Since its inception, cinema has been an instrument of propaganda, the formation of certain values and worldviews in the viewer. At the beginning of the 20th century, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Italy used film production as a tool for forming a certain attitude towards various social groups - to the working class, to scientists (Stephenson, R., Andrew, D., & Sklar, R. 2022). With the advent of feature films in the 1920s and the development of the film industry, the division into gender roles became apparent. Cinema produced films by men, with men in the lead roles, for male viewers - women in this paradigm were needed only to delineate the characteristics of the male hero (McFadzen, E. 2019). Thus, the archetypes of women on the cinema screen were reflected in reality and were perceived by society as the only possible female roles. A housewife, a princess in trouble, a victim of circumstances are the main images of women in the cinema of the 20th century. Next will be considered the problem of the limited number of archetypes of women in the film industry from the advent of cinema to the present day, and the influence of the female image on the screen on the woman's self-perception in life.
Not many female social roles could be seen in cinema before the 70s of the 20th century. Basically, these are weak, amorphous, flat characters, most often immersed in a love drama. For example, in the era of silent films, in the films of David Griffith "Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl" or Fritz Lang's "Metropolis", which were the leaders of the distribution at the time of release, the image of a main female character - exaggeratedly spineless, weak-willed (McFadzen, E. 2019). On the screen, is the female hero who cannot take a step without the help of a man. While the era of silent cinema coincided with the era of industrialization, the technical revolution, the new economic policy, where the role of women was not less than the role of men. During the First and Second World Wars, the image of a woman in cinema was reduced to a trophy for a soldier, without respect for the active participation of women both in military operations and in work in the rear. Obviously, at the dawn of cinema, women were offered a limited choice of roles: a housewife, a girl in trouble, a victim of a situation - each of them needed the help of a man, as a stronger, smarter character. Only in the 70s of the last century did strong female characters appear on the screen, but they are still rare: "Annie Hall", "The Witches of Eastwick" - a small stream, which by the 2000s turned into a stream of powerful independent female characters (Garrido, R., & Zaptsi, A. 2021). Only in the last decade has it become possible to see cinema becoming feminine: made by women with female protagonists. In the cinema of the 21st century, the message of feminism and sisterhood is clearly readable, both in the TV series "The Handmaid's Tale" and in Marvel films, where female characters take on leadership positions, unite to achieve goals (Stafford, T. 2016). Thus, the problem of the insufficient number of female archetypes in the cinema of the 20th century is being solved today by increasing the presence of women in important social institutions (politics, science). A woman goes beyond household chores and raising children, which is reflected in the cinema, thereby stimulating more women to try on different social roles.
There is a great relationship between the events that take place in society and cinema. Using a simple example of Disney princesses, it is possible to see how female characters change and "grow" under the influence of social processes: Snow White, Ariel and Cinderella turn into Moana, Pocahontas and Merida - these heroines metaphorically and literally resist the role of a princess, since this role limits girls and young women a model of perfection, goodness and sacrifice, while the former, being a model of a conservative patriarchal system of values, patiently endure their humiliation and depreciation (Murphy, O. 2015). All these changes in the nature of the characters are a reflection of reality - the greater the presence of women in social visibility, the more bright strong female characters are present on the screen. At the same time, self-sufficient female characters in the cinema popularize the female presence in society and the disclosure of female potential in real life. Jane Fonda's influence from the screen was as great as that of Margaret Thatcher from the podium - both of these women became role models for a large number of both playable characters and real women. A great influence in the popularization of professions among women was exerted by such series as "The L Word" (gallery owner, lawyer), "Sex Education" (psychotherapist). Just like real women, such as Marie Sklodowska-Curie, Florence Foster Jenkins, Ruth Ginsberg have been influential in the formation of female archetypes in cinema. The interpenetration of cinema and reality is obvious, thus cinema is a tool for solving some women's problems, such as self-doubt, a critical perception of one's own potential. The more women will be involved in film production, the more female characters and various female archetypes will be presented on the screen, the more real women will come out of the "grey zone" and patriarchal attitudes, where a woman's place is at the kitchen.
Having considered some ways of influencing society through female archetypes in cinema, we can conclude that over the past 20-30 years, the position of women in cinema has significantly strengthened. The secondary flat characters are being replaced by complex independent characters, which are interesting to watch and can be inspired by. In the cinema of the 21st century, there is an obvious increase in the role of women and Snow White turns into Super Woman. The traditional American housewife from the movie "Women" (1937) is reborn as one of the heroines of the series "Desperate Housewives"; the philosophy of sisterhood is integrated into the minds of women through superhero films: the phrase "She's not alone!" at the moment of one of the battles, where female characters unite against a common enemy; acceptance of one's own self through a female fantasy character who, in a decisive battle with an antagonist that "no man" can defeat, says "I'm not a man!" and wins - all these and many other female characters in the cinema are pushing real women to courage, to self-confidence (Johnson, M. 2022). A hundred years ago, cinema was conceived as a tool to influence the consciousness of the broad social masses. In our time, it is an even more powerful tool, able to model and show new facets of life, other ways of thinking and interacting with real life. This is a tool that can teach humanity peace and mercy, acceptance and tolerance, which gives self-confidence and the potential to develop new facets of personality. Cinema is the tool that will teach viewers to think that female influence on all spheres of society carries the energy of creation and peace, in contrast to the destructive "male" society that exists now.
Resources:
Garrido, R., & Zaptsi, A. (2021, January 7). Archetypes, me too, time’s up and the representation of diverse women on TV. Files.Eric.Ed.Gov. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1297081.pdf
Johnson, M. (2022). “i am no man”: The importance of female archetypes in fantasy. Digitalcommons.Assumption.Edu. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://digitalcommons.assumption.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1104&context=honorstheses
McFadzen, E. (2019, February 14). What does the application of modern gender theories reveal about the representation of women in 1940’s american film as exemplified by the films: Adam’s rib, his girl friday and gilda? Queen Margaret University Edinburgh. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://test-eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/9333
Murphy, O. (2015, February 2). The princess is not quite dead, but it’s time to let her go. The Conversation. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/the-princess-is-not-quite-dead-but-its-time-to-let-her-go-36594
Stafford, T. (2016, August 10). Suicide squad: Proof that the superhero movie is invincible. The Conversation. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/suicide-squad-proof-that-the-superhero-movie-is-invincible-63676
Stephenson, R., Andrew, D., & Sklar, R. (2022, February 3). Film - propaganda. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/art/motion-picture/Propaganda