From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npoiv!hou5f!ariel!orion!lime!burdvax!bmcjmp
Newsgroups: net.women
Title: one female in Star Wars
Article-I.D.: burdvax.528
Posted: Thu Feb  3 18:06:38 1983
Received: Sun Feb  6 08:54:44 1983

I think that the shoddy treatment of females in motion pictures in general
is one bad deal. It seems that every once in a while there is a short round
of good women's roles, and then Hollywood having done it's duty, returns to
its "safe" world of strong men and women that are little more than props.
Science fiction films are often the worst offenders, much as I love science
fiction. Even the role of a strong woman like Leia is defined more in terms
of a woman being of value because she as "as good as a man" than of a woman
being of value as a woman. The only science fiction/fantasy film I have seen
of late where a woman was given any kind of fair treatment was the female
lead in "CONAN". I know the movie was not wonderful, but here we have a
woman who is brave, strong, loyal, etc., and still very much a woman. 

I think part of the problem in Hollywood is that because actresses were
selected more on the basis of sex appeal than an abililty ot act, the parts
available were more those of visual props than of thinkng people. Still, it
is hard to deny talent, and I think that there are enough talented women in
the acting business that if they are vocal enough about getting good roles,
then the writers and producers will do something about seeing that the roles
are there. 
		Barb Puder
		burdvax!bmcjmp