Useless people
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cuechick — 10 years ago(December 01, 2015 01:11 PM)
I think often in older films (and sometimes current ones) women's character are written as "damsels in distress" who become hysterical in times of peril. I just watched the 1937 film Lost Horizon in which the only woman on the doomed flight suddenly becomes so hysterical she almost jumps out of the plane. Really?
Even though both of these film were written by men, I don't think it is sexism as much as a cultural ideal of the times. i.e.: Women are the weaker sex, emotionally fragile and prone to hysteria it has been a very slow progression to the strong, zombi killing, crime fighting, gun carrying, tomb raiding, cattle prod wielding (Fargo reference), ghost busting heroines of today.
Still these are both great films and also time capsules of the times they were made in. Just something to keep in mind in our ever changing world. -
Beeracuda — 10 years ago(December 01, 2015 04:04 PM)
That's actually an excellent point you make in regards to the "damsel in distress" aspect. You're right in that it was much more common back in the day when making films. Not only is the movie 43 years old, but it was written and directed by an even older generation, who grew up with movies from the 30s and 40s.
Looking at it from today's perspective, it does kind of make it more interesting and somewhat of a time capsule. Much like when you watch older movies and see so many characters smoking cigarettes, especially in indoor places where they have long since been banned.
I do, however, think that they might have overdone Nonnie's character in making her the damsel in distress. -
cuechick — 10 years ago(December 02, 2015 03:43 PM)
I do, however, think that they might have overdone Nonnie's character in making her the damsel in distress.
Totally agree with you on that. It did make it ironic that she was one of the few of the group to survive. -
ricky_may-47537 — 10 years ago(December 03, 2015 11:09 AM)
Even more ironic, considering the two people who fall in love in the film (Nonnie and Martin) actually hated each other in real life (off screen anyway). I still dont see how Nonnie thought staying behind while the others went to the engine room would result in them being rescued perhaps (the room would more than likely have flooded long before then).
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InherentlyYours — 10 years ago(January 14, 2016 01:59 PM)
Because this one of his few films to add characterization, instead of just style. We are supposed to sympathize with Nonnie, but consider if it was the character or the actress. (why did Lynley/Martin "hate" each other in real life?)
But it's necessarily 'damsels in distress'; women are generally physically weaker then men, especially the petite women in this film , Charlies' Angels doesn't count -
fchilds — 9 years ago(December 09, 2016 07:27 AM)
I wouldn't say they "hated" each other.the character of James Martin wasn't written to be an older man. Gene Wilder was originally in talks to play the role. When that fell through, Irwin Allen cast his old friend Red Buttons. Carol Lynley was twenty something years younger and she just found it odd that they were supposed to play off each other and this offended Red Buttons. More of a misunderstanding than a hatred.
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SealedCargo — 6 years ago(October 02, 2019 05:36 AM)
yeah she's the old school damsel in this. at that she's the least important character. her most important input was the corny song "The Day Before".
The Fearmakers Blog
https://thefearmakers.blogspot.com/ -
Synergetic11 — 9 years ago(December 31, 2016 01:28 AM)
Who cares? She's an absolutely gorgeous woman you can't take your eyes off. That's all that matters. Without Carol Lynley and her constant wet T-shirt contest, Stella Stevens and her boobs of destiny, and the supercute 18 year old Pamela Sue Martin, all there to excite and eroticize the male psyche and give it a reason for "heroism," only homos and boring old impotent farts would watch this movie. lol
The heroic tend to become more "sexy" and therefore erotic through acts of heroism. It's even almost the same word with really only the "t" being a difference and the "h" being almost unpronounced and irrelevant, h-eroic and ero-t-ic. They go together, folks, like rock'n'roll, sex and drugs, since rebellion also has its aspects of heroism.