In this essay, I will be looking at the representation of women in the action film genre and study the social messages that are constructed and conveyed by the media. The two media texts I will be comparing from are The Raiders of the Lost Ark and Tomb Raider. The female lead in Raiders of the Lost Ark is Marion Ravenwood who is played by Karen Allen and the male lead; Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones. In Tomb Raider Angelina Jolie plays the female lead, Lara Croft.
Marion Ravenwood is seen as a typical action heroine. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Marion unveils different characteristics about herself; for example Marion tends to be quite feisty. She displays this in the beginning, when we see Indy walking into her bar. Acknowledging that they had a past and that Indy left her, instead of being quiet, she goes and slaps him. Another scene is when she’s trying to escape after she’s been kidnapped and this opens another idea that she does not give up. This suggests that women, however stereotypically gentle and calm, can be zestful. However courageous, Marion also has her female traits. For example, when she’s in the Well of Souls and there are dangerous creatures lurking at each angle, she screams and complains. This different portrayal of Marion suggests that she as well as being tough, she can also be a female who’s frightened and needs a man (Indiana Jones) in this case to protect her. She is smart and uses whatever she can find, for example the frying pan, to protect herself and her man with. But at the same time, she’s also always getting into trouble because of her zesty self, for example when she refuses to give the gold medallion to the Nazis and nearly getting killed.
Lara Croft is seen more as an unconventional action heroine. In Tomb Raider, Lara plays a British Aristocrat and is seen as a woman who likes to live on the edge and can seem as a quite stonehearted woman as she is very focused in what she does. The fact that she does martial arts... [continues]
Marion Ravenwood is seen as a typical action heroine. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Marion unveils different characteristics about herself; for example Marion tends to be quite feisty. She displays this in the beginning, when we see Indy walking into her bar. Acknowledging that they had a past and that Indy left her, instead of being quiet, she goes and slaps him. Another scene is when she’s trying to escape after she’s been kidnapped and this opens another idea that she does not give up. This suggests that women, however stereotypically gentle and calm, can be zestful. However courageous, Marion also has her female traits. For example, when she’s in the Well of Souls and there are dangerous creatures lurking at each angle, she screams and complains. This different portrayal of Marion suggests that she as well as being tough, she can also be a female who’s frightened and needs a man (Indiana Jones) in this case to protect her. She is smart and uses whatever she can find, for example the frying pan, to protect herself and her man with. But at the same time, she’s also always getting into trouble because of her zesty self, for example when she refuses to give the gold medallion to the Nazis and nearly getting killed.
Lara Croft is seen more as an unconventional action heroine. In Tomb Raider, Lara plays a British Aristocrat and is seen as a woman who likes to live on the edge and can seem as a quite stonehearted woman as she is very focused in what she does. The fact that she does martial arts... [continues]
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"Representation of Women in the Action Film Genre - Marion Ravenwood + Lara Croft." StudyMode.com. 12, 2010. Accessed 12, 2010. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Representation-Of-Women-In-The-Action-509911.html.
