Fashionable Feminism in the Screwball Comedy: Who Wears the Pants?

The following is my entry in the Film Classics Annual Writing Contest.

In the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s, everything is upside-down and backwards — most notably the gender roles. While mistaken identities, slapstick shenanigans and witty banter push and pull the madcap couple together and apart, their behavior often defies sexual stereotypes of the period. The man inevitably becomes emasculated and is ordered around by an independent, pushy woman who either doesn’t like him or likes him too much for him to handle.

The gender-bending doesn’t stop at the characters’ personalities and conduct, however. It also reveals itself in their many — usually ridiculous — outfits. Cross-dressing, whether overt or understated, is a major aspect of the classic screwball comedy. It provokes laughter, moves the plot forward, and develops character. Such sartorial choices were often controversial. Katharine Hepburn’s breezy trousers and Cary Grant’s frilly robes caused a fashion revolution and sexual confusion. While many modern viewers think of bombshells like Marilyn Monroe as the major threats to the Production Code, the screwball stars caused an early stir. As Andrew Sarris says, this type of film was “a sex comedy without the sex.”

In screwball comedies, women wear the pants, both literally and metaphorically. In Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938), Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn) moves around her apartment in a pair of polka-dot pants. She dons trousers and flat shoes to partake in a slapstick adventure in her aunt’s backyard. In The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor, 1940), Tracy Lord (Hepburn again) prepares for her upcoming nuptials in comfortable slacks and riding pants which show off her long, slim legs. In My Favorite Wife (Garson Kanin, 1940), Ellen (Irene Dunne) arrives home after years on a desert island wearing men’s clothes. Screwball women reject ladylike frocks in favor of comfortable clothing.

The masculine aesthetic which these women so much enjoy does much to emphasize their characters’ independence and strong wills, but these traits are emphasized further when they begin wearing the heroes’ clothing, and vice versa. In screwball comedies, cross-dressing is often accidental, impulsive or last-resort, but it always says something important about the characters’ hierarchy. In Bringing Up Baby, Susan steals David Huxley’s (Cary Grant) clothes to keep him from leaving, and on her way out the door, she dons his hat. This act draws attention to her more powerful — traditionally masculine — position in their relationship. It is also interesting to note that Susan also destroys many objects of David’s clothing throughout the film. She causes him to slip and fall on his top hat early in the film, and soon after that she tears his jacket. Later she burns his sock while trying to dry off over a fire, and then her antics cause his glasses to break. Susan ruins David’s emblems of masculinity — his male clothing — or takes them for herself. Susan also experiences destruction to her clothing, including when she loses the heel on one shoe and laughs at the fact that now she has uneven feet, singing, “I was born on the side of a hill.” Susan’s joy at flattening her shoe, and the alternating heights at which she stands because of it, point to her complicated gender role.

Similarly, in It Happened One Night (Frank Capra, 1934), Ellie (Claudette Colbert) accepts Peter’s (Clark Gable) pajamas, complete with pants and a button-front shirt, to sleep in. She does this out of desperation, since she’s lost her luggage, but it points to a larger power struggle between the two, as he shows her the ropes and she continuously berates him.

The cross-dressing isn’t limited to women wearing men’s items. Screwball heroes are sometimes forced to wear women’s clothing. The most famous man to do this was Cary Grant. After Susan steals David’s clothes in Bringing Up Baby, his only option is to throw on a woman’s ruffled robe, an item which stands in stark and fascinating contrast with Susan’s seemingly unisex monogrammed robe. David’s cross-dressing becomes even more controversial when he tells Susan’s aunt that he’s wearing it because he “just went gay all of a sudden.” It’s considered the earliest cinematic use of the word “gay” to mean homosexual. Grant gets girly again in My Favorite Wife, when his new bride presents him with a leopard-print robe to match hers. Its sleeves are too short, and its pattern is feminine. The characters’ donning of such effeminate pieces points to their increased emasculation and helplessness at the hands of the heroines.

To answer the historically relevant and thematically significant question of who wears the pants in the screwball relationship, one need look no further than the characters’ literal clothes. Often the important question becomes, “Who wears the frilly robe?” Odds are it’s not the woman.

The Disney Renaissance: Tarzan

1999 marked the end of the 1990s, so it was appropriate that it also featured the final film of the Disney Renaissance, Tarzan. The studio took the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs story of a man raised by apes and turned it into a sweeping, heartbreaking animated film reminiscent of The Lion King.

My favorite part of Tarzan is the music. The film’s original songs were written and performed by Phil Collins. I can’t hear “You’ll Be in My Heart” without crying, and the various other songs beg to be dramatically lip-synched to. In private, of course. The interesting thing about Tarzan is that its songs are for the most part not performed by the characters. They set the tone for the scenes in which they’re featured, by the movie is not a musical in the sense of the other Disney Renaissance films. Still, Tarzan is undeniably a strong addition to the Renaissance, with its powerful themes, gorgeous animation and an emphasis on music, even if it’s not worked into the plot like in the other films of the period.

After Tarzan, Disney could not return to its 1990s success. Films like Treasure Planet, Brother Bear and Home on the Range failed to live up to their predecessors of the past decade. Even The Princess and the Frog (2009), a rare theatrical 2D animated feature, could not recapture the magic of the Disney Renaissance. Although all the pieces were in place, like reimagining a classic fairy tale in a new setting and working music into the plot, the film lacked that something special which the Disney Renaissance films possessed. The Disney/Pixar collaborations come closest to capturing the 1990s feeling, but even they can’t compare, because of their computer animation and lack of memorable songs.

Maybe it’s time to stop pining for a reawakening of the Disney Renaissance style and to be content with the films the period provided for us. It’s satisfying to pop in an old VHS tape or catch one of the films playing on television. We’ll keep singing along to the soundtracks, and future generations will continue to dress like characters on Halloween and quote the same lines we loved as children. The Disney Renaissance hasn’t died just because no more films are being made in its style. It’s still living because the people who first loved it are still watching the films and passing them on to their children. And that’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?

The Disney Renaissance: Mulan

If you’re in your late teens to early twenties, odds are you often find yourself singing, “Let’s get down to business to defeat the Huns.”  That’s the opening line in one of the most well-known songs from Disney’s 1998 animated feature Mulan.

The title heroine of Mulan probably has the most girl power of any of the Disney princesses.  She plays a young Chinese woman who disguises herself as a man and fights in the army in order to save her sick father from going to war.  After a difficult start pretending to be a man, she ends up becoming a hero for her country.

This film provided a refreshing departure from the typical Disney princess formula of dreaming of a fairy tale marriage and a knight in shining armor.  Mulan finds love in the process of fighting for her country, but marriage is not her top priority, as evidenced by the opening scenes in which she struggles to make a good impression with a matchmaker.  In this way, Mulan is very similar to the newest Disney heroine, Merida, in Brave.

Mulan continues the Disney Renaissance tradition of blending powerful drama with humor.  The film deals with emotional, political themes of family, nationality, and feminism, but comic relief is provided around every corner, mostly from the miniature dragon Mushu (voiced by Eddie Murphy).

The Disney Renaissance: Hercules

Hercules (1997) is my favorite film of the Disney Renaissance.  It’s my favorite for a variety of reasons.  Its songs are my favorite overall of any of the Disney Renaissance songs, its female character is the spunkiest of all the Disney Renaissance girls, and it has the most entertaining villain.  Plus, I like Greek mythology and I enjoy how Disney interpreted the stories for a modern audience.

The music for Hercules was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by David Zippel.  The decision to give the film’s music a gospel style, best exemplified by the narrative songs performed by the Muses, who act as a Greek chorus for the plot, is brilliant in my opinion.  It plays on the spiritual nature of the Greek myths while giving the film a fun, modern edge.  The film’s famous song “Go the Distance” is gorgeous and uplifting.  Meg’s feisty, jaded song “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)” is impossible to get out of your head.  The songs in Hercules have the most repeat value for me.

The film’s major female character is Megara, a sarcastic and cynical young woman voiced by Susan Egan.  Meg’s wisecracks and flirtations with Hercules make her vastly different from the quiet, blushing princesses of Disney films past.  She’s got a tough exterior but a vulnerability inside, something a lot of women can no doubt relate to.  Plus she has great hair.

Another character who makes Hercules great is the villain, Hades.  Disney villains usually have a sliver of a sense of humor (except for the evil Judge Frollo), but the voice of James Woods brings a new comedy to this film’s villain.  I hate to say it, but I really like Hades.  I still root for Hercules to defeat him, but I enjoy watching the bitter king of the underworld crack jokes and get angry.  Who wouldn’t laugh at his desperate questioning, “Is my hair out?” when the blue flame atop his head is extinguished?

Hercules has a very distinctive visual style.  The Greek key design is incorporated into various aspects of the animation, from the architecture to the clothing to the shape of Hercules’ elbows and knees.  It’s this amusing attention to detail which makes me love the film so much.

Review: Brave

Disney/Pixar finally has a female protagonist.  It’s taken 13 movies, but the studio finally applied its gorgeous animation and deep themes to a female-centered film.  My review of Brave, in theaters today, will undoubtedly be influenced by my recent examination of the Disney Renaissance, a period of animation which impacted an entire generation of young women with its crop of diverse and inspiring princesses.  Add Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) to that list.

I went to a first-run cineplex today for the first time in ages.  I went in the late morning to get a discount (I’ll spare you my complaints about movie prices.), and I was pleased to see the theater packed with viewers of all ages.  Leave it to Pixar to attract a wide range of audience members on opening day.  It will no doubt be number one at the box office this weekend, which will be a nice change of pace after the box office successes which have dominated the summer so far.

Brave focuses on a Scottish princess named Merida whose mother (voice of Emma Thompson) expects her to behave like a lady and fulfill her royal duties.  Merida would rather practice her archery and ride her horse through the woods.  It’s a classic concept which is given new life through a refreshing setting and a one-of-a-kind heroine.  Merida’s wild, fiery hair matches her personality.  She’s a bold, free-spirited young woman.  This describes many of the Disney princesses of the 1990s, but what makes Merida different is her utter independence.  The film’s plot starts moving when it is announced that three suitors will vie for Merida’s hand in marriage, a prospect Merida fights vehemently.  The extremes to which she goes in order to avoid sacrificing her independence turn chaotic, and it’s up to her to fix things with bravery and compassion.  In the process, Merida gains a better relationship with her family, her homeland, and her own spirit, something that’s a lot more relatable and inspiring for modern young women than the search for a handsome prince.

Brave features stunning computer animation, no surprise coming from the revolutionary Pixar.  The Scottish landscapes are lush, green and sweeping.  Every detail down to the clouds is lovingly depicted through realistic, artistic animation.  Merida’s flaming red hair moves in haphazard curls with different textures and highlights.  Each hair seems to have a life of its own.  Her skin is creamy and tinged with pink, giving her character life.

The film includes sweeping  sequences in which the “camera” moves in convincing cinematic fashion.  Whether we follow the movement of an arrow hitting a target or the rapid pace of Merida’s horse as it gallops and leaps between trees and over logs, each shot is beautiful and meticulously crafted to look effortless.

The sound of the film is one of the most appealing things about it.  The film features a cast of Scottish accents which are music to an American’s ears.  I was excited to hear late night comedian Craig Ferguson’s voice as Lord Macintosh, and I loved Kelly Macdonald as the young heroine.  The movie’s music is also lovely.  There are various Scottish-style songs and instrumentals to set the tone.  Everything comes together to create a magical adventure.

I think Brave is a refreshing departure from Pixar’s usual style.  The film has a tone and look all its own (in addition to a new Disney princess) while still retaining that classic Disney/Pixar charm.