Beyond the Madonna-Whore Complex
© Amanda Cuda
For years, female characters o screen usually fell into one of two categories -- Madonna or whore.
Decades ago movegoers chose between the saintly images of Ingrid Bergman or Audrey Hepburn and the more sexualized roles played by Gloria Grahame or Marilyn Monroe. Even in the nineties, the dichotomy existed,with actresses like Meg Ryan playing good and Demi Moore playing bad.
But lately, it seems more filmmakers are combining these two sides to create more full realized female characters. Two examples that stand among this year's films are "Erin Brokovich" and "Traffic," both of which contain female characters with positive and negative traits. It's worth noting that both films are directed by Steven Soderbergh, one of the few male directors who seems to take a particular interest in fully developed female characters.
In these two films, he allows his leading ladies to transcend the Madonna-whore stereotypes. The title character in "Erin Brokovich," played by Julia Roberts, is foul-mouthed, dresses in short skirts and tight tops, and has bad luck with men. However, she does care for her children, even though her job doesn't allow her to spend much time with them. And she's socially conscious enough to take a company which, by corrupting a town's water supply, has caused several citizens to become ill.
The movie's message seems to be this -- just because a woman dresses and talks provocatively, doesn't mean she's dumb and shallow.
Conversely, Catherine Zeta-Jones' character in "Traffic" seems at first like a traditionally virtuous Hollywood heroine. She's maternal (she has a young son and is six months pregnant), devoted to her husband, well-dressed and articulate. But when her husband is arrested for illegally smuggling drugs into the country, she begins to show another side. Once a well-off suburbanite, she's now on the verge of losing her house, her possessions and her dignity. To top it all off, her husband's "associates" have threatened to kill her son. Circumstances force her to take action. She successfully carries on her husband's business and (spoiler alert)has the principal witness against him killed. What I especially liked about the character is that she doesn't lose her maternal instinct after transforming into a hard-nosed businesswoman. She even risks blowing a deal by refusing to sample a product with a potential client for fear of harming her unborn child.
The complexity of these characters makes far more compelling -- not to mention realistic -- than characters who still fall in to the traditional stereotypes. Such choices challenge moviegoers and give us something to think about at the cineplex.
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