s ***** escape ***** both men and wo*****, and that ***** presence of men such as the cowboy/drifter of Brad Pitt can sunder ***** closeness.

***** the 1986 Demme-directed film, Lulu/Audrey captures and upsets the mundane life of Charlie Driggs, bringing madcap spontaneity through her female dizziness. But in Ridley *****'s ***** road epic, Thelma must escape the *****, silly housewife persona ***** leads her into a bad situation during the opening cowboy dance scene that nearly results in a rape. Thelma becomes toughed for the better by ***** proximity ***** the character of Louise and gaining a new outlook