Thelma & Louise was created in 1991 by famous American director Ridley Scott who also became a co-producer of this movie. It tells a story of two women who go on short vacation to have a break from routine. In the process of this journey, they face the challenges and problems that make them develop new attitudes to freedom, women’s rights, etc. Being a combination of drama, adventure, and crime, Thelma & Louise focuses on such critical issues as gender inequality and violence in society. These themes discussed in the movie can be also interpreted as important historical background that impacts all the formal elements of the picture.
In the 1960s – 1980s, the Western world witnessed the powerful sexual revolution that made the society look at such issues as gender, women’s rights, and the nature of the sexual behavior. Thelma & Louise was shot at the beginning of the 1990s when the approach of the sexual revolution already changed the society’s perspective on these issues. Even though the picture does not describe any specific events in the history of feminism or the movement for gender equity, an understanding of the movie’s context may contribute to the better interpretation of its plot as well as message. The historical context has a significant influence on all aspects of the film, especially on the narrative in general and characterization in particular. This movie is about liberation and women’s empowerment, even despite the fact that both women choose to die in the final scene. Thelma & Louise argues that each individual possesses an inner strength that should not be subdued and oppressed.
However, the movie also highlights that the results of the sexual revolution did not manage to bring equity to the relationships between genders. Both Thelma and Louise are dependent on their male partners and tortured by a variety of psychological problems. This aspect is mainly revealed through the special editing approach – the scenes at the beginning of the movie when the protagonists are burdened with the heavy load of inner problems are shot in a more “nervous” and abrupt manner, whereas the final scenes consist of longer and stable takes. This principle is especially evident when the final episode with the dialog between Thelma and Louise passes into their jump into the canyon and further collection of “memories” about their lives. These scenes reveal not only the nature of the difficult decision made by the women but also show how strong they are even despite constant oppression and discrimination they face from the men treating them in an abusive manner. Therefore, Thelma & Louise occupies an important place in the film history. Although it does not have numerous awards, it reflects the process of empowering women at the end of the twentieth century. It also tells that violence experienced by women should be punished and stopped as shown in the scenes with the rapist. Even though Thelma and Louise kill a person, the general storyline makes the audience sympathize with the protagonists because they have the right to make this step in an attempt to protect themselves against violence.
To conclude, Thelma & Louise is a bright example of the film that incorporates important historical ideas into the narrative about the main characters’ lives. Such social issues discussed in the movie as gender inequality, women’s rights, the impact of violence, and others form the frame semantic structure that regulates the methods and approaches chosen by the filmmakers to tell the story of Thelma and Louise.
The article was shared by https://dissertationmasters.com/.