You guys definitely need to watch more movies if you think there are only ever portrayals of males versus males and females versus females and never a cross. Sure, there are films that do this, and it may be that it is viewed as socially unacceptable or as you put it Jonathan "awkward" to show a male fighting and defeating a female, and no man would even think that a girl could possibly fight and defeat a guy. It was also said that the hero may end up being disliked in this case. But not all movies are like this.
For example, in the Disney film Sleeping Beauty, the hero is Prince Philip, a male, who defeats Malificent, a witch.
For example, in the Disney film Sleeping Beauty, the hero is Prince Philip, a male, who defeats Malificent, a witch.
My second example is the female villains of the dc superhero Batman. Batman has many enemies, but these three girls can't go unnoticed.
Alright, I only have one more example. We discussed female villains, but their are also female heroes with male villains. Take Fa Mulan. She was only a girl when she defeated the fearsome Shan Yu.
Of course, there are many more examples. But my point is that, yes, there are movies that are stereotypical in the portrayal of heroes and villains, but not all movies are like this. Don't think of movies simply as a tool in the feminist movement through the characters.
I think you're slightly misremembering what Kendall said. He specifically hero-vs.-villainess stories are unusual, not heroine-vs.-villain. I will admit Maleficent is an exception, but I would point out that 1) Aurora, not Phillip, is the main character, and 2) they made it less "awkward" by having Maleficent turn into a dragon before Phillip killed. It did occur to me later that at least two Disney movies strangely end with a male hero killing the villainess, whereas most Disney heroes never intentionally kill their enemies.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'll admit you are right Jonathan. I did not quite understand what it was that you guys were saying. Thanks for making it clear.
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