Who run this motha? Why, the mothers do! And the sisters. And the daughters. And the female friends. Lady Executives. The Badass Bitches. You get the idea.
Below are 6 classic films about women. But why stop at filmmography as a cultural force? Ladies gotta stick together right? Each film is paired with a song by a famous female singer that fits what’s going on for the awesome women in these films. Let’s go!
There are many films about war, you don’t have to tell me. But there are not that many about what life is like on the home front while men fight that war. What you find is an inverted society with women in commanding roles. Greer Garson is one of those women, Mrs. Miniver, the most beautiful rose among roses (in this case literal and figurative). Before the war starts, we see Garson use her wits and wisdom to help sway stodgy stalwarts in her community to open their minds and hearts, like her future daughter-in-law’s mother Dame May Whitty. But when Dunkirk happens, Garson steps up even more as the homefront inches closer and closer to their front door. Not only does she hold her family together as her house crumbles from German bombings, but she delivers outside the home as well, staging all sorts of community bonding events, even thwarting a German spy invading the town. Mrs. Miniver beat Citizen Kane at the Oscars for Best Picture, and I remember being incredulous…until I saw Greer Garson and this amazing film dominate.
A man is murdered in a rich woman’s house, and we hear her story as the detective tries to figure out if that woman is the murderer.
Musical Pairing
Mildred is a self made woman, working her butt off to make a life for herself and her daughter, constantly under siege by men who want something from her. Dolly Parton knows that life all to well.
Why the movie shows how powerful women are…
Speaking of Citizen Kane, Mildred Pierce is the female version of that film, with Joan Crawford doing the larger than life figure thing. At the time, this movie was a murder mystery, but as time has gone on, it’s become a complex character piece about one of cinema’s finest women (and regrettably, one of it’s worst). Mildred has all sorts of horrible things happen to her: divorce, death of close family members, deceitful behavior from loved ones, and a tough, interesting mother daughter relationship. But through it all, Mildred perseveres, taking it upon herself to take care of those who matter to her, trying her best to love and care for them. This movie would be one of the all time greats if Mildred’s daughter Veda weren’t written so terribly, but that doesn’t stop the mighty Joan Crawford from making this movie rise above that glaring flaw.
A wrongly imprisoned woman uses her connections she made in prison to get back at the person she believes conducted the killing.
Musical Pairing
miss A is a K-Pop group. One of their singles is Bad Girl, Good Girl, which is a lot of what Lee Geum-ja has to do in this film to carry out her plot. Plus like the music video, school setting is important.
Why the movie shows how powerful women are…
One of the reasons Park Chan Wook is one of the great directors working today is because he is unafraid to plunge head first into the depths of human behavior, making his stories much more appallingly interesting. This movie has all sorts of taboo subjects it addresses: murder, sexual assault, pedophilia. And yet, Wook arranges the pieces in a way that builds you up to cross that bridge and guides you across it, usually through Lee Yeong-ae, who is excellent here playing an enigmatic woman on a mission to administer her form of justice. The first half of this movie is near perfect, as Park Chan Wook uses a wrong conviction and the friends made during that sentence to drive Lee Yeong-ae into a single minded purpose of delivering justice to an evildoer. And yet, the end is not what we expect, as Lee ends up realizing that her form of vengeance will not bring peace to others affected by the tragedy. The long coda might rub people the wrong way, but it also makes the story interesting in a horrifying but can’t look away situation that Park has a knack for crafting.
I’ll get to the Bride, but let’s start with Boris Karloff’s awesome monster. The revelatory half of this movie is about the monster simply on the run, in search of a friend. Credit to Karloff for turning the previously evil monster into a tragic figure, doomed to never have a lasting relationship of any kind in spite of his hopes. Which brings us to the end, where he and several men choose to create a person for the monster to love. From the monster’s perspective, this movie is heartbreaking. From the ladies perspective? She can make up her own damn mind, thank you very much.
Rita Hayworth’s entrance is so legendary, it becomes a pivotal part of the plot of one of the greatest movies ever made. It’s still pretty steamy to this day, as Hayworth’s long locks and beautiful eyes pop into frame. The movie Gilda’s story is ok I guess, but the minute Hayworth flips onto the screen, we are transfixed by her presence. The movie is hers at that point, and the movie knows it; we see her dance and plot and dance some more, in wickedly seductive fashion. Of course that friendship bond was going to break! I mean, who could resist the seductive power of Rita Hayworth’s Gilda? No one I tell you.
Wanna know how amazing Frida Kahlo is? The fact that the famous painter was paralyzed for a part of her life and she overcame it is one of the LEAST interesting things about her. The movie primarily focuses on her public, red blooded relationship with also famous painter Diego Rivera, and how much of a roller coaster ride it was. That relationship puts Frida at the head of Mexico’s artistic and communist cultural movements at the same time. A progressive pioneer in every sense, Frida pushed boundaries everywhere, proudly living bisexually and demanding a seat at the Table when Leon Trotsky was granted political asylum in Mexico, with whom Frida had an affair as well! That’s 4 continents worth of publicity, no rare feat for any person, let alone a woman, deservingly so. Also impressive is Salma Hayek’s push to get Frida’s movie made, as she had to jump through all sorts of production hell to showcase the story of one of humanity’s great ambassadors.
