Monday, March 2, 2015
Is Friday Feminist or Feebleminded?
Hildy Johnson is a confident career woman who can compete with men (and defeat them) in the dog-eat-dog world of journalism. She is even willing to divorce her man if he doesn't treat her right. Yet, at the same time, she seeks the domestic joys of children and caring for her man -- and in the end returns to the rascal whom she left in the first place. What is the role of women in this film? Does it tell us anything about "modern" women in 1940's America?
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The role of a woman in this film is very important. In fact the protagonist is a female. Hildy Johnson is shown to be a powerful woman in the work place. But the role of a woman is to keep the men in line in this movie. It can be shown when Hildy is meeting with the other reporters in the office. Hildy immediately shows her dominance by speaking over the men and by the way she speaks. Her speech shows that she is an important person. If you compare Hildy to her fiancé Bruce, she speaks much clearer, louder and with more emphasis. She is confident and knows what she is doing. This movie to me told a lot about the women in the 1940’s. It told me that they were not the typical stay at home moms, although that is what they wanted. If my history is right the 1940’s is the time of WWII and when most men were in some way involved in the war effort. The same went for women of the time. The women of the 1940’s were a very independent and strong group of women. While the men were away at war fighting on the front lines, it was the women’s job to keep the home front functioning. Without the women of the 1940’s the US might have suffered more loss in WWII. This is showed through the confidence and overall power of Hildy Johnson.
ReplyDeleteThe role of women in the film His Girl Friday is very important. Although not all women in the film may be portrayed to be powerful and independent, Hildy Johnson, our main character, is one woman that is. Hildy puts out a strong personality and is willing to stand up for herself and do what it takes to accomplish what it is that she wishes to accomplish. In the film this persona can be seen when Hildy fights and speaks over all of the other men in the press room, determined to make her opinion heard and make herself seen. Along with her powerful and independent personality, Hildy also has the respect from most of the men she works with in the press room. They recognize she is a strong willed woman, and respect that. Hildy’s dominate personality is also shown when she is seen tackling people in order to be the first person to get the story for the morning news. Hildy is not afraid to speak her mind and voice her opinions, especially to her ex-husband Walter. If the way he acts, or if the things he says bother her, Hildy is not afraid to voice her opinion and put him in his place. The film and Hildy Johnson show that modern women in the 1940’s were also very strong willed and independent. During the 1940’s women are beginning to find themselves and begin to feel more comfortable voicing their own opinions. Much like Hildy women begin to rise up in society, taking jobs outside of the home as well as challenging their traditional roles in society.
ReplyDeleteThe role that women play in the film His Girl Friday is one that is very interesting. For Hildy we know that she is one who is very competitive and takes on many of the characteristics a man normally would in the 1940’s. Hildy wants children and to take care of her man but that doesn’t make her any less of a women. If anything it contributes to her feminist characteristics, by wanting kids it just shows the audience that she could have kids while still having a career for herself. It is interesting to see this movie take place in the historical context it is in. In the 1940s woman didn’t have a lot of say and the woman’s right were minimum. Women were supposed to be back ground noise and do whatever the man said. We can see the surprise on the other news reporters faces (men) when she is on the phone taking to Walter yelling at him for making her write the report and delaying her from going to Albany with her soon to be husband. The facial reactions on the faces of the men really show us that this doesn’t happen often because most of them are pretty shocked that she is going off on a man the way that she is. This film must have had some pretty controversial thoughts when first released because it took place in a time where women weren’t really completely involved in the working world so to have a female taking on a role of a “working man” must have been different for many.
ReplyDeleteHildy Johnson is represented in His Girl Friday as what we think of today to be a very strong and independent woman. During the 1940’s while the men were off fighting in the war, the women were left to run the house. Women became more strong, confident and independent during this time. Many of the women in His Girl Friday take on similar roles like Hildy; taking control of their lives while their husband is off at war. Hildy’s personality is very consistent with all women during the 1940s. She speaks confidently and assertively, much more confidently than most of the men in the film. This puts her at an advantage over any man that she may encounter or work with. Her assertiveness also adds a sense of intimidation to whomever she is speaking with. While her speaking styles are not a clear representation of her personality, they do show a great portion of it. In her private conversations with Walter, her ex-husband, and her fiancé, Bruce, we see a side of Hildy that seeks domestic joys such as having children and caring for her husband. Although she has this soft side, she is still very independent, willing to leave any man that does not satisfy her wants and needs. These two different personalities that she puts forth depict the way a women must act to be successful in their careers. If she stuck with the domestic joy seeking side of her personality, she would not be able to compete with men because she would be seen as inferior and not confident. “Modern” women like Hildy in the 1940s are the women who have learned what it takes to be successful amongst the men in their career. They have stepped past the idea that women are inferior and have proven that women are equal, and even in cases like Hildy, better than men at their careers.
ReplyDeleteHis Girl Friday pictures the beginning of the change in gender roles during the Second World War II. In the movie, Hildy Johnson is shown as something that would be unthinkable during the first movies of the cinematography industry, she is a powerful women who is in charge of her own life and unlike before, now men depend on her rather than she depends on them. As men had to leave for the war, many jobs and positions had to be replaced with women and thereafter females across the world start to realize that they were as capable of men of executing the work and professions, leading to feminist movements such as The Women’s Liberation. On the other hand, Hildy still feels the need of having a casual housewife life, with kids and a husband who provides for them. However along the movie it is possible to observe that that is something which was ingrained into her through social norms and does not represent her true desires. She wants to stay in the newspaper and live the adventures of a journalist, a job which she executes better than most men on the business. In sum, this movie shows the power women were beginning to gain and therefore can be deemed as a feminist movie, especially considering the time, 1940s, where women were still very oppressed.
ReplyDeleteThe role of women in society is lionized in the screwball comedy film His Girl Friday. Hildy Johnson is portrayed as a woman with power, a different type of power that is not only in her job but also over the opposite sex. This film takes place in the 1940’s where it is claimed a man’s world as there are men fighting in war but also attaining the best jobs. There is a strong female stereotype that is known as the “housewife” which classified women as ones who stay at home with the children and take care of the house. As the later years of the 1940’s came around this stereotype began to shrink and almost go away. Hildy completely goes against the normal women role of the 1940’s and finds herself as one of the best workers in the press with one of the highest labels. She has made her way to the top and even has control over men lower then her. In the beginning of the film Hildy in a sense wants to leave the press life and settle down with a family, practically lives the “housewife” role. When she explains to her press partner Walter Burns, he has no intentions of letting her leave the business. In a sense, Hildy is too powerful to leave her role in the film. This film presents a new “modern” women role starting in the 1940’s to present time. Hildy Johnson in a twisted screwball comedy is symbolizes the first appearance of women power in filming.
ReplyDeleteWhile Hildy makes efforts to become a typical housewife of the 1940's, she is unable to leave behind the thrilling, cutthroat business of journalism, a world in which she is truly a feminist. Throughout the film Hildy transforms from a woman wishing for a simple life to a woman unable to leave the job she loves. When she first comes to Walter’s office, she arrives with Bruce, her fiancé, and she acts like a love stricken woman with no care in the world. When she and Walter begin to talk, her true personality is revealed as they argue and snap at each other. From the second she enters Walter’s office, she looks much more natural in her actions and words. She acts like a true journalist and her chemistry with Walter is expressed in the first scene. When she starts to investigate the murder story, she acts like all of the newspaper men racing around, looking for answers. She fits right in with the boys and she is even better at her job than all of the men. In her professional life, Hildy is treated equally to the men and no one questions her abilities even though she is a woman. On the other hand, in her romantic life, Hildy runs right back to her previous husband without addressing the issues that caused their divorce. She finds Bruce to be too boring and simple, whereas Walter is unexpected and exciting. Similar to her need for intriguing work, she needs a man who will surprise her at every turn. Unfortunately, this man happens to be her ex-husband and without hesitation she falls right back into his arms at the end of the movie. Overall, Hildy acts as a feminist in the professional world, yet when it comes to romance and relationships with men she acts like a weak, love-stricken woman.
ReplyDeleteWhile Hildy makes efforts to become a typical housewife of the 1940's, she is unable to leave behind the thrilling, cutthroat business of journalism, a world in which she is truly a feminist. Throughout the film Hildy transforms from a woman wishing for a simple life to a woman unable to leave the job she loves. When she first comes to Walter’s office, she arrives with Bruce, her fiancé, and she acts like a love stricken woman with no care in the world. When she and Walter begin to talk, her true personality is revealed as they argue and snap at each other. From the second she enters Walter’s office, she looks much more natural in her actions and words. She acts like a true journalist and her chemistry with Walter is expressed in the first scene. When she starts to investigate the murder story, she acts like all of the newspaper men racing around, looking for answers. She fits right in with the boys and she is even better at her job than all of the men. In her professional life, Hildy is treated equally to the men and no one questions her abilities even though she is a woman. On the other hand, in her romantic life, Hildy runs right back to her previous husband without addressing the issues that caused their divorce. She finds Bruce to be too boring and simple, whereas Walter is unexpected and exciting. Similar to her need for intriguing work, she needs a man who will surprise her at every turn. Unfortunately, this man happens to be her ex-husband and without hesitation she falls right back into his arms at the end of the movie. Overall, Hildy acts as a feminist in the professional world, yet when it comes to romance and relationships with men she acts like a weak, love-stricken woman.
ReplyDeleteIf there is one thing Hildi, in His Girl Friday says about women in the 1940’s it is that they have the power to make independent decisions. As soon as we meet Hildi in the film it is clear she is a strong, confident character that even men fear. However, despite her self-assured attitude we learn that Hildi has plans to become the stereotypical housewife when she moves to Albany with Walter. Despite, her willingness to care and be a loyal housewife to Bruce, it is obvious Hildi is the one who “wears the pants in the relationship.” Through-out the film we constantly see Hildi blowing off Bruce to continue her escapades with Walter. Instead of standing up for himself and saying no to Hildi, Bruce simply accepts Hildi’s actions and goes along with them. Bruce’s lack of superiority and power in this film highlight Hildi’s independence as a woman. Perhaps, the most obvious example of Hildi’s ability to make her own decisions comes at the end of the film. After, attempting to put a story together all day with Walter, Hildi grabs hold of the spark that used to be her and Walter’s relationship. In a daze of adrenaline and excitement Hildi decides to end her engagement with Bruce and instead marry Walter. This last minute romantic change by Hildi epitomizes her ability to make independent decisions. In His Girl Friday Hildi exemplifies the movement away from the suburban housewife (literally) to a professional independent woman.
ReplyDeleteI think that in a movie like His Girl Friday, it is important to keep in mind the historical context of the time. It is true that Hildy’s character is very desirous of a successful journalism career and is willing and able to stomp all over weaker male characters. We can really see this when she is in the press room and all of the male reporters seem to have a significant amount of respect for her in the field but aren’t afraid to treat her like “one of the guys”. However, all of that being said, this is still a movie made in 1940 when the role of women in American society was drastically different than it is today. Women took on an almost exclusively domestic role so it makes sense that in order for Hildy to remain in a feminine role at this time, she would have to have these traditionally feminine characteristics. So I don’t think that this movie is attempting to portray women as feebleminded because Hildy desires to have a family but rather it is comparatively feminist for the time. The fact that Hildy is portrayed as an equal and even superior to the men in this movie makes it a far cry from the feebleminded portrayal of women that we saw in Rules of the Game. During WWII, women took on a much more significant role in the United States as most of the workforce left to go fight. I think that we are seeing the early stages of this increased role in society through the portrayal of Hildy.
ReplyDeleteThe role of women in His Girl Friday plays an important part in the film. The main female character, Hildy Johnson is portrayed as a powerful and confident woman. She displays these qualities in multiple areas of her life. For example, in the newspaper business, she is competitive with the other writers, and often comes out on top. She is very good at what she does for a living, and this is mostly because of her strong passion for journalism. She knows what she has to do to get what she wants, and she is usually successful in this sense. She gets what she wants in other areas of her life besides journalism, including the way she is treated. Hildy is bold in the fact that she originally divorced Walter because she did not like the way that he was treating her. Through this action, she shows that women can be independent. Hildy also shows desire for raising children and caring for a husband. This is when she is engaged to Bruce. This seems strange because when she was with Walter, all she seemed to care about was her career. This change in interest shows that women are allowed to change their minds. I believe that the reason that the people in charge of this film portrayed Hildy in the way that they did was because they wanted to show the change in women’s roles during this time. Women started to become more independent. For example, they started to voice their opinions on the ways that they wanted to be treated by their husbands. This could have led to many divorces during this time. Ultimately, the character of Hildy is an example of all women during the time who were starting to become more confident and outspoken.
ReplyDeleteHildy, the protagonist in His Girl Friday, is an accurate representation of the changing roles and expectations of women in the 1940’s. She is cunning, independent, and successful. With the outbreak of WWII in 1939, men were heading off to war, and women were left to fend for themselves. Women were no longer stereotyped for staying at home, making babies, and cooking food. Now, they held labor intensive jobs in factories to make a living like “Rosie the Riviter” for example. Hildy is able to outsmart all the men at the Morning Post to get her desired story. She is shown to have dominance as she walks though the office and all the men greet her with respect and authority. Additionally Hildy is shown to have dominance over her fiancé, Bruce, who is portrayed to be dimwitted an ignorant. Bruce is constantly getting himself into trouble, and falling for Walters’s tricks. Not matter what Bruce does, wither it be using counterfeit money or being accused of stealing, Hildy is always there to bail him out. While Hildy may want the domestic joys of children with her new fiancé in Albany, the Morning Post is her calling. His Girl Friday plays with the meaning of love, and the role of women. It is clear that Hildy likes to be in charge, but there is one man she can never outsmart, Walter Burns. Throughout the film, Hildy and Walter reminisce on the time they spent together and the close calls they had. To me, Hildy has an impression in her mind of what she should be as a women, but can’t resist being a newspaperman.
ReplyDeleteThe 1940s was a profound decade for women; statistics for women in the workforce were amplified, congress authorized women to serve in the U.S. Navy, and the United Nation was formed with Eleanor Roosevelt as a U.S. delegate all in 1942-1945. The significance of women was highly underrated until this decade and I believe that Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday is a microcosm for women’s rights. Hildy is a diligent worker; furthermore, she is wanted in the newsroom for her talents. She is among a sea of men in the workforce, competing with them, writing stories on topics similar to theirs, and in Walter’s perspective, even writing more affluently than some of his reporters. Hildy knows what she wants; she wants Walter, the story, and to be admired. She acknowledges what it takes to receive all of these, and does what it takes to make these goals become realities. She works hard, demands respect, and makes herself more desirable with this confidence and independence. She surmounts all efforts of the men in the workforce by staying on task, challenging their intelligence, and always being one step ahead of her competitors. An example of this is when she talks over her co-workers and demands to be heard; this is even more evident when she tackles the other reporters to get the story she wanted. As for getting Walter, she confronts him about him wanting her to leave. She makes her opinion heard by saying she didn’t want him to push towards her departure; rather though, he insists she leaves because he loves her. Hildy wins it all by accomplishing all of her goals and knowing what she wants. This type of independence and drive is a small scale version of all the accomplishments of women in the 1940s when men, society, and the U.S. as a whole was under pressure from WWII. Hildy is definitely a feminist.
ReplyDeleteEven without considering the age of the film, there is little to be said that can adequately contradict the claim of the progressive stance that this film takes in regard to female rights. Hildy Johnson’s powerful and intelligent nature makes her a likeable character from the very start of the film, and her ability to successfully dominate any social interaction puts her in the leading roles of both the film and the workplace. As a Screwball Comedy, it is conventional to reassign stereotypical roles within the film, Hildy’s character was meant to overcome traditional female gender-roles and as evidenced by her quick-wittedness, strength, and professionalism throughout the film, Hildy’s “role-reassignment” was certainly in her favor. Despite this ever-present strength in Hildy’s character, certain claims are made against her portrayal as a strong independent woman based on her occasional cooperation with the cultural norm. To some people, mindsets like seeking a quiet domestic life with children and caring for her husband, or actions like her return to her ex-husband make Hildy’s feminist message weaker or nonexistent. Although these are certainly aspects to be expected in a stereotype, they are not disqualifications of her other qualities, and in no way discredit the feminism present throughout the film. Many who make the claim that following any gender roles removes the progressiveness of breaking barriers in other aspects do not realize that if individuals are expected to sacrifice, due to their gender, actions which they enjoy, the underlying effect is not much better than the restrictions caused by institutionalized norms. Even if the reasoning is seeded in feminist roots, telling others what they should and should not do based on their gender is inherently sexist. The fact that Hildy is capable of openly having a choice between breaking and abiding by cultural norms is, in my opinion, far more progressive than if she were to take on the role of a hyperbolic non-stereotypical female. Even if each were considered alone, Hildy’s total freedom, dominance, and intelligence are very empowering, but when combined, these aspects give both her and the film “His Girl Friday” a very effective feminist message.
ReplyDeleteI want to start by saying that I do think Hildy is a feminist character. However, I want to be very careful with how I use the word “feminism.” Personally, I believe that the concept has changed and lost meaning over time. I believe that today’s “feminism” does not represent feminism in its original form nor the feminism that I think this film does.
ReplyDeleteBe mindful that the following is my opinion; this is not meant to be harmful in any way. I believe that today’s feminism is aggressive, beyond a healthy point. I believe that it is assertive and intense in all the wrong ways. Modern movements seem to try to scare employers and institutions into “rigging” the game to be, artificially, more in favor of women. When we talk about feminism today, and the feminist movements today, these are the type of things that come to mind. However, it is the vision and discussion of the ideal form of feminism that I find interesting and healthy to discuss. I believe that the original form of feminism was purely based on the vision for an unspoken equality; a type of equality that nobody would ever need to discuss. This is the type of feminist agenda that I believe exists in this film, with Hildy’s character specifically. In the film, for example, there is no talk, not even any joking, surrounding this topic. Given that it is a comedy, you would expect the writers to throw in a controversial joke discussing her female role in her environment. Well, they don’t. Hildy’s job, Hildy’s lifestyle is just an unspoken reality of the world they live in. She just goes about her day like any other person would in the world they live in. This, I think, is a very important and exciting aspect to this film. The writers and directors were able to envision and put together this character that represents true feminism, a concept that seems to be forgotten now. For this reason, I believe that this is a feminist film, and Hildy is a feminist character.
Hildy Johnson plays an extremely important role in His Girl Friday. Although she is one of a few women in the movie, she is one of the main characters. At that time in the 1940’s, women were seen as somewhat inferior to men. Additionally, women weren’t supposed to have the same careers as men. Hildy, however, breaks this idea throughout the movie. People look up to Hildy as a professional, as shown by numerous journalists begging Hildy not to leave the paper. One might say that Hildy is actually superior to other journalists in a professional sense. In a romantic sense, Hildy plays two separate roles. When Hildy is with Walter, Hildy plays the ‘female role’ in the relationship as she gets caught up in Walter’s lies, yet still ends up running back to him. When Hildy is with Bruce, however, Hildy plays the ‘male role’ in the relationship. Hildy is always bossing Bruce around and telling him what and what not to do. In a way, Hildy is viewed as superior to Bruce. In a time when women weren’t really respected and given the same opportunities as men, Hildy acts superior and is respected by almost everyone she comes across. That being said, Hildy does play to the stereotypical ‘woman roles’ at times throughout the film and ends up being seen as inferior to Walter. One might assume that His Girl Friday was attempting to make a statement that while women can succeed in the workplace, women are still inferior to men with regards to relationships.
ReplyDeleteScrewball Comedy is a genre of film that uses an ironic twist on gender roles that was the polar opposite of societal norms at the time of the genre’s peak; throughout films like His Girl Friday that fall into the category of Screwball Comedy, the men are portrayed as either weak, manipulative, or both (as women were often seen in real life at the time), and the women are depicted as more dominant and strong than the men (which obviously conflicted with the patriarchal view of society at the time). It is easy to think at first glance that this representation of women as stronger and better than men indicates a feminist ideology that the directors of His Girl Friday had, but this is unfortunately not the case. Throughout the movie, the men definitely fit the paradigm of weak (in the case of Bruce) and manipulative (in the case of Walter), but upon deeper observation it is clear that Hildy, the main female role in the movie, definitely is not as much of a strong woman as a viewer may think.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is true that Hildy does seem to be more assertive and strong-minded than most women were in movies during the first half of the 20th century, she actually isn’t nearly as independent or iron-fisted (in a good way) as most screwball comedies tend to depict women. First of all, she is clearly being manipulated by Walter throughout the entire film. This definitely fits the mold of Screwball Comedy in that it shows men to be manipulative, but it actually starkly contrasts with the typical depiction of women in the genre. Hildy’s weakness is shown again and again as she continues to stay with Walter rather than go to meet up with her fiancée Bruce, as she is unknowingly being tricked into doing so by the sly and self-centered Walter. A truly independent woman that wanted to stand up for herself certainly wouldn’t do this, as she is unknowingly undermining her own authority by agreeing to stick around and listen to the orders of her boss and former lover. Additionally, the same idea shines through again at the end of the movie when Hildy finds out that Walter has been manipulating her the whole time and has just gotten her fiancée thrown into jail. Upon discovering this by being contacted by Bruce, Hildy does not become angry with Walter but instead seems to instantly fall in love with him, realizing that he has been trying hard to get her back the whole time. This is obviously exemplary of the qualities of a Screwball Comedy movie in that it is a completely unexpected plot twist, but it also goes against the mold of the genre at the same time; by falling in love with the man who had just tricked her and gotten her fiancée thrown in jail, Hildy is being portrayed as a weak woman who definitely doesn’t fit into the genre of Screwball Comedy. Unfortunately, Hildy is showing once again that His Girl Friday is in fact not a feminist film that depicts women as strong, but rather simply shows women to be easily manipulated and seemingly below men in intelligence as well. In conclusion, although His Girl Friday may appear to be a feminist film that goes against the typical idea of women’s roles in the 1940s, it actually supports the patriarchal ideology that society had at the time, and in the end goes against a key theme of Screwball Comedy as well.
His Girl Friday, shows many different views on feminism in the 1940’s, when the film was made. Hildy is the perfect way of showing these changes. The movie begins after she has had a divorce in order to protect her job and to be able to succeed better in her line of work where her husband was also her boss. She divorces him in order to further her career as a writer. Along with this passion to become a better writer she also wants to be domestic and have the “average” women’s role that has become customary during this time. This shows a lot about what was happening at the time of the production of the movie. It shows that many women wanted to start to move into the workforce with the men. But most if not all of them were conflicted because although they wanted a job and to work they also wanted to have kids and to be able to take care of their kids. This movement was started because many men were drafted into the war during this movie’s production so the women had to fill in the role of the man and took jobs. When the men started to return from war in the late 1940’s they women were conflicted due to the fact that they wanted to work but their families took priority over the jobs that they wanted.
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