In a message dated 97-11-19 01:28:40 EST, Sean Johnston wrote:
> If you're looking for strong female SF characters, I'm not sure they come,
> at least in movies, any stronger than Lt. Ripley, and I'm not just saying
> that 'cause another installment of the _Alien_ movies is coming out next
> week. She's tough, smart and compassionate toward those who deserve it,
> and that's barely scratching the surface. Of course, I hear she's
> undergone some pretty major changes from _Alien3_ to _Alien:
Resurrection_
> and I'd guess that personality changes would be simply a matter of course.
>
> -Sean
I would have to agree. Here's a character who was able to remain strong,
independent, smart, _and_ sexy even during a time when the only women
Hollywood was willing to present were housewives, ill, in danger (and needing
rescue by their "men"), or dead within in the first 20 minutes of the movie
(in order to give their "men" a reason to hate the bad guys). Oh, and there
were the evil single women.
Ripley managed to avoid all of those traps, and while the movie does have
Ripley fighting another female (thus reducing the end battle to a "cat
fight") over a child (appealing to the idea of "maternal instincts" causing
her ruthlessness), she's still a better feminist role model than most movie
women at the time.
Let's not forget that she stood her ground against a board of inquiry
regarding the incidents of the first movie, insisted on making herself useful
on board the station during the brief time before she was sent with the
marines ot Acheron (the planet where most of the action takes place) by
learning a new trade. Then, when she was sent on with the marines to
Acheron, she continued to pull her own weight with the rest of the crew, and
refused to be cowed in the face of marine bravado. (Also, Vasquez, the
*really* gung-ho female marine, was a pretty good feminist character as well,
having established her place as a member of the squad, and the men treated
her accordingly. And for a gung-ho marine, I have to say she didn't come
across as "butch" as they could have made her.) Also, let's keep in mind her
budding relationship with Corporal Hicks.
I was very disappointed in the third movie for a number of reasons. Killing
Newt and Hicks before the beginning credits were over was a good indicator
for me that I'd spent my money unwisely. Then, the final indignity: Ripley
has sex for the first time in who *knows* how long, and then dies soon after.
Anyway, (as you might have guessed) I'm seconding Sean's motion that Ripley
*definitely* counts as an Independent Female Character. And for those who
now know more about the Alien series than they bargained for - sorry, it's
something of an obsession in this household.
Long Live Ripley!
Barbara Benesch
BJBenesch@aol.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu May 25 2000 - 19:07:31 PDT