Violent Women in Film: Law, Feminism and Social Change

Mediating Law (Melbourne, November 2002).

Victoria University of Wellington Legal Research Paper No. 53/2022

22 Pages Posted: 4 Feb 2020 Last revised: 19 Jul 2022

See all articles by Catherine J. Iorns Magallanes

Catherine J. Iorns Magallanes

Victoria University of Wellington, Te Herenga Waka - Faculty of Law

Date Written: 2002

Abstract

This article addresses the depiction of violent women in film and questions the feminist analysis of such violence, specifically the view that such depictions are liberating for women. The author discusses film analysis, the role of violence in film generally, and then violence by women in Hollywood films in the 1990s. Particular attention is paid to the rape-revenge narrative, with the author examining the broad themes and messages these films contain, and how they relate to social arguments and trends. This article presents an argument against the adoption of these portrayals as clear feminist victories by asserting that the law portrayed is irrelevant to feminist social change.

Keywords: Women, film, feminism, Hollywood, violence, social change

JEL Classification: Z00

Suggested Citation

Iorns, Catherine, Violent Women in Film: Law, Feminism and Social Change (2002). Mediating Law (Melbourne, November 2002)., Victoria University of Wellington Legal Research Paper No. 53/2022, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2729033

Catherine Iorns (Contact Author)

Victoria University of Wellington, Te Herenga Waka - Faculty of Law ( email )

PO Box 600
Wellington, 6140
New Zealand

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