In reading Author/Auteur: Feminist Literary Theory And Feminist Film gendered film is the view point of the world through the film maker. “No concept of gendered media representation can function without a concept of authorship” gendered film can only be understood through auteurship. The auteur whom will be profiled is actress, producer and recently director Drew Barrymore.
Auteur Drew Barrymore started very young as a child actress. Drew Barrymore is one of those few child stars that actually move on to adult acting without having the audiences identified her as the little girl. Drew Barrymore auteur style even as an actress has been to play roles that are real and still show another dimension that film really don’t portray in mainstream media. She has been able to do these roles and be part of mainstream media which is a hard balance to play. The other reason why Drew Barrymore would be considered an auteur would be her production company Flower Films. Drew Barrymore like many women created a space to be creative without the studio constraints. Drew Barrymore films at first sight seem like typical gender roles for women but reading between the lines of her films all her movies whether under her production company or not are roles of women that are very strong figures. Drew Barrymore’s films portray strong gender roles for women without being too outrages, the roles are much more subtle and intense. ”Concepts of ‘inflection’, ‘intensity” and ‘double voice’ can help to identify those authorial features in film text, which are less obvious, perhaps more deliberately oblique; than traditional marks of authorship in mainstream cinema such as a director playing a leading or subsidiary character as Woody Allen does.” (Author/Auteur, page 100) according to the citation women auteur are not out right with their view on the film although read carefully audiences will be able to take what the filmmaker was trying to portray in the film.
One film produced by Flower Films which was a major hit was the remake to film “Charlie’s Angels’ although the film at first seems to reinforcing the gender norms. The plot of women being the aggressors and not victims is a step in the right direction. Another aspect of the film that is very much the view point of women is the very close knit friendships that were being portrayed. At first glimpse the film “Charlie’s Angels” is a progressive step towards changing the gender roles in films. Another film by Flower Films is “Never Been Kissed” a film about the pressure of being a certain type of women and how society outcasts women who do not fit. At first the film doesn’t seem to have any real commentary of society since it was a comedy. However, the film being a comedy the film produced a different woman that wasn’t in media before. “Never Been Kissed” plot was a journalist having to go back to high school after so many years to crack a story. The plot unfolds her insecurity about being different when she was in high school and how she was made fun of because she wasn’t typically pretty girl. Although, in the plot she realizes that all her suffering at the hands of her bullies back in high school were insignificant because she gave her self value instead of others giving her value. The plot illustrates how society can be to women who do not fit the norm how they harsh their punishment is for not fitting in. The film definably hits on major aspects of life and the view point of the producer. Drew Barrymore plays the journalist that goes back to high school and in the film she plays eloquently the gawky women, that comes to terms to her uniqueness’ and realizes that being popular, pretty are all socially constructed and do not matter.
Drew Barrymore’s films can be best characterizes by Bell Hooks article making movie magic. According to
Drew Barrymore does not speak about her process when it comes to producing a certain film or acting as well. Drew Barrymore did once state that in her interview at the Actor’s Studio that she is conscience on which roles she would like to play or which films to produce. Drew Barrymore dose want to produce films that show alternative women that is ignored by main stream media.
The criticism that can be imposed on her would be she produces chick flicks that do not really fall as alternative films when it comes to gender roles. However, Drew Barrymore films are not radical but still present alternative women in her movies.
Works Cited
Drew Barrymore, www.drewbarrymore.com.
Imdb, www.imdb.com
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