Looking like a hero: constructions of the female gun-fighter in contemporary Hollywood cinema
Authors: van Raalte, C.
Conference: Avanca Film Festival
Dates: 19-24 July 2012
Abstract:This paper addresses the aesthetic and semiotic issues of dress, agency and desire as they are articulated around the figure of the female gun-slinger in action-driven genres. It explores the problems that this complex figure presents for feminist critics, in relation to the fetishisation of the female action figure, the potential for readings of cooption or resistance embodied in the transvestite heroine, and the celebration of cinematic violence. It also explores a number of strategies whereby film-makers and narratives contrive to contain the transgressive potential of the female gun-slinger. With particular reference to Salt (Phillip Noyce 2010), it highlights issues of transformation, performance and identity, focusing on the operation of costume as an ‘alternative discourse’ within the text. It considers the limitations and potential of the contemporary action heroine as an empowering female figure within popular culture.
https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/21402/
Source: Manual
Preferred by: Christa Van Raalte
Looking like a hero: constructions of the female gun-fighter in Hollywood cinema.
Authors: Van Raalte, C.
Editors: Valente, A. and Capucho, R.
Publisher: Avanca Film Festival
Place of Publication: Avanca, Portugal
Abstract:This paper addresses the aesthetic and semiotic issues of dress, agency and desire as they are articulated around the figure of the female gun-slinger in action-driven genres. It explores the problems that this complex figure presents for feminist critics, in relation to the fetishisation of the female action figure, the potential for readings of cooption or resistance embodied in the transvestite heroine, and the celebration of cinematic violence. It also explores a number of strategies whereby film-makers and narratives contrive to contain the transgressive potential of the female gun-slinger. With particular reference to Salt (Phillip Noyce 2010), it highlights issues of transformation, performance and identity, focusing on the operation of costume as an ‘alternative discourse’ within the text. It considers the limitations and potential of the contemporary action heroine as an empowering female figure within popular culture.
https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/21402/
Source: BURO EPrints