As I watched the buff and scantily clad Brad Pitt and Eric Banna fight each other in the movie Troy the other day, I found my mind wandering to the Chicago based “Babes with Blades,” self described as “a company of women wielding weapons.”
At first I thought, “Oy, I’m old that this is what I think of when staring at Brad Pitt,” but then I realized that wasn’t the point (no pun intended or probably even noticed).
It was that as Helen and Polydora languished and looked beautiful, the men fought to protect their honor and virtue. They were completely helpless in and of their own right.
The movie was I imagine historically accurate, and women’s roles in both life and movies have thankfully expanded over the years.
And that’s the connection…In Chicago, it’s the “Babes with Blades” who are best known for choreographing awesome fights with swords, knives, and other sundry weapons.
We defy society’s limitations of women’s roles, including the preconception that strength and power are inappropriate in women. We challenge the traditional definition of femininity and shatter divisive stereotypes…
And while they do it locally, women actors continue to push the boundaries in film as well, with Uma Thurman, Halle Berry, and Angelina Jolie among Parade’s list of the Top 10 Female Action Stars.
In the world of Intercultural Communications, perhaps unconsciously I was registering the overwhelming stereotyping of gender roles in the film, and countering it with strong vibrant images. Or maybe it’s just that as a strong vibrant woman, I can’t imagine sitting around pining if the person fighting on my behalf (aka Orlando Bloom as Paris) was doing so poorly.
Nothing wrong with a little well-placed “I am woman, Hear me roar!”
Photo credit Broadway World Chicago, from Babes with Blades’ All Female Macbeth.
As a member emeritus of Babes with Blades Chicago, I feel grateful in having audience members think of us when they think of Men fighting. Women fighting. It all should be equal, and of power, equal. I’m not completely convinced that the women historically didn’t also fight, though most likely it would be to defend their homes from invaders, etc.nI also would like to shout out that even IF women supposedly languished while men fought, I defy anyone to think it’s easy to hang around while someone you loved could easily be killed or maimed violently—I do believe it’s harder to wait by, and prepare for the wounded, than it is to swing a sword and feel the adrenaline! Think also of the power of healing, and who administers this, in the midst and aftermath…
I’m so glad you saw this, and thanks for commenting. I concur–definitely harder to watch! It’s been a few years since I saw the group perform, but it obviously made an impression (I had seen the all female Macbeth), but was also really delighted to find out that you all had choreographed the fight scenes for another play I had seen–can’t remember the name–it was at the Theater Building, but it was an all male cast. Thanks again for your thoughtful comment.
I remember when I walked out of Troy (and I had to see it – I know the choreographer!) my first words were “Where the heck were the Amazons!” They are a huge presence in Homer’s work upon which this movie was based. So you and I were both thinking of women fighters when seeing the movie – the women fighters that *should* have been there, but weren’t.n-Dawn “Sam” AldennFounder, Babes With Blades
With all due respect to the empowered women of today, the film was intended to be a more realistic interpretation of the Trojan War, not an exact telling of the Iliad. The Amazons, as much as I love the subject, are the realm of myth, so Penthesilea and her gang, along with the gods and all the other mythological stuff, had to go. While there are some notable exceptions throughout history (Boudica, Zenobia, Spartan princesses Arachidamia and Chelidonis, off the top of my head), ancient women didn’t do much fighting at all. They couldn’t join the army like they can today. All they really *could* do is sit and wait while the men fought, just like Helen and Andromache did. I’m not saying this to spite anyone or discourage women today from making their own way in the world (I encourage women to assert their independence)… it’s just historical fact. Something to keep in mind about Penthesilea and her Amazons, though, is that they all died in battle. Penthesilea’s end came in the form of Achilles’ spear through her chest.