A recent article from Vulture saw writers Kyle Buchanan and Jordan Crucchiola dive deep into film archives to find old script descriptions of 50 notable female characters.
Unsurprisingly, the writers note, there is a lot of emphasis on the beauty of the characters but it’s also worth noting that “whether the descriptions are well-written or problematic, they offer plenty of insight into how Hollywood views women and creates roles for them.”
The article examines descriptions from both classic and recent movies. Kyle Buchanan shared some of the most notable descriptions on Twitter while other movie fans also picked their favourites:
"Norma Desmond stands down the corridor next to a doorway from which emerges a flickering light. She is a little woman. There is a curious style, a great sense of high voltage about her." https://t.co/DOAXJZgFWs pic.twitter.com/tEDInigpH3
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) April 4, 2018
"For all her chic thinness she has an almost breakfast-cereal air of health. Her mouth is large, her nose upturned. Her sunglasses blot out her eyes. She could be anywhere from sixteen to thirty." https://t.co/DOAXJZgFWs pic.twitter.com/NhegdiE0F4
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) April 4, 2018
"RACHEL MARRON finally rises from the sofa. It’s a bit of a shock to see that she is only about thirty years old. A young woman. Not beautiful, not ugly. Unique only in that she is immediately interesting. A Superstar." https://t.co/DOAXJZgFWs pic.twitter.com/KixcErFslN
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) April 4, 2018
How Quentin Tarantino wrote the first character introduction in his film DEATH PROOF: https://t.co/DOAXJZgFWs pic.twitter.com/d2QLUIzC7L
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) April 4, 2018
The way Nancy Meyers describes the Meryl character in her IT'S COMPLICATED screenplay is basically peak Nancy Meyers: https://t.co/DOAXJZgFWs pic.twitter.com/phCpQCHHkP
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) April 4, 2018
Compare the way Sarah Connor's character description changes from THE TERMINATOR to TERMINATOR 2: https://t.co/DOAXJZgFWs pic.twitter.com/bsCru6Qi6E
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) April 4, 2018
Vulture's look at how female characters were described in scripts is fascinating but I'm growing worried this expression will be on my face forever: ಠ_ಠhttps://t.co/KryU7ogbxP pic.twitter.com/l2UeFPcF7X
— Kim Renfro (@kimrrenfro) April 4, 2018
Honestly.......my favorite description of all of these is Nomi Malone. https://t.co/SgKMAaoUWT pic.twitter.com/yg0TGafQG8
— Kate Hagen (@thathagengrrl) April 4, 2018
There are some hidden gems here of character description, between all the prettys and the beautifuls. Especially love these ones, which tell us about who they are, not just what they look like. "She's cosmic". https://t.co/CpBtDLOwfS pic.twitter.com/lSlT8kYk7G
— Lauren Beukes (@laurenbeukes) April 5, 2018
