This article from the micro-channel public number: poison eye (ID: youhaoxifilm), Author: Wu Yinan, Editor: Jiang Yuqi. Picture from: Disney Movies

“Without the love line, this Mulan is getting stronger.”

A few days ago, a new batch of materials was released for Disney’s latest live-action movie “Mulan” which will be released in North America on March 27. When evaluating related materials and this edition of “Mulan”, China Youth Daily I chose the above sentence as the article title-this is also one of the most intuitive impressions of this edition of “Mulan”.

Since the cast was announced last year, in addition to Liu Yifei’s pretense and Chinese elements, Disney’s first PG-13 film, a different interpretation of “Princess”, etc., have also made the film full of topical topics worldwide. Although the timing of the film’s release is still uncertain, previous surveys by the Sir movie fan community have shown that “Mulan” is the most anticipated imported movie by mainland audiences this year.

However, in addition to the expectations, the recent changes in the video itself have also made this topic video more controversial. According to foreign media reports, the new version of “Mulan” does not appear in the animated version of “Mulan”, the leading character of the magnolia, Li Xiang. The image of Li Xiang was divided into two new characters: General Tang (played like Mulan’s master) played by Zhen Zidan, and Chen Honghui (a soldier of the same rank as Mulan) played by An Youxin.

“Mulan” has adjusted the emotional line

This change has caused a lot of dissatisfaction among fans, thinking that this is a great disruption to this story. The producer Jason Reed explained the change: “In the current Me Too trend in Hollywood, it would be uncomfortable for a commander to play the role of a lover at the same time. We believe thatFor such content is inappropriate. “

This is actually not the first time Disney has emphasized similar “attitudes” and propositions in the shaping of female characters. In another Disney live-action princess movie that was released last year, Princess Jasmine of “Aladdin” no longer just wants to marry a loved one, but sings “Speechless” even higher, hoping to break the imprisonment and become the king of a country.

Actually, as the women’s movement represented by “Me Too” has been unfolding in Hollywood, in recent years, Hollywood has emerged including “Three Billboards”, “Miss Bird”, “Beloved” and “The Birth of a Star” “Judy”, many excellent female perspective movies, in addition to “Captain Marvel” and “Black Widow” and other female heroes have also become popular on the screen.

Although there are some creations and changes that often cause some controversy and have been questioned as “overkill”, on a more macro level, today’s Hollywood screen perspective is indeed becoming more diverse and the female image It is no longer singular and functional-this is a good sign for the development of the movie and the choice of the audience.

Today is the March 8th Women’s Day. Take this opportunity to make this special plan for Poison Eyes. It will set a plate for the changes of women’s images in Hollywood in the past century and the industry changes, trends of thought behind it, and countless outstanding The filmmakers’ contribution to “equality on the screen”.


Hollywood’s 100 years of female image development

In the 1930s, Hollywood films ushered in a period of rapid development.

Although a large number of women have become hot stars in the initial stage of film industrialization, at that time American society was still dominated by men. Therefore, until the 1960s, women in Hollywood films were often in ” “Ignored” status: The female images in the film are often “vases” or certain types of characters from the perspective of men. They are blond, graceful, and elegantly dressed, showing the most charming aspect of women’s appearance, but sometimes they are lacking. Ego spirit and personality independence.

This trait is mainly reflected in the feelings of the characters. 1939In “Beauty in a Troubled World”, Scarlett used a phrase “Tomorrow is another day” to inspire countless people, but actually Scarlett did not really have the right to control her destiny: At first, Scarlett loved Ashley, but Ashley chose Melanie, and Scarlett took the pride in marrying Melanie’s brother Charles; after Charles died, Scarlett married her second husband because of her need to protect her home and for money; her third husband Barry, also played a more “savior” role.

This social culture was demonstrated in the “Copying the Wife” starring Nicole Kidman, released in 2004. After the “program transformation” of wives in rich communities, One was tall and slender, conservatively dressed, docile and beautiful, everything was based on her husband, but she lacked self-will, which was also considered to be the reproduction of female symbols in male imagination at that time.

“Copying Your Wife”

It is in this social context that during the 1930s and 1960s, there was a serious imbalance in the sex ratio of characters in movies. Even in many films, such as “The Beauty in a Troubled World”, where the female character is the main character, the proportion of male characters and the drama are far higher than that of females. The screen image of the female group was greatly weakened in Hollywood films of this period.

Behind this is the “forced aphasia” of female film creators in the social environment at the time. The American Directors’ Association has published the results of a study they conducted: they surveyed the directors of 7,000 films made from 1939 to 1979, of which only 14 were female directors and 7 were independent directors . In other areas such as screenwriting, women’s participation is also limited.

In addition, the article “The Transformation of Female Imagery in American Films” also pointed out that at that time, the American film censorship system was influenced by religious ideas, and women in films were strictly confined to the traditional value system as a society Build a positive female image. Women are only emphasized visually and erotically. They are wearing sexy evening dressesClothes, wearing crystal high heels, and dancing like porcelain dolls under the soft light and shadow, they are Garbo, Monroe, or a blond beauty with a tall chest.

This phenomenon did not reverse until the 1960s.

On the one hand, the 1960s was a period of reform in American history, and social movements such as the New Left movement and the surging turbulence also inspired women’s inner desire for equality and freedom. Many people realize that women are confined to the private sphere of the family and excluded from the public sphere, which results in the low social status of women, and they actively fight for women’s full rights in the public sphere.

On the other hand, beginning around 1960, many Hollywood companies began to ignore the Hayes Code, which previously had a lot of restrictions on creation, and forcibly released including Pawn Merchant, Spiritual Spring Festival, and Seven Years Itch. Many of the “banned films” included, and the introduction of the American film classification system in 1968, these changes have indirectly contributed to the change and liberation of Hollywood women’s screen image.

The release of “Bonnie and Clyde” has been regarded by many as an important symbol of the reversal of the Hollywood female screen image. This movie, released in 1967, is a landmark work in Hollywood crime and highways. Bonnie in the film, because of her desire for adventure, even chose to rob the bank to “find herself”, and also created an anti-model screen. Image. Years later, Eminem, the god of American rap, sang in a song: “If I have a daughter, I will call her Bonnie.”

Bonnie

Under the influence of this wave of creative thought, from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, a feminist film style has emerged in the U.S., and many feminist films have appeared. These films focus on women in the real world. Of living conditions, more perspectives on women’s inner world and diverse and three-dimensional figures.

“Crazy Flowers for the End” which came out in 1991 is one of the representative works. Romance MasterThe method of righteousness tells the story of two women transforming from housewives into “female warriors”. They worked hard to get rid of the ordinary housewife life, took off the apron and sexy long skirt, put on a denim shirt, protested against oppression, and started their journey to death. They were regarded as classic feminist films.

Stills of “Fresh Flower”

From the late 1990s to today, with the economic development and the further opening of culture, more and more diverse female images have appeared in Hollywood films. Especially after the economic crisis in 2008, the United States’ economic form and economic situation have undergone tremendous changes. From a manufacturing economy to a service economy, the article “The Transformation of Women’s Images in Hollywood Films After the Economic Crisis” argues that this has further improved the socioeconomic status of women , Which in turn promoted the birth of more meta-female and more independent female screen images.

James Cameron, who has always loved to create an independent female image, portrayed “Alita” in Alita: Battle Angel, a stereotype that subverted the male heroes of the world in Hollywood science fiction Characters. “Alita” gives people a fresh and robust feeling, just like Alita’s classic line: “The world (below) is cruel and you must do your best if you want to do it.” Cameron also said that It is his reproduction of certain charms of women in real life.

But even in the 21st century, women ’s rights and women ’s screen image have made great progress, but true “equality” still requires long-term efforts. Emma Watson once admitted her distress in the documentary: “I think I will be examined under the microscope more than boys, just because I am a girl, no matter what I eat, what I wear, where I go to school. I think the public is always harsher on women in various senses. “And her distress still exists on the set.

“Women are no longer just protected people”

About Wen Yi ChuangThe female image in the work, American female science fiction writer Joanna Ruth once wrote: “There are many female images in science fiction, but there is no real woman.”

Science and fantasy, as one of Hollywood’s most important movie types, have been repeatedly questioned on this issue: Starting from the earliest “King Kong” and so on, compared with the heroic and heroic men Superhero role, for a long time, women in Hollywood science fiction and fantasy blockbusters or supporting male lead to complete the goal, such as “spy girl”, “bang girl” and other functional roles; or the big villain of the viper heart , Such as “Poison Ivy”. Rather than paying attention to their abilities and personality, the audience seems to care more about their body and appearance.

In 1974, Warner participated in the production of a “Wonder Woman” TV movie, but the overall evaluation is far inferior to the “Superman” series and the “Batman” series in the same period, so Warner did not insist on continuing Develop the series. It wasn’t until 2004 that Warner focused on female heroes again and launched Catwoman-but the evaluation of the work was also unsatisfactory.

Wonder Woman 1974

However, after entering the 21st century, due to the change of the overall female screen image in Hollywood, Hollywood science fiction movies have undergone great changes. And if you want to find a source for the “subversion” of female images in science fiction films, the two touring movies in 2001 and 2002-“Tomb Raider” and “Resident Evil” may be considered “authoritative” s begin.

Both movies are adapted from the same-name science-fiction adventure game, of which the “Resident Evil” series is known as one of the most influential zombies in history. “Tomb Raider” Movies with the most heroine action scenes. After the two films came out, Mira Jovovich became the most popular action actress in the United States for playing Alice, and Angelina Jolie was also praised by many for her subversive performance. ——More importantly, they show people that women are saviors in science fictionmay.

《Tomb Raider》

With the help of these two films, the female images in Hollywood science fiction and fantasy films have been greatly reversed. They are no longer a single “rescued person”, but have also begun to undertake “saving the world” “.

The most typical change is still in Super English movies.

Before 2010, the heroines in most Super-British movies were still blonde and weak images, but since “Iron Man 2”, there have been distinctive agents “Black Widow”, in “Iron Man 3” “Chilli” in “Heroes Save Men”. Among them, the Black Widow is a popular role of Marvel, and has played an important role in the entire “Avengers” series-including “Avengers 4” to practice their beliefs at the expense of sacrifices, and even become the film One of the most watched plots.

The increasingly bright image of female heroes has been recognized by many audiences, so the studio is also willing to work hard to polish the works focusing on female heroes-“Wonder Woman” and “Captain Marvel”. The films are the two solo movies with the highest performances of DC and Marvel so far, and these two films also express the views of women’s independence directly.

2017 Wonder Woman

《Send Me to Qingyun》

However, on the basis of these advances, people must realize that in order to further obtain a healthy and progressive female image, it is not only necessary to perform on-screen actresses, but also to advance the film industry and social trends. Otherwise, if Hollywood just caters to the market on the screen, but in the actual working environment, there is no real equality, then everything is still a mirror.

Although the situation of actresses has improved, Hollywood’s problems remain. The most prominent problem is that in large-scale investment film projects, women still have little say today and the opportunities available are relatively limited. For example, Reese Witherspoon once chose to become a producer because she did not have a suitable project to appear as she grew older, and many Chinese practitioners in the industry salon hosted by Poison Eye have expressed similar results. (Click here to read: sexual harassment, entertainment, family … how many “mountains” do women have to turn over to become producers?).

In addition, the Me Too movement, which was originally intended for affirmative action, also appeared to be alienated in the process of development. Therefore, it was resisted by some female practitioners in France, the birthplace of the feminist movement, who believed that it was an indiscriminate attack. Action, ”on the contrary, it has increased the difficulty of cooperation between staff of different genders.