According to a survey published on Yougov this Monday, January 4, 52 % of the French interviewed approve the fact that the cinematographic roles of 007 and Zorro are interpreted by women.But can we talk about progress when actresses are taking roles of men, in films made by men?
PublicitéLashana Lynch and Sofia Vergara, two names that may tell you something or that you have heard recently.If this is not the case, then perhaps you have seen the controversy that has ignited the canvas on social networks a few weeks ago ... Norman Thavaud, Aka Norman makes videos, in his last one-Man Show "The show of maturity", comments the fact that the British actress, Lashana Lynch, embodies the agent 007 in the next episode of the James Bond saga.
"So the last bullshit they found to fight racism is in the next James Bond that they are running there.The next character of James Bond, agent 007, will be embodied by a renoi woman.Didn't we go too far in the fight against racism?“My name is bond, Fatoumata Bond”."The extract was taken up by figures like singer Yseult and the account decolonize ourselves, shocked by the comedians of the humorist.
On December 28, the latter sent a message to Internet users on his Instagram account to apologize for his clumsiness and defend himself from all racism.Sofia Vergara, Colombian actress, will play the main role of the new series of Zorro.Main female roles used by men, it disturbs.And yet, this is not the first time that has happened.In 2018, Ocean’s Eight, the spin-off of the Ocean trilogy of Steven Soderbergh, caused a sensation by offering a 100% female casting: Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett…
Films that favor the female point of view
Sometimes the covers of so -called "male" films, with main female characters, are successful.This is the case of Patti Cake $ by Geremy Jasper and the prey of Sofia Coppola, as explained by France Culture.Both released in 2017, these new adaptations of films embodied by men, overthrow the trend by favoring the female point of view.Patti Cake $ is a kind of 8mile remake, the famous documentary on rapper Eminem.She takes up the same codes of the hero who tries to make a place in the rap world, with the fear of being perceived as a "white trash", while having to assume the needs of her family.Almost even scenario, but this time the director shows the issues of a young woman (she does not correspond to the canons of beauty and maintains a toxic relationship with her mother).
Sofia Coppola makes a master stroke with her prey, a film adapted from the novel by Thomas P.Cullinan and produced in the cinema for the first time in 1971, by Don Siegel.The story is the same: a northern soldier injured during the Civil War, is collected in a boarding school of young girls located in the heart of an old southern plantation.While in Siegel's film, the hero embodied by Clint Eastwood, perfectly represents the cliché of the "male gauze", with the body that is both dominant, sexualized, of the soldier who causes women a surge of uncontrollable passions, theCoppola adaptation is quite different.Female desire is this time not perceived as something monstrous, but revealed with finesse.On the screen, this is the point of view of women that shows with the most accuracy the question of the hindered desires.
Film feminization, publicity stunt?
So yes, of course, seeing more women on the screen is a nice step forward.There is something commendable and interesting to honor women in sagas considered "macho", where they usually have secondary roles and are most of the time objective.And who knows?Maybe the fairer sex will identify with the new 007 agent or the feminine zorro.
But in real life, is this feminization of films really progressive?Who says the new James Bond will not be reproduced, shaped according to the desires of men?We can go further and wonder if there is not a commercial side in all of this, since it is well seen today to wear the colors of feminism today.Maybe women deserve new heroines, Wonder Woman version 2021.
More directors and actresses
So instead of resuming blockbusters and feminizing them, we should highlight women who create real female, interesting, strong and deep roles.Actresses have things to say, to bring to societal debate.A recent example that has upset many spectators is portrait of the girl on fire, directed by Céline Sciamma and released in 2019.On the screen, a model and a painter, devoured by a dazzling love.Here, there is no question of a muse subject to the desire of the artist who paints her.We are witnessing a gentle, egalitarian love, prevented in this 18th century society.The director poses a new look at female issues and succeeds, through this lesbian love, to question men-women's relationships in heterosexual relationships.
For those who are not convinced, a study of the Creative Artists Agency and Shift 7 showed that between 2014 and 2017, the 105 films led by women have garnered more recipes than the 245 feature films carried by men.In blockbusters at more than 100 million whose first role was feminine, the revenues amounted to an average of $ 586 million, against 514 million for the films led by men.
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