Farther figures

[robinturner]

This is something I posted on my course website (I kept the typo because it seemed appropriate).

I've just noticed how common fathers, or men taking a father role, are in female action films and TV series. Check this out:

* Lara Croft and her father (which was what prompted me to think about this, since I was watching Tomb Raider)
* Beatrix and Bill (bad father substitute)
* Buffy and Giles (good father substitute)
* Charlie's Angels and Charlie (benevolent but distant father figure)
* Henry VIII and Elizabeth I (real father but dead, just like Lara's)
* Julie and Mr. Miyagi.
* Xena and Ares - no, I'm getting silly now.

What I find interesting is that the protagonist's father is either dead or replaced by a surrogate father. What do you think?

Comments

[sjcarpediem.livejournal.com]

Throw in that-opposite-of-Oedipal-complex-the-name-of-which-I'm-blanking-on-but-when-the-daughter-is-attracted-to-her-father-one for a real good time...

[eve-prime.livejournal.com]

Red Sonja doesn't get one either. Interesting to contrast the self-made women (including Xena) and those who get the father-teacher-mentor.

[alsoname.livejournal.com]

Fatherhood doesn't seem to get a very good rap anywhere in the Whedon oeuvre. Most characters' fathers aren't even mentioned, and the few who are are either absent (Buffy) or antagonistic (Angel, Xander, Tara).

Fred's parents were nice, though!

[eve-prime.livejournal.com]

That sure seems like a strong theme in Lost, as well. I've only seen the first 2+ seasons, but I got the impression that the only one with a decent father was Jun.

[bram.livejournal.com]

Awesome. My god-daughter is going to grow up into an action-adventure hero!

[solri.livejournal.com]

The Next Karate Kid. A nice film, in a goofy kind of way.

[kristian.livejournal.com]

The Father is always-already dead (or absent). This is so that the Father, who is necessarily castrated in the Real, can continue to function in the Symbolic. Which is to say, Father must be absent so that The-Name-of-the-Father can continue to exist.

This is totes the truth.

[solri.livejournal.com]

Lacan?

[kristian.livejournal.com]

Well, actually I just made that up, so, yes, Lacan.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

It's a way to allow the father-figure to develop their own character, without necessarily being tied in to the parent role so tightly that they're nothing more than a one-dimensional stereotype.

[solri.livejournal.com]

Now that I hadn't thought of. If, for example, Giles had been Buffy's actual father, he wouldn't have been such an interesting character.