Criticial Investigation - Background Information on the film and female characters.

To what extent do the female characters in The Dark Knight Rises and Salt challenge the traditional female stereotypes? 

• The Dark Knight Rises - Primary Text
• Salt - Secondary Text

For this question I will be investigating to what extent do the female characters subvert their traditional stereotype or are their some elements in the film where their stereotype is reinforced. Living in a post feminist society where women  have become more independent and fearless this has greatly influenced female characters in the film. 

M - media language
I - insitutions
G - genre
R - representation
A - audience 
I - ideology
N - narrative

The Dark Knight Rises

• Focusing on the female characters - Anne Hathaway (Selina Kyle/Catwomen) and Marion Cotillard (Miranda/Antagonist) 
• The Dark Knight Rises is a Hollywood blockbuster of a comic adaptation and the film follows a trilogy.
• The narrative of The Dark Knight Rises is full of thrilling aspects and excitement which would keep the audience gripped to their seats.
• The film is directed by the famous and successful Christopher Nolan.
• The distributor of the film is Warner Bros. Picture.

Genre

• The genre of The Dark Knight Rises is a hybrid as it includes elements of action, thriller and drama.
• The major generic conventions which this film includes are enigma codes which are effective in keeping the audience hooked and appealed into the narrative. Notably, the film includes other generic such as cars blowing up, guns, fighting, violence which all makes it clear to the audience what the genre is. 

Possible theories/theorist to include:

• Barthes
•  Propp 
• Levis-Strauss
•  Todorov
• Mulvey
• Feminism 
• Katz and Blulmer

Anne Hathaway 

In The Dark Knight Rises Anne Hathaway takes on two oppositional roles of being a ordinary business women named Selina Kyle and a inferior female protagonist Catwomen. Immediately, the audience would be able to acknowledge that Hathaway represents female empowerment as she is represented in being fearless, strong minded and willing to never give up. However, critics have argued that the clothing of  Hathaway character 'Catwomen' wears which is a tight fitted black costume presents, her part of the male gaze for men as she is represented in looking sexual.

Marion Cotillard

The second female character in The Dark Knight Rises is Miranda Tate/ Talia al Ghul who is played by Marion Cotillard. Her two roles are very different as on one hand she is a  business women but towards the end the audience are revealed to a big shock when they find out that Miranda is a villain alongside with antagonist Bane. One of  the reason why the characters Miranda//Talia al Ghul go against the female stereotype is because she is not represented as being naive, dependent and innocent and the fact that she is a Villian could suggest that even the roles between men and female characters are changing.

SALT - Angelina Jolie

Institution Information

• Directed: Phillip Noyce
• Distributed by Columbia Picture and Sony Productions
• Release Date: August 18 2012
• Budget: $110
• Box Office: $293, 503, 354
• The Genre of the film is hybrid of action, crime and mystery.

The distributor Columbia Pictures are very successful as they have helped to with big blockbusters such as The Da Vinic Code, The Pursuit of Happiness and Casiono Royale.  Whereas, Sony Pictures has helped also to produce successful block busters such as The Karate Kid, Spider- Man and Men In Black.

The talented and successful Angelina Jolie was chosen for the leading role in the film SALT which was ment to be played by Tom Cruise. Her character is called Evelyn Salt is a Russian Spy and is represented as being a powerful women however "Jolie fought to keep her character from turning into a stereotypical femme fatale" http://io9.com/5589284/how-angelina-jolie-fought-to-keep-salt-from-becoming-pretty  

Quotes to back up point (For and Against) - References.

• "In ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ Hathaway’s Selina Kyle is, again, crucial to the plot, but the male gaze was prevalent in many scenes in which the catsuit-clad Hathaway straddled the Batpod and the camera gave us a rather eye-popping view of her from behind" http://screencrush.com/female-superhero-movie/
• "The dominating issue with these films is the way the filmmakers choose to continue to capitalize on the attractiveness and physical appeal of their leading ladies and their costuming to draw the male fanbase" http://screencrush.com/female-superhero-movie/
• "‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ she uses female stereotypes like emotional weakness and vulnerability to cleverly manipulate her way out of dangerous situations" http://screencrush.com/female-superhero-movie/
• "A woman that most contemporary audiences can truly relate to and understand" http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/34622682/the-dark-knight-rises-why-anne-hathaway-s-catwoman-is-the-best-one-yet?page=all
• " On one hand, she spends her time using men as playthings in her scheme to better her life. But on the other, she sees her role as almost modern day, feminist Robin Hood http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/34622682/the-dark-knight-rises-why-anne-hathaway-s-catwoman-is-the-best-one-yet?page=all

• 'Salt is nothing like Bond,' says Jolie. 'In so many spy films women are femme fatales and we wanted to avoid that. My character doesn't use her sexuality to get anything. It's the roughest I've looked. When we fight, it gets ugly. Somebody breaks my nose in the film. It's not pretty" http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1298459/Angelina-Jolie-Im-fearless-point-stupidity-Maybe-I-little-fear.html

• "We made a point not to use her sexuality or her femininity in the film in ways that is usually done in films, especially in this kind of genre," explains Jolie. woman." http://sofiaecho.com/2010/07/30/939975_angelina-jolie-adds-spice-to-salt
  

http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/34622682/the-dark-knight-rises-why-anne-hathaway-s-catwoman-is-the-best-one-yet?page=all

http://screenrant.com/anne-hathaway-catwoman-dark-knight-rises-sandy-145361/  PRINT

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/catwoman-actress-anne-hathaway-dark-knight-rises-claws-beating-bad-guys-best-feeling-article-1.1114767   PRINT

http://screenrant.com/marion-cotillard-dark-knight-rises-miranda-tate-talia-sandy-170446/  PRINT

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1298459/Angelina-Jolie-Im-fearless-point-stupidity-Maybe-I-little-fear.html PRINT/EMEDIA