Russian Studies in Culture and Society (Sep 2024)
POWER OF WOMAN: GLENN CLOSE’S HEROINES AS THE EMBODIMENT OF STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS IN CINEMA (SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS)
Abstract
The article is devoted to the sociological analysis of films featuring Hollywood actress Glenn Close. The purpose of the research is to analyze in what image the heroines appear, how their characters relate to the time of action in films. In this research, the author also had the task within the framework of Glenn's film career to show which ideas are broadcast in films with the participation of the actress, to illustrate which gender issues came to the fore in society at the time of the release of a particular film. Among the problems considered by the author are: a woman’s career in “male” professions, the balance between work and family, the problem of a female leader, the reality that a woman at work is forced to “behave like a man in a “man’s world”, finally, the unwillingness of society and even relatives to accept a woman’s professional ambitions. The empirical basis of the study consists of the following films: “Jagged Edge” (1985), “Dangerous Liaisons” (1988), “101 Dalmatians” (1996), the TV series “Damages” (2008-2012), “Albert Nobbs” (2011), “The Wife” (2017). Research method: semiotic analysis of film material. The article concludes that most of the characters embodied by Glenn are women who had career aspirations and achieved success in their chosen profession. For their self-realization, they are usually forced to accept the “rules of the game of men”, to a greater extent to show “masculine qualities. It is shown that a woman’s ambition and her desire for career growth are not always perceived in society. Her high position invariably entails a number of gender issues, primarily in maintaining a balance between work and other areas of life. At the same time, in one of the films, the emphasis is placed on the fact that the unrealized potential leads to the accumulation of resentment and emotional emptiness. At the same time, the actress has heroines in her arsenal who failed to realize their potential, and as a result – emotional emptiness, a real life tragedy. Glenn’s heroines convincingly talk about the problems faced by ambitious women in modern society.
Keywords
