The recent and very tragic passing of Carrie Fisher has shocked the world. She has inspired many with her heroic portrayal of Princess Leia in the film franchise Star Wars, as well as her prolific writing abilities, both in books and script writing, and her public advocacy for mental health awareness. It could be argued that her role as Princess Leia was the ground breaking for its time. She was not portrayed as a damsel in distress, but rather a rebel fighter with enough gumption to battle alongside Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Perhaps, with the exception of super heroes, Princess Leia may well have been the first strong leading female character in a Hollywood film. Fisher’s character was a significant element in the slowly changing attitudes towards women in films. Despite this landmark development in cinematic history, her character was still peppered with sexual innuendo from Han Solo, and she essentially became a love interest in the film to a male lead role. In the last two installments of the Star Wars franchise, there has been a timely change with regards to the portrayal of female lead roles. Daisy Ridley’s character Rey and Felicity Jones’ character Jyn, are both strong formidable heroines in their own right, and have been portrayed in a way that has not required them to play a love interest to a male character. Rey and Finn, from The Force Awakens, and Jyn and Cassian, from Rogue One, demonstrate that a relationship between a female and male lead characters can be built upon respect and mutual desire to ‘get the bad guys’, rather than one of sexual tension and the potential for love. The difference between the original Star Wars and the last two films, is that The Force Awakens and Rogue One both tell a central story of a female lead character, unlike Star Wars, where Leia played second fiddle to Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Daisy Ridley’s character Rey and Felicity Jones’ character Jyn, are both strong formidable heroines in their own right, and have been portrayed in a way that does not have required them to play a love interest to a male character. Rey and Finn, from The Force Awakens, and Jyn and Cassian, from Rogue One, demonstrate that a relationship between a female and male lead characters can be built upon respect and mutual desire to ‘get the bad guys’, rather than one of sexual tension and the potential for love. The difference between the original Star Wars and the last two films, is that The Force Awakens and Rogue One both tell a central story of a female lead character, unlike Star Wars, where Leia played second fiddle to Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. It would be highly appropriate and beneficial if Carrie Fisher was, at least in part, remembered for her crucial contribution to changing attitudes towards women in lead roles in films.
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June 2018
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