"how women are represented in action adventure films" by contrasting and comparing action films: G.I. Jane, Tomb Raider and Charlie's Angels.

I think that this primary research method has been effective in helping to answer my problematic. This is because I have interviewed a person who has a large knowledge of film and would know a lot of film theory. I think the primary research could have been improved if I have also interviewed another film teacher of a different sex to have a different, female view on how women are represented in the action films. Since Greg has not seen Tomb Raider, this would have been a disadvantage since I am comparing and contrasting the three films without Tomb Raider I would only have contrasted G.I. Jane and Charlie's Angels and would have gotten opinions on the difference between the two films.

My problematic is "how are female heroines represented in action adventure movies?" and my original thoughts on this is that the heroines in films such as Tomb Raider and Charlie's Angels are represented as sexy, attractive and seductive characters, this is to make them objects of desire and bring in a larger male based audience. These films are made to be fun and non-serious seeing as most or all the action is exaggerated and that what ever the heroine does it does not affect her image as a seductive, attractive character e.g. in Tomb Raider where she performs life threatening jumps which would bruise the a real-life persons body or even damage limbs has no effect on the heroine, as she still manages to keep her seductiveness and attractiveness. This is in my opinion to satisfy the male gaze. In films such as G.I. Jane where the heroine is more masculine, tough and strong is to make the film more realistic, less exaggerated and makes the film more serious. Although a sexy female actress is used she is transformed into this more manly character to prove a point, that she is capable of surviving in the army. The fact that the heroine is more masculine then feminine shows realism and that if the heroine was a sexy, attractive and seductive character the film would lose realism and it would be over exaggerated making the film less serious but more fun. Using the primary method of interviewing a Film teacher, I hope to find out other opinions on how female heroines are represented in action adventure movies and hopefully it would be similar to my thoughts on how they are represented or if not, change my opinion on how the heroines are represented.

I have found that the women, in the new wave of action adventure films with a heroine and the women in the older action adventure films with a hero, the women are still represented as objects of desire, but they are more powerful then they used to be as they are the leading characters. "Yes that they are more powerful now, then they used to be and, No that they are quite often seen as objects of desire". This supports my thoughts about the women are seen as objects of desire. I have asked "which film do you rate the highest; G.I. Jane, Tomb Raider, or Charlies Angels", the interviewee replied with Charlies Angels but he has not seen Tomb Raider so he could not have rated it. The following question "why is this? Does the representations of the heroine have any thing to do with your opinion?" I had the reply of that "charlies angels is generally more fun" which backs up my view that the representations do make the film more fun and less serious. With the question "What are your Views on how women are represented in action movies?" I have found out that the interviewee thinks the women are normally represented as "weak and pathetic" but with the films such as "charlies angels they are more powerful" and that has made the film generally more fun and that with charlies angels "It does attract a wide demographics of both women and male audiences". This has supported my views on films such as charlies angels to get a larger main male based audience but also it gets a female audience as well so it is generalised. "Do you think G.I. Jane could be better if the heroine was represented in a more feminine way?" I have found that the film would be different altogether, as G.I. Jane is made to be more "realistic" but it doesn't attract a wider range of audiences not due to the fact that the Heroine is more masculine but because the "film was not that good". The interviewee replied to my question "Laura Mulvey says that the hero is 'the figure in the landscape' which advances the narrative, while the woman is the 'object to be looked at', do you think this is the opposite with tomb raider and charlies angels?" is that "Charlies angels heroines are both, the object to be looked at as well as the advancing characters" which shows that they are not totally the opposite.

My findings have been overall effective to answering my problematic. It has supported my previous findings and that because the questionnaires I have given to people, only a few of them has seen G.I. Jane, so therefore I have built on the interview to get more detailed information on the interviewees opinions on G.I. Jane

A2 Media Studies

2734 - Critical Research

Ken Tse