Feminism, Patriarchy
and Film
By Elizabeth Woolpert
HCOM 348
January 18, 2006
Table Of Contents
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Theory
Introduction
The Color Purple
Malcolm X
Heaven and Earth
Huck Finn
A Family Thing
Lone Star
Smoke Signals
Bibliography
Feminist Theory and Criticism
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“Anglo-American feminist theory and criticism
today are indebted to earlier literary scholarship
on women…this feminism emerged during the
1960s as a result of social change.” These
groups analyzed patriarchy, the system that
oppressed women…” “Woman ‘is defined and
differentiated with reference to man and not he
with reference to her…He is the Subject, he is
the Absolute—She is the Other’”
http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/hopkins_guide_
to_literary_theory/feminist_theory
Introduction
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Fem*i*nist: a supporter of women’s claims to be given
rights, opportunities and treatment equal to those of
men.
(Oxford American Dictionary)
Pa*tri*arch: the male head of family or tribe.
(Oxford American Dictionary)
The films examined in this project all support the
patriarchal system and stereotype women as subservient
to men. In some of the films the women show they are
done with unequal opportunities and begin to stand up
for them selves.
Across cultures and races women are shown to be
weaker, sometimes abused and at the mercy of the men
in their lives.
Introduction Continued
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Alice Walker’s three types of women: the
subservient, the emergent and the assertive can
all be found in these films.
Each of the films has a strong tie between
reconciliation and individual growth for the
characters. This is important to support the
growth of women as equals, not “Others”
In this project we will look at how women are
portrayed in film and how this may have the
unintended result to perpetuate the patriarchal
system of oppression.
The Color Purple
• Alice Walker, the author of, The Color Purple states in a
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related text that there are three types of women.
There are several women
characters in the film and while
each one can be put in to one
of the Walker’s three categories,
they often move through the
categories, rather than stay
entrenched.
Moving through the categories,
illustrates the growth of the women
as they reconcile with themselves
and those around them.
The Color Purple Continued
• The three types of women, according to Walker are:
The subservient woman (those with out a higher
education, married young with children and often in an
abusive relationship)
• The emergent woman
(those who are on the verge
of self realization, strong-minded
and know where they would
like to go)
• The assertive woman (those
with clear goals, are well-educated,
and are determined to follow their
ideas)
• (Source from class syllabus. HCOM 348. Winter 2006.)
The Color Purple Continued
• The main character is the film is
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Celie. She is the product of a
patriarchal system, in that her
father chooses who she will marry
and when. She is also clearly
entrenched in the subservient
category, as she is abused by her
step-father, uneducated and
married off at the age of 14.
As Celie moves through her life
she comes to reconcile her past
and understand that she can be in
control of her own destiny.
This film was set during the early
1900s during a time when women
were most certainly oppressed,
but were beginning to formulate
changes.
• jHD
Malcolm X
• While the main character
• Malcolm X made huge
gains for the African
American’s circumstances
in the United States
during the 1950s and
1960s. Yet, he too was
under the control of a
patriarchal system that
eventually destroyed him.
of this film is a male we
can still draw upon the
evident patriarchal
system and how it relates
to marginalized cultures.
Malcolm X Continued
• Betty was Malcolm X’s wife and while
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he was fighting against oppression of
African Americans, he still wanted
Betty to be subservient to him.
There is a great sadness in the story
of Malcolm X, because by the end
of the film he has reconciled himself
and those who may want to hurt him,
but he still gets assassinated.
The film does not tell us whether Betty enjoys
reconciliation so we are left watching her mourn the loss
of her husband .
Heaven and Earth
• This film captures many of the
stereotypical patriarchal
systems.
• Le Ly is in the control of her
father in their small fishing
village, when the Viet Nam
War starts. All the family
members are subservient to
the father of the house.
• Le Ly is not cut out to be a
subservient woman, she is
more like an emergent woman
moving as quickly as a war will
let her to become an assertive
woman.
• The growth of Le Ly in the film
is remarkable. She makes
many decisions that bring
shame upon her village, yet
she never gives up on herself
or the “good girl” that she is.
Heaven And Earth Continued
• While in Viet Nam Le Ly continues on her path of the
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emergent woman. She rents her own apartment with
her young son. She has a, somewhat, respectable job.
She is an independent woman.
When Le Ly meets Steve it is not clear if it is her love for
him, her desire to be taken care of, or her ticket to the
United States, that makes her choose to marry him and
leave Viet Nam. Whatever the reason, this becomes Le
Ly’s opportunity to step in to the role of the assertive
woman.
We learn that Steve really wanted a nice “oriental” girl
and is truly uncomfortable with the Americanized one
that emerges. He is comfortable with the patriarchal
system and wants it to continue.
Huck Finn
• One might ask how can a movie
like Huck Finn be categorized
and analyzed regarding feminism and
patriarchal roles when all the main
characters are men?
• My answer would be: it is not only what
we see in a film, but what we do not see.
• Huck Finn is a portrayal of two men, one
only a child, who disappear on an
adventure.
Huck Finn Continued
• The women are portrayed as “the other”
to the men. They are the caretakers of
the boy, the owner of the man.
• This film could not have worked had the
two main characters been female.
Females would not have been allowed to
journey down the great Mississippi without
a man.
A Family Thing
 This particular film is very
stereotypical when it comes to
feminism and even racism.
 Earls family is the standard
patriarchal, uneducated
family. Earl leaves his wife to
go on a trip without telling her
the reason why. Had Earl’s
wife tried to do this I think the
reaction would have been
different. Again, this is a clear
example of how women are
defined in the context of the
men in their lives, not the
other way around.
 Ray’s son, in an attempt to
get Earl out of his home,
demands that his father tell
Earl to leave. Ray’s son is
making demands only a man
in a patriarchal situation could
do. While Ray does not abide
by the demands,
he, rather,
demonstrates
his own
patriarchal system
by telling his son
“This is my
house.”
A Family Thing Continued
 Often African-American
women are portrayed
as strong women, as
opposed to Anglo women.
 Auntie is given this role in
the film. She is able to make demands upon
the men in her family, but she is still put in the
position of being very reliant upon them.
 Auntie’s blindness takes away much of her
autonomy.
Lone Star
• Fds
• Lone Star is yet another
Hollywood patriarchal
production.
• In this film the men are
the lead characters,
matched with guns and
badges for even more
authority.
• It was refreshing to see
Mercedes Cruz as an
autonomic woman, but
we learn that she was
only able to become that
way with the help of the
men in her life.
Lone Star Continued
• First Mercedes is lost in
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the river and saved by
her would be husband.
Then when she wants to
open a business it is only
with the help of Buddy
Deeds that she is able to.
It is nice that Mercedes
was able to sit on her
back lawn in the evening
and relax with her good
life, it is just such a
shame that films portray
this event as only being
able to happen with the
help of a man, or men.
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Smoke Signals
• The patriarchal system in
this film is, too, alive and well.
• The beginning of the film is
when Arnold becomes a
hero for saving Thomas. What we don’t
know is that if it were not for Arnold and
his irresponsibility Thomas would not have
been in danger to begin with, also his
parents would not have perished.
Smoke Signals Continued
• Arnold in his pain and guilt becomes a violent alcoholic.
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His wife is the focus of his violent outbursts. When she
confronts his behavior he beats on her. In other words,
she should not question his authority, it is not her place.
We learn in the end of the film that Arnold was trying to
forgive himself and wanted to return home. This is
another example of the patriarchal system. Why does
Arnold believe that he can leave his family, not tell them
where he is going or how long he
will be gone and then one day, at
his own convenience everyone is
supposed to cheer about his return.
The moment he walked out that
door is the moment Arnold should
have felt he gave up any and all rights to his former life
and family.
Conclusion
• While we want to think we have come so far with
the movement toward equality, whether it be
equality of race, gender or religion, the sad truth is
we have much yet to change. All of the films
viewed during this course argue that much still
needs to be done to equate society. Admittedly,
situations are more equal today than ever, but
Hollywood still seems to sneak in the patriarchal
system and gender oppression in insidious ways.
• When the main characters in the films were
women, such as, The Color Purple and Come See
The Paradise the supporting actors were still in
charge of the females’ destiny. Celie and Lily both
had to answer to their fathers and eventually their
husbands. In order to defy the wishes of the men in
their lives they had to flee their families.
Conclusion Continued
• Le Ly and Mercedes Cruz in
Heaven and Earth and Lone Star
both succumbed to men in order
to fulfill their dreams of
independence. Did Mercedes
want to become the mistress of
Buddy? The film does not say.
Le Ly clearly saw her escape
from Viet Nam as only
achievable by way of Steve.
Conclusion Continued
• While men have definitely
enjoyed the roles in film, and in
life, as the patriarch, things are
changing. In life, women are
controlling their own destiny’s
much more than ever before.
Further, films like Brokeback
Mountain are receiving so much
acclaim that slowly things are
bound to turn around, for the
better.
Bibliography of Movies
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The Color Purple. Screenplay by Menno Meyjes. Dir. Steven Spielberg.
Perf. Danny Glover & Whoopi Goldberg. Warner Bros. Studios,
1985.
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Malcolm X. Screenplay by Spike Lee, Arnold Perl, James Baldwin. Dir.
Spike Lee. Perf. Denzel Washington & Angela Bassett. Warner Bros.
Studios, 1992.
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Come See The Paradise. Screenplay by Alan Parker. Dir. Alan Parker.
Perf. Dennis Quaid & Tamlyn Tomita. Twentieth Century Fox, 1991.
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Heaven and Earth. Screenplay by Oliver Stone. Dir. Oliver Stone. Perf.
Haing S. Ngor, Hiep Thi Le & Tommy Lee Jones. Warner Bros. Studios,
1993.
Bibliography of Movies
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The Adventures of Huck Finn. Screenplay by Stephen Sommers. Dir.
StephenSommers. Perf. Elijah Woods & Courtney B. Vance. Disney
Studios, 1993
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A Family Thing. Screenplay by Billy Bob Thornton & Tom Epperson. Dir.
Richard Pearce. Perf. Robert Duvall & James Earl Jones. MGM/UA
Studios, 1996.
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Lone Star. Screenplay by John Sayles. Dir. John Sayles. Perf. Chris
Cooper, Elizabeth Pe a & Matthew McConaughey. Castle Rock
Entertainment, 1996.
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Smoke Signals. Screenplay by Sherman Alexie. Dir. Chris Eyre. Perf.
Adam Beach & Evan Adams. Miramax Home Entertainment, 1998.
Bibliography of Pictures
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The Color Purple
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Malcolm X
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http://www.ywcanyc.org/events/TB/051103TheColorPurple.jpg
http://www.achievement.org/achievers/win0/large/win0-016.jpg
http://www.filmeducation.org/secondary/TheColorPurple/p_imgs/
6_1_1pic4.jpg
http://www.ucsc.edu/currents/01-02/art/walker_alice.01-1119.180.jpg
http://www.blackjournalism.com/Minister%20Malcolm%20X.gif
http://www.delgallery.com/JS-186%20Malcolm%20X.jpg
http://adorocinema.cidadeinternet.com.br/filmes/malcolmx/malcolm-x-poster02.jpg
http://www.blackagenda.com/images/cyber/malcolm-01.jpg
Heaven and Earth
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http://www.screenselect.co.uk/images/products/6/14936-large.jpg
Bibliography of Pictures Continued
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Huck Finn
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A Family Thing
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http://movies.nnov.ru/Covers/Family%20Thing,%20A.jpg
http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/0e/c8/1072379-movieresized200.jpg
Lone Star
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http://www.hathawaymix.org/shelly/websites/elijah/nonsense/fans
tuff/hucklazycatbj.jpg
http://members.tripod.com/~SLopez/shersamhdr.gif
http://www.cinemamontreal.com/images/dvd/931147-1lone_star.jpg
http://www.cs.unc.edu/~davemc/Pic/Tiles/Marble/Light/tan.jpg
Smoke Signals
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http://www.geraldpeary.com/reviews/stuv/smoke-signals.jpg
http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/98/4.30.98/smoke_signals.
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