Women in Film

Even today there is a lack of strong female characters in film. It's getting better with movies like Brave and the Hunger Games coming out, but still most films are male dominated. If you look at the cast list for a movie there's a good chance that more male actors will be needed to fill the roles. Nowadays, it's not nearly as uncommon for us to see films with strong female characters as it was in say the 1950s. Back then so much sexism existed, it was near impossible to find shows that weren't he same way. Just Check out some of these actual ads from the era.

Totally What I Want For Christmas.

Fifty Bucks Says He Lost It Himself

That Means Get Off Your Ass and Help

*Gasp Spasm*

Yes! Especially Not Over Your Ugly Tie!

Alcoholic Anyone?

Wasn't the 1950s such a wonderful time? Everyone was friendly, children were well brought up, families spent quality time together, and let's not forget

Despite all this there is actually a film from the era that is dominated by a female cast. The film Swamp Women (1955) is almost entirely composed of a female ensemble. When it first starts out, you are almost dreading watching this film. You start out seeing an incredibly stupid and obnoxious, gold digging woman kissing a handsome and rich man. (The only thought that went through my mind was, "She better die.") I was groaning and even debating shutting off the film until we actually meet the protagonist, a young police woman. In the first couple moments on screen, we see her basically hand a drunk idiot back his ass. (She does it with wit and intelligence, how unthinkable!) 

The premise of the story is that this police woman is to go undercover in a prison and help three diamond thieves escape and find the jewels, so that the police can recover them. In the entire film there are only a handful of men. The women in this film are tenacious, cunning, intelligent, and can kick some serious ass. The main character jumps in to rescue the dumb chick from the beginning and a guy they're holding hostage jumps in to help her, but there is none of that helpless "Oh No! This situation was completely avoidable and I need a man to save me!" that goes on in so many films even today. 

The women can kick just about anyone's ass and actually fight each other. Not in the whining, screeching, slapping, cat fight type way we see on TV, but in the punching "I will kill you!" type way that's we see in male dominated films. The women in this movie save their own asses. They don't wait around to be saved. They come up with their own plans. They kill each other (and best of all the film didn't waist time on pointless gore scenes). They even have their own distinctive personalities. 

This classic old film is awesome and should be known by more people. Even by todays standards, it's surprisingly female dominated.