The 1990s was a decade of significant turmoil in Hollywood cinema, which resulted in a watershed moment in the interplay of gender and genre. Patricia Di Risio argues that cinematic representations of unconventional women had an important effect on traditionally male oriented genres, such as the crime thriller, road movie, western, film noir, war film, sci-fi, and horror. Di Risio analyses seven key films from the decade, including Blue Steel (1990), Thelma & Louise (1991), The Quick and the Dead (1995), Bound (1996), Jackie Brown (1997), G.I. Jane (1997) and Alien: Resurrection (1997), paying particular attention to their use of irony, allusion, and pastiche. She highlights how their female protagonists, a majority of whom are decidedly queer or gender questioning personas, produce an intense crossover in genre conventions, largely driven by their gender rebellion. She examines how a deconstruction of gender simultaneously allows genre hybridity and intertextuality, taking these films into unexpected new directions. In doing so, she delineates a clear line between the unconventional nature of the representation of the female protagonists and innovative changes to genre filmmaking practices.

An exploration of unconventional female protagonists in 1990s Hollywood films, and how they had a lasting impact on traditionally male oriented genre cinema.

About the Author
Patricia Di Risio is Lecturer in Media Communications and Screen Studies at at Monash College, Monash University Pathways, Australia. Her writing has featured in Transmedia and Public Representation edited by Perez Riedel (2021), Critical Perspectives on Gender and Sport edited by Curtis Fogel (2018), and Silent Women; Pioneers of Cinema edited by Melody Bridges & Cheryl Robson (2016).


Book Information
ISBN 9781350292833
Author Patricia Di Risio
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC