Audrey Hepburn and sexual revolution...

[JDFP]

Now, that dear lady had amazing grace in films -- back when films were made where it was about acting, when it was about talent and giving into your characters. My dad and I watched "Wait Until Dark" earlier tonight, a freaking great movie where she plays a blind woman terrorized by some crooks attempting to gain a doll full of drugs. God, movies are just not made nearly as well as they used to be -- when it was about the story and characters first -- and bullshit F/X was a supporting element.

And it made me think... back in the day before the sexual revolution took place all the most prominent Hollywood actresses were about being tough as nails who could handle the world -- Audrey Hepburn, Marlena Dietrich, Vivien Leigh, Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn (no relation to Audrey), Tallulah Bankhead, Kim Novak, and dozens of other incredible actresses -- and wham, into the sexual revolution where women began to actually be treated with more respect (as should be!) and what have we now?

It seems that the majority of "popular" actresses out there are either washed up whores or are purely no-talent hacks who happen to have attractive bodies: look at Lindsay Lohan and Megan Fox for example. Of course, there are still some incredible actresses out there (Emma Thompson comes directly to mind as one of the best), but it seems that any more the majority of women in film are there just for showing their physical "attributes" and not really trying to give life to a believable character -- it just seems well, ironic to me that women in the world seem to have come so far just to be treated so damned shabbily and poorly in film these days -- is there a comparison/contrast between life and film? How is it that women in culture, at least America, have much more respect and ability now than 50 years ago but are treated far more disdainfully in the majority of film today?

I just don't get it...

Anyway, back to my beer...

j.p.

[Chic Freak]

And it made me think... back in the day before the sexual revolution took place all the most prominent Hollywood actresses were about being tough as nails who could handle the world -- Audrey Hepburn, Marlena Dietrich, Vivien Leigh, Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn (no relation to Audrey), Tallulah Bankhead, Kim Novak, and dozens of other incredible actresses -- and wham, into the sexual revolution where women began to actually be treated with more respect (as should be!) and what have we now?

I think these women had a great influence, and were regarded as sexual objects (like many of today's actresses) as well. Take Dietrich; she was openly bisexual way before it was "cool" and I believe I'm correct in saying she was the first American woman to wear trousers on TV. She also made cross-dressing her trademark and her image was that of an empowered, independent woman- while also being considered extremely sexy.

I'm not sure what I blame for the popularity of talentless idiots in films, but it isn't the sexual revolution. Unless maybe people got so fed up with hearing about equality that when given the opportunity to escape reality for an hour and a half they opted for films with women in hyper-traditional brainless roles?