Catwoman is a film loosely based on DC comics the antiheroine Catwoman. The film presents the origin story of the Catwoman Patience Phillips (Halle Berry) in its unique worldview.
After discovering the magically age-defying face moisturizer her company produces causes serious health problems, Patience Phillips is killed and then gains her superpower of Catwoman from Egyptian cats after being reincarnated. She then goes on to investigate the company and is drawn into even deeper and more complex conspiracies. The film has an exceptional focus on the protagonist’s body image, and it especially draws attention to the contrast before and after Patience’s transformation into Catwoman. As the story of Patience/Catwoman unfolds, the film leads the audience into the discussion of sexism in the work environment, ageism, and females’ desire in general, and the eventual discussion of justice and evil.
Catwoman's dramatic entrance before she is about to rob some jewelry from the jewelry robbers;)
A staged performance mixed with dancing and a demonstration of her power by Catwoman before she is about to interrogate the villain's sidekick.
Significance:
The feminist narration and angle are already rare in superhero movies, not to mention breaking the traditional image of Catwoman by casting a black actress and largely altering her origin story, as well as the decision to erase the presence of Batman. The film has touched on multiple subjects surrounding the female body image, awakening, and female empowerment, and in its subtexts, it has the potential to explore the challenges and unjust that can exclusively be faced by women of color, such as white beauty standards, exotification, and fetishism. It also touches on the subject of justice and evil, and the choice of having Catwoman eventually become an antihero and leave her ordinary life to pursue her own life journey delivers a character or an empowering force to audiences, on the pursuit of ultimate freedom.
Discussion Questions:
Issues like body images of superheroine or antiheroines always raise discussions—for example, they are strong, skillful fighters but they sometimes wear exposed clothes that are just not practical for fighting, and many times fall into the grey area of fetishism. We can see how clothing and camera focus on Catwoman's body catches attention in this film. Are their images a product of male gazing, and to what extent? In what ways can they, given they are fictional characters, empower or reclaim their subjectivity? Does Catwoman in this film, ACTUALLY reclaim her subjectivity, and in what ways she is able to achieve it?
A Soldier’s Story is an American mystery drama film set in the Jim Crow South of Louisiana, against the backdrop of World War II. A decorated Black soldier and war veteran, Master Sergeant Vernon Waters, is murdered outside of the Army base. Captain Richard Davenport, a Black officer, is assigned to investigate the murder and unravel the mystery of who killed Sergeant Waters. Here is the film trailer: "Do you know the damage one ignorant Negro can do?" A candid and frightening look into the mind of Sergeant Waters. "Oh lord!" C.J. Memphis celebrates with his fellow soldiers. Film Significance: This film is a symphony of struggle; the struggle of Captain Davenport to overcome the racial disparity he encounters from his White superiors as well as his fellow officers that resent his involvement in the murder investigation of Sergeant Waters. Davenport also struggles with the conflicting testimonies of the kind of man Waters really was in his search for the truth. A
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