The Ten Most Iconic Female Movie Characters Blogathon

I was nominated by my buddy Mike over at Screenkicker to carry on this wonderful “blogging relay” started by Dell On Movies (you can see the original post HERE plus the links showing all the participants and the changes this list has gone through HERE).

Here are Dell’s rules:

A list of 10 iconic female movie characters has been made. That list will be assigned to another blogger who can then change it by removing one character (describing why they think she should not be on the list) and replacing it with another one (also with motivation) and hand over the baton to another blogger. Once assigned, that blogger will have to put his/her post up within a week. If this is not the case the blogger who assigned it has to reassign it to another blogger.

And this is the list that has been passed onto me:

I love the idea of this blogathon as I’ve always felt there aren’t enough good roles for women in movies. I’ve thought about this for days and, the truth is, it was very hard to choose one as I think the majority of those I would choose are already (or have already been) on this list. You CANNOT beat Ellen Ripley or Princess Leia and I’ll now be following this blogathon closely to see if anyone dares to remove either of them. 😉

I have a large list I worked from (I take these things very seriously!) and there were certain things I didn’t like about some of the characters on my list. Too often, women are portrayed as either:

1) crazy or
2) nymphomaniacs or
3) victims

Most of the characters on my list fell into at least one of these categories so I tried to not pick one who was just one of these things without there being a good reason for their character being that way or without the character making the best of their situation. For instance, Fatal Attraction is kind of a guilty pleasure of mine and Glenn Close gives a memorable performance but I’m certainly not going to choose a character that makes all us women look like irrational “psycho bitches”. The same goes for Kathy Bates in Misery.

I didn’t have any from “category 2” on my working list but the number of female “victims” in movies is huge. It’s actually quite sad (look at horror movies – us poor women!). However, I think “victim” is sometimes fine as long as the character deals with it in the right way. Plus, it often gives the character more depth. So I’ve actually decided to remove & add characters who both fall into the category of “victim”.

I remove:

And I add (one who was previously added then removed):

My Reasoning:

I’ve read the first book & watched the first (original) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Lisbeth is certainly a deep character and her look is very iconic. However, (and remember I only have knowledge of the first story), she’s such a thoroughly damaged character to the point that it made me uncomfortable. She LOOKS tough but she’s a complete mess inside. I know I should watch the rest of the films at some point but, based on what I know of her so far, I don’t think she belongs on a list with these all-time greats. Plus, I just don’t love the film – it feels very out of place when you see the classics on this list.

I like Tarantino’s films but none of them are exactly all-time favorites of mine. The Bride, however, is a great character and one I feel is worthy of being in a list of iconic female movie characters as I think she’ll still be thought of in 20 years time when similar lists to this are being made whereas I’m not sure Lisbeth Salander will be. I know Tarantino is always heavily influenced by older films and that The Bride will be an amalgamation of various characters but, hell – it works! The movie may be a little shallow but it’s good fun and, dammit, I LOVE seeing a female being the lead role in a violent action movie and seriously kicking some ass. She falls into the victim category but, unlike Lisbeth Salander, she gets her head together and does exactly what she sets out to do. Her look may also be borrowed from Bruce Lee but, again – it IS a great look. Who doesn’t instantly think of Uma in the yellow outfit when they hear the words “Kill Bill“? So… There you go. That’s my choice as I can’t choose Ellen Ripley. 🙂

My Nomination:

Wow – that was all very wordy. Sorry about that! Don’t know what happened there. It’s time for me to shut up and pass the baton to another blogger. I choose an amazing female blogger who I am confident will make a great decision: Zoe from The Sporadic Chronicles Of A Beginner Blogger. Take it away, Zoe! You have one week. 🙂

Oh, and can I just give a shoutout to one of my favorite “chick flicks”? I couldn’t choose just one of these women as I think they go together and shouldn’t be separated so I’m giving a shoutout to Thelma & Louise. They’re victims but, damn, they have good fun for a while! (Especially with the lovely Brad Pitt). 😉