This link was posted on a blog that I enjoy, and I thought others might find the list interesting as our class is in part about celebrities and gender. The study undertaken is not extremely scientific, but the results the author offers are still relatively interesting. She found that there were only two blockbuster films since 2004 that had two female leads. I suppose this is not all that surprising when we consider that for the most part men are behind the camera preparing films and might be more likely to cast male actors in lead roles, especially in the writing process, because they are more able to relate to men and therefore write more believable male characters, but the disparity in numbers is pretty surprising.
I wonder if the disparity is somehow cyclical, as I recall major female stars of other eras who had top billing with other female stars, even films we have watched in class such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I have to wonder how this fits in with the redefining of masculinity that we discussed in class a few weeks ago. Certainly there are major female stars, I am sure our class could name quite a few, but they do not seem to be appearing together in films the way male stars are. I wonder why this is in a time that seems so obsessed with beauty, especially female beauty.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
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The funny thing about women and blockbusters is if you look at the list of the top ten highest paid actresses in Hollywood, it literally makes NO sense. Drew Barrymore? Cameron Diaz? Halle Berry? The only person I can understand being on that list is Nicole Kidman because unlike these other actresses, she's amazingly talented and takes risks with her roles but it's funny because none of her mainstream films have become hits: The Golden Compass, Bewitched, Stepford Wives. Yet like you said all the top male stars prove to be box office gold, which makes me wonder what it is that we value about women like Nicole Kidman or even people like Drew Barrymore and so on who aren't even really relevant anymore?
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