Women in adventure fiction tend to have a secondary role in the proceedings. Unless the female character is the main protagonist i.e.) Lara Croft, women tend to fall into well-established genre roles - such as the helpless damsel in distress, the tough wisecracking sidekick or the very sadistic and sexy femme fatale. They are in the story in order to be rescued, kiss the hero or to torture him either mentally or physically. However, the other thing that women do, and this could quite easily be perceived as a sexist statement, is add glamour to an adventure story. I make no apologies for this statement as it is not my convention but popular entertainment's. I mean is there any real reason why Denise Richards and not someone older and not as conventionally attractive should play Dr Christmas Jones in "The World Is Not Enough". After all the character is a Nuclear Physicist and an older actress would be slightly more believable in the role. There is no romance between Bond and Jones, until the obligatory innuendo laden epilogue so that shouldn't be an issue . . . but the Bond series have always had a name for glamorous Bond girls and it would be a brave writer and director to buck that well established trend. Also, witness the amount of love scenes between older actors and actresses young enough to be their granddaughters (Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones in "Entrapment" serves as a prime example)
GOOD GIRLS:
Heroines in adventure fiction tend to fall into certain categories, in the past the women tended to be simpering victims who needed rescued at the drop of a hat. This portrayal is largely ignored today and that's not necessarily a bad thing - but there is still room for characters like this, though perhaps actresses don't want to play this type of role as much as stronger and more capable characters. Perhaps the most unashamed version of this character in the past twenty years is Willie Scott in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom". Speaking to many Indy fans, this character is almost universally reviled and that's a shame - true, she's not Marion Ravenwood but that's not a bad thing. Willie is a character completely out of her element in the jungles of India and the dark subterranean temples of Kali - but who would be at home there? She was annoying and whiny - but that led to some good comic tension between Indy and her, besides Marion was a tough, strong and very capable woman - would the same type of character in two movies have been a good thing? One of my main problems with the Bond films in recent years is the lack of diverse female characters - each main Bond girl seems to be a derivation on the last and therefore unremarkable. The Indiana Jones series have presented each of the archetypes in each one of the movies so far. Marion - the tough, sassy broad, Willie - the ditzy, whining victim and Elsa - the cool, ice maiden, femme fatale. When Indy IV comes out - if it ever comes out - it will be interesting to see what type of female character is written into the story.
GOOD GIRL ARCHETYPES:
The tough broad:She's tough, wisecracking and doesn't get on with the hero at first, however mutual respect and danger invariably draws them together. The tough broad usually dresses like a man, but will invariably end up in a glamorous dress and will look drop dead gorgeous - much to the surprise of the hero. She swings a mean punch and can drink hard liquor with the best of them. She will get kidnapped, but she'll fight tooth and claw to get away and will be more annoyed at being bound and gagged and subjected to some horrifying peril than afraid. The tough broad will contribute in many of the action scenes - she will kick ass and assist the hero in his endeavours to stop the forces of evil! She will have a cold tough exterior, but a warm heart which will prevail! An example of this archetype is Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) from "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
The ditzy dame:She's clumsy, naive and doesn't get on with the hero at first, however his manly way of dealing with jeopardy will draw her towards him - like a moth to the flame. The ditzy dame will dress totally inappropriately for the situation - high heels in the jungle etc and will invariably end up in a bikini. She will invariably get both herself and the hero into trouble by stumbling into danger. She will get kidnapped and be stunned and disbelieving that she is tied up gagged and placed in danger. She will punch someone and break a nail; she will get comically drunk and fall asleep on the hero. She will only contribute to action in a comedic way - causing the hero to get exasperated. She will invariably come through in the end. An example of this archetype is Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) from "The Mummy"
The Virginal Princess:She's beautiful, upper-class and doesn't get on with the hero at first, however his rough exterior hides a nobility that she will eventually fall for. She will dress in white floaty dresses - which will stay pristine no matter what situations she is put into and quite often wear glasses with her hair in a bun (thus cunningly disguising her true beauty). She will scream a lot during violent action scenes. She will get kidnapped and be absolutely terrified when she is bound, gagged and placed in a life threatening peril (which with her being a virgin will usually involve some kind of sacrificial ritual). She will remain bound and gagged during the action scene but after she has been rescued she won't be able to be used in a sacrificial rite at any point in the future (no longer fitting the criteria of being virginal)! An example of this archetype is Solitaire (Jane Seymour) from "Live and Let Die"
It is worth noting that at any point these archetypes may go through a complete character change in a movie, or between sequels and fit another archetype i.e Evie in between The Mummy and the Mummy Returns!
BAD GIRL ARCHETYPES:
The Traitorous Wench:She's manipulative, calm and gets on famously with the hero to begin with - only to get close to him. The traitorous wench will dress to kill and use her feminine wiles to get close to the hero only to betray him at a crucial moment in his quest for justice and what's right. She will, however, be given a choice later in the adventure and her decision is important to her ultimate fate - whether to help the hero or continue serving evil!!!
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