Introduction
Erin Brockovich is a legal clerk in America, who is also an environmental activist, who got the public’s attention when she aided in the building of a case against a firm called Pacific Gas and Electric, despite her limited knowledge in the legal field. A movie was created based on her life story under her name “Erin Brockovich” and was released in 2000. The single mother was depicted by Julia Roberts in the film portraying her defiance as she struggled to bring down the power company for polluting the water system in the city.
This paper seeks to explore the feministic approach of the movie and determine how its success has transformed the perception of women in the entertainment industry. Furthermore, it will reveal the Erin Brockovich has enforced women’s role in the industry while determining the manner in which it has reduced the marginalization of the female plight.
How the Female Role has enforced the Role of Women in the Mainstream Media
After the lawsuit, Brockovich’s fame transformed her life and gave a rise to transformation on how women are treated, and not just in the entertainment world. She was quoted saying, “For the first time in my life I got people respecting me. Up in Hinkley, I walk into a room, and everybody shuts up to hear if I got something to say. I never had that before, never” (Nelson 159). When the movie was first released, the attention was more on the director than the leading actress, despite her crowd-pleasing performance and nature. It was not until the movie started raking in millions that the attention shifted to Julia Roberts, who portrayed Erin. The actress created a leeway for women to be cast in lead roles, with directors hoping to achieve the same. Her winning the Oscar affirmed that the role of women in the mainstream media needs to be expanded and more of them given the chance to showcase their talents.
How the Show has Effectively Depicted the actual Erin Brockovich
Julia Roberts’ character was in sync with the role that had been cast for her because she presented a kind of abrasiveness and vulnerability, which was key to succeeding in her depiction of Erin Brockovich. Roberts is quick-witted and turned out to be innovative, which helped her to play her role perfectly. There are however parts of the real story, such as Erin’s awkward dress code to work that does not make it into the film because there were fears that such would make her look less heroic (Bingham 333). The author explained that it was the exclusion of such parts that made Roberts the best choice for the role. Although the role was a complete contradiction to her true nature, the need to show empathy on an almost genuine level, led to her being chosen (Scott 4). This is the best way to endorse ordinary heroines who activists against societal problems in the simplest ways (McCann and Halton).
The Film as a Force against Women Marginalization in American Films
“In life, as in fiction, women who speak out usually end up punished or dead.” (Bingham 332). This notion has been so deeply rooted in the people that marginalization has seemed normal. It is, however, the dominance of the film that sparks the interest of the viewers to see that women protagonists can also make good and successful movies.
Killoran states that women have faced marginalization in the entertainment world across the globe and Hollywood are the worst place in this consideration (1). The problem was pre-existent even before Erin Brockovich. What this movie does is to provide a base for the plight of women to stand up against the vice and fight for their rights. The character provides an excellent example of a woman, who seemed insufficient to fight a big battle but in the long run triumphed. She has inspired feminism and shown the marginalized women that being courageous is essential. Killoran further adds that major roles were previously not saved for women. The UK had the highest representation of women as leads in films at 39%. Other nations such as Australia, Germany and Korea had less than 30%. A further analysis of the crowds used in movies revealed that only 17% of them were female. In action movies, only 23% of the speaking characters are usually female.
The Movie’s Role in fighting against Social Oppression and Stereotyping by making Erin Brockovich’s Story a Success in the Screen
Erin Brockovich, as a movie, has been referred to as one of the most relevant cases when it comes to issues of social justice (Clair, Fox and Bezek 71). The authors add that the film adopts a kind of rhetorical advocacy that challenges the societal injustices. As much as the movie details differed slightly from the real life situation, the depiction of the fight for social justice is undiluted. This kind of fight presented in this movie is what got the crowd interested. The activism depicted could be argued to be the cause for its success on the big screen because it was different from most were presented in the same period.
Works Cited
Bingham, Dennis. "16 Erin Brockovich: Hollywood Feminist Revisionism, after a Fashion." Whose Lives Are They Anyway? The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre.” Piscataway: Rutgers University Press, 2010. 332-347. Print.
Clair, Robin, Rebekah Fox and Jennifer Bezek. Viewing Film from a Communication Perspective: Film as Public Relations, Product Placement, and Rhetorical Advocacy in the College Classroom. Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal, 36, 70-87.
Killoran, Ellen. “Women are Marginalized in Movies throughout the World, and Hollywood is Among the Worst Offenders: Study. IB Times. 29 September. Web. 14 April. 2016. (http://www.ibtimes.com/women-are-marginalized-movies-throughout-world-hollywood-among-worst-offenders-study-1696258)
McCann, Michael and William Haltom. “Ordinary Heroes vs. Failed Lawyers: Public Interest Litigation in "Erin Brockovich" and Other Contemporary Films." Law & Social Inquiry 33.4 (2008): 1045-1070. Print.
Nelson, Andrew P. "Responsibility and Self-Centered Narration in Erin Brockovich." The Philosophy of Steven Soderbergh.” Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2011. 159-172. Print.
Scott, A. O. “Film Review: High Ideals, Higher Heels. The New York Times. 17 March. 2000. Web. 14 April. 2016. (http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9805eed8163af934a25750c0a9669c8b63)
