Thursday, October 14, 2010
La Strada, aka, the movie that made me give up this project the first time
So last time I tried to up my 1001 movies total, I did it without my brainmate (mistake #1), without a blog to keep me honest (mistake #2) and I hit the speedbump that is La Strada roundabout week 4 (not really a mistake, but more the universe directing me to rectify mistakes 1 & 2). Usually you'd think I could get behind a movie in which a woman is sold to the circus by her impoverished mother and dominated by a Gypsy strongman. That sounds nice and feminista. But the actress's clownishness and (to me) impossible naivete made me kind of want to sell her to the circus. And I get that the Gypsy strongman's oft, OFT repeated routine is a metaphor for the petty weakness of humans in the face of passions like jealousy and domination and/or the inexorable movement of relentless time but GOD it was boring. And the Fool and his watch was overdetermined. And this movie ended up being bad for women anyway, as the chick decides her purpose in life is to be bullied and subjugated, so much so that she wastes away and dies after being abandoned by the Gypsy strongman guy. Bring It On is better for women, and much more entertaining.
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Did you watch one a week making La Strada the 4th you watched? Or did you watch more? Either way--interesting that La Strada is the 4th movie for our little blog.
ReplyDeleteBring It On is totally better for women and MILES more entertaining.
I can't remember how many I watched. Whenever one was on AMC that month, I checked it out.
ReplyDeleteI think most feminine hygiene ads are probably better for women and more entertaining. I REALLY hate this movie.
HA! We should figure out which film on the list is the worst for women. Is this the worst one we've watch so far? I'm thinking so . . .
ReplyDeleteWell, it is close between this and Umberto. I don't know whether it's worse to have a female character with agency who then uses that agency to choose subjugation, or to be so totally uninterested in the female characters that they become flat invocations of the whore/bitch dichotomy.
ReplyDeleteThat's a tough call to make. At least Maria was an interesting full-fledged character and supposedly able to make a choice. I think I'd say it's worse to not allow the choice at all but I can see an argument that allowing the choice but forcing the poor decision is worse. I'm sure we'll come against a movie that's even worse than both of these for women :)
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