Some may argue that the movie The General conforms to traditional patriarchal gender roles. Annabelle Lee, the heroine, is kidnapped (albeit inadvertently) by hostile soldiers and needs the heroic exploits of her lover to rescue her. She is portrayed as submissive to her father and brother, ineffectual in plotting her own escape (such as throwing a stick of wood into the train furnace or failing to stop the engine so her lover can board it), and often exhibiting domestic inclinations ( as when she sweeps the engine with a broom).
Do you agree with this picture of Annabelle Lee -- or is it more complicated? Is Annabelle a stereotypical damsel in distress or is she a more progressive figure? Is there something about her a feminist could admire? What is this film saying about gender roles?
In the General, Buster Keaton slightly complicates the character Annabelle Lee as a damsel in distress, however, not enough to truly break stereotypes or create a progressive figure. The classic idea of a damsel in distress is about a woman (who is usually kidnapped) that needs to be saved by a man. Repeatedly in movies and books, the damsel in distress does nothing about her situation, only crying for help for her savior. This stereotype is to demonstrate the misconception that women are only good in domestic tasks, and when in danger the only one that can save them is a man. Similarly, in the General, Northern Soldiers kidnap Anabelle on the train that they stole. Throughout the continuing scenes, they push her around and eventually force her to sit with a cloth tied around her mouth. She does not fight back and just gives up. Additionally, when she is put in a bedroom (that serves as her cell) she does not attempt to escape from the window, rather she just sits in the chair and cries. Eventually, Johnny saves her and helps her escape. At this point, Annabelle’s character becomes slightly more complicated. After Johnny steals the train, she assists him throughout the journey. Annabelle ties a rope on some trees to slow down the Northerners, she also learns how to drive the train, even making it go backwards. At this point, viewers would think that Annabelle has become a modern and independent woman who is a source of inspiration. However, that is not the case, because once they return to the South Annabelle reverts to the way she was, dependent on the men in her life. Although Anabelle’s character did slightly complicate during the film, it was not enough to outweigh the fact that she is still a damsel in distress and is submissive to men.
ReplyDeleteEven with the added complications of her character and her proficiency in aiding Buster’s character throughout The General, Annabelle still fits the strict archetype of the ‘Damsel in Distress’ through her arch’s reliance on the men surrounding her. Our first interaction with Annabelle is through the lens of romantic attraction. Her introduction to the audience is as a woman who needs to be courted and we come to understand her through her interactions with Buster. As the movie progresses and she is captured, she becomes a playbook example of a damsel in distress, pictured as unable to resist her captors and rescued by Buster. The main pushback against this trope is during the scene where Annabelle and Buster break away with the train. She aids Buster in keeping the train running and disrupting the tracks behind them. Annabelle is also quick to pick up on how the train operates and uses it to pick up Buster after falling into the river. Although in this sequence, the movie affords both autonomy and competency to the character, she is ultimately reduced to the position of a trophy in the core narrative. At the end of the movie, Buster returns back his train and is awarded with a position as a general in the confederacy, restoring the honor that he lost after being rejected during the opening of the film. In this same scene, Annabelle ‘falls’ for Buster and is equated to his other awards as a trophy for his victory. This single gesture is a key reduction to her independence as a character and rips away the competency she exhibits during earlier portions of the movie.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie The General, by Buster Keaton, the ‘heroine’, Annabelle Lee, is portrayed as less of a heroine and more as a typical female character in that time period. This is because in the end, she never has a true change of character. She simply reverts back to the same mindset and ideals that she had in the beginning. In the beginning, Annabelle thought negatively of Buster because he wasn’t fighting in the war. However, throughout the movie we do see some Annabelle do some things to take a stand. For example, she’s able to figure out how to get the train running again. However most of these things are actions that are meant to help Buster, or another male character in the movie. When captured by the North, Annabelle isn’t even able to open a window and escape. Of course this is due to the fact that an action like this doesn’t benefit Buster, and it’d just wouldn’t be right if Annabelle was able to save herself in this time period. And when all is said and done at the end of the movie, Buster only ‘wins’ Annabelle when he’s given the lieutenant uniform, further emphasizing the fact that Annabelle is only in the movie to benefit Buster, and to drive the message of the ‘glory of fighting for your country’. So furthermore, Annabelle’s role within this movie is to serve as a motivation to join the war, to assist Buster in his journey, and to be the ‘grand prize’ at the very end.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie The General, Annabelle Lee begins the story as a damsel in distress then progresses into a valuable asset who helps Buster Keaton defeat the enemy soldiers and win the war. At the start of the film, Annabelle is kidnapped and does not seem to resist any opposing force making her appear as a weak stereotypical woman. Buster, the manly hero, must save her because she is a helpless woman, a poor representation of gender equality. Annabelle is now relying on Buster as she is helpless in possession of the enemy. Buster perseveres through many obstacles in order to save the damsel. Once he finally catches up to the train and rescues her, she shifts from a damsel into a significant character in the story. During the time, a woman was not useful for much other than cleaning and child support. Those traits are not shown after she is rescued. Buster begins to rely on Annabelle for his plan to prevent the opposition from crossing the river and attacking the south. On the tracks, Buster leaves the conductor’s station to go set a trap at the back of the train. Annabelle must stop the train; instead of standing there uselessly, Annabelle quickly learns how to operate the train. She stops the train and moves it backwards towards Buster. Another scene in the movie has Annabelle throwing wood to Buster as he makes a pile to burn on the bridge. This pivot from damsel to sharp companion goes against the maternal stereotype for the time period making this movie a true feminist masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie The General, Annabelle Lee's role is to support the protagonist, Buster Keaton. Although her character development throughout the film is evident, she is not a portrayal of feminism. She plays into the stereotypical "damsel in distress", and gender stereotypes. Annabelle's role is not independent from Buster, but rather for Buster. Later in the film she is kidnapped by Northern soldiers, and is held hostage. Instead of resisting, and fighting she simply waits to be saved by Buster. Saving herself would not benefit Buster, and would reflect "poorly" on his masculinity. After she is saved by Buster the audience sees a shift in Annabelle's demeanor. She shows intelligence and bravery opposed to the beginning of the film. Although she becomes a more capable and independent character, this is only due to the fact Buster told her to be. Buster relied on Annabelle to stop the opposition from crossing and attacking the South. Annabelle learns how to operate a train, and drives the train backwards in order to aid Buster in his plan. Throughout the film Annabelle relies on masculine figures to guide her. Annabelle is not a strong female character, but rather a submissive trophy. At the end of the film Buster is awarded the position of general for the confederacy. He regained his honor, and received a promotion while Annabelles prize was essentially just him. Annabelle may have developed from the typical damsel in distress (weak, helpless, lost, fragile), but her character played into sexist stereotypes throughout the film.
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