Constructing Femininity through Film Language: An Analysis of Popular High Fantasy Films

The social and cultural institutions construct and strengthen the perception of gender. Films, being one of the strongest conduits in disseminating the gender attributes ascribed by the society, use it's codes and conventions to reinforce the necessity and naturalness of these constructed perception. Fantasy films, as one of the most popular film genres, have a strong fan base among children and adults across the globe. So it becomes essential to study the ways and means of reinforcing the societal perception of gender in these films. This paper while attempting to explore the construction of femininity using various elements of film language in high fantasy films, tries to find out patterns existing in portraying the female characters. It also explains the difference in the construction of women protagonists and antagonists using film language.

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