Seraphima BogomolovaFemale Cine Portraitures: Part 1
The list 'Female Cine Portraitures' came out of my wish to portrait female characters as opposed to female 'roles' of the movies that are based on books and screenplays written by women about women. Characters have something unique about them including their aspirations and expression of such, and roles are simply 'labels' assigned to individuals by the society. For example, mother, sister, daughter, girl-friend, wife, lover are 'roles', and the rebel, innovator, creator, writer, queen, independent etc are characters. One can say referring to a character: 'She a creator'. What it means is that the character creates her life, situations, relationships, as well as tangible things.
For the Part 1of the list I have chosen the following female characters of the movies set in 18th, 19th, and beginning of 20th centuries: the queen, the artist, the writer, the independent, the scientist, the trend setter.
The Queen
The queen sees the world through the prism of her own individuality and sets it as a centre of her own universe, she also regards everything in a regal fashion meaning looking down upon things from the height of her position.
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola
Ambassador Mercy: Madame du Barry would like to offer you some diamonds. Marie Antoinette: I have enough diamonds.
The Artist
The artist sees the world and people in it as subjects of her art, she is an explorer and shaper of the tangible into the intangible. Everything in the outside world is a part of her emotional realm.
Portrait of The Lady on Fire (2019)
Written and directed by Céline Sciamma
Marianne: Your presence is made up of fleeting moments that may lack truth.
The Writer
The writer expresses, transcribes and communicates. She is a messenger of emotions, feelings, knowledge, observations. She shapes reality and relationships into words and passes the message to others.
Mary Shelley (2017)
Screenplay by Emma Jensen
Directed by Haifaa al-Mansour
Mary Shelley: I have a fire in my soul and I will not allow you or anyone else to contain it.
The Independent
The independent lives and acts from the place of her own world, not complying with anyone’s views, rules, thoughts or ideas. She plays by her own rules which she changes if needed, but only if she feels it will be of benefit to her life or development.
Emma. (2020)
Screenplay by Eleanor Catton
Directed by Autumn de Wilde
Emma Woodhouse: I lay it down as a general rule, Harriet, that if a woman doubts whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him.
The Scientist
The scientist looks for correlations and connections no one ever looked at before her. She searches for new methods, ways, and likes to see her findings and discoveries altering life for better and serving humanity in its development.
Radioactive (2020)
Directed by Marjane Satrapi
Marie Curie: You stole my brilliance. How dare you take their applause!
The Trend Setter
The trend setter leads the way in breaking the taboos, outdated rules and patterns to liberate, to show other ways, to transform and renew. She starts from herself and using her own example ignites the spark in others to follower her.
Coco Before Chanel (2009)
Screenplay by Anne and Camille Fontaine
Directed by Anne Fontaine
Coco Chanel: I always knew I would be no one's wife, not even yours.
Female Cine Portraitures: Part 2, Part 3
The list researched and complied by Seraphima Bogomolova.