In the past stereotypically women were perceived to be as “underneath” the men. For years and years women were always being seeming to be less important if you like than the men. However, nowadays this has all been changed. Some people believe that not only do women feel that they are equal to the men but also feel that they are much superior to them.
This philosophy of women being much more superior to men has been capitalized by movie directors and some TV dramas. During mid 2003 there was a movie distributed by 20th century fox called “Kill Bill”. I believe that this is a prime example of post – feminine film which is directed by the fantastic Quentin Tarantino. The other movie that I will be comparing it to is “Flight Plan” which is another post – feminine film which was directed by Robert Schwentlke.
Coming to a conclusion that Uma Thurman who stars in the movie “Kill Bill” and Jodie Foster who is in “Flight Plan” are both post – feminist characters their behavior in certain scenes in the movie are quite similar. Particularly when Jodie Foster is determined to retrieve her daughter back from the villain who is played by Peter Sarsgaard by fighting and using set of skills to do this. In contrast, Uma Thurman is taught a set of particular skills which she relies to fight off her enemies.
As far as the costume is concerned Jodie foster is appeared to be wearing dark clothing specifically long black jacket up to her knees this connotes that she does not wish to be seen or recognized. The use of dark colors in terms of what she is wearing shows that she is more independent and does not wish to rely on anybody else. Furthermore, the use of dark colors could connote that she is sad and vulnerable.
On the other hand, I believe that the mise- en - sene has a big role to play in, in terms of her representation. At the beginning of the movie it clearly shows us as the audience no other passengers or people around her when she is waiting for the tube other than her little daughter. This further adds to my point that she is overprotective as she is seen to be clenching on to her daughter even though there is nobody around.
Having analyzed the opening few minutes of the movie I feel that she is certainly vulnerable, anxious and almost wary of her surroundings. My personal view of her costume compared to Uma Thurman’s is that she is holding her cards back close to her chest if you like and not wanting to be more open whereas Uma Thurman is more strong-minded and much more resilient to do what it takes to get revenge on her enemies.
Alternatively, the costume that Uma Thurman is wearing particularly during the middle stages of the film where she is seen to be wearing skin tight jumpsuit which emphasizes her passion to learn these set of skills and her eager to get her own back on these villains.
At the same time I feel that this use of jumpsuit that she is wearing in “Kill Bill” highlights the sexiness about Uma Thurman. The fact that the jumpsuit is skin tight and having the top half zipper half done undoubtedly suggests that she is in control of her sexuality and also is receiving a lot of male gaze. Unlike, Jodie Foster in “Flight Plan” where she is consecutively wearing dull, unattractive and boring costume as well as the color which deteriorates the opposite of male gaze. Even though Jodie Foster is the protagonist she is not deemed to be sexually attractive whereas the employees of the aircraft are deemed more sexually attractive because of the use of costume as they are wearing uniforms.
Post – feminine is also witnessed in the movie “kill Bill” as she is protecting and defending herself from her enemies. By physically fighting back at the opposite sex suggests the post – feminine inside Uma Thurman. The physical fight scene shows us how brave and confident she is and also shows that just because she is a woman does not mean that she won’t be able to fight back at the opposite sex. This represents that women can stand up for themselves even if this involves any physical fighting. Furthermore, in “Flight Plan” Jodie foster also fights the opposite sex where this shows the bravery and prime examples of post – feminine scenarios.
Similarly, both movies also have the male dominance in there. As for “Kill Bill” when Uma Thurman is being taught all these skills by “the Master” of karate this suggest that women cannot do what the men can and would therefore have to be taught it over and over again until they get the gist of it. Also in “Flight Plan” Jodie Foster is kept under control by not only one male but two. The male actor in the movie that tell her what to do and one of them is the captain of the aircraft. During certain parts of the movie male dominance is witnessed by the target audience as Jodie Foster is being told what to do repeatedly and then later on in the movie she discovers that she needs to get her daughter back and feels that enough is enough and fights anyone that comes in her way.
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