Topic of the rape in the film Thelma and Louise

The topic of the Viol is omnipresent in American film of Ridley Scott carried out in 1991 and entitled '' Thelma & Louise ''. The scene of the rape (or the assault with intent to commit rape) of Thelma and of the murder of its attacker by Louise is the fundamental sequence on which all the Trame rests film since it transforms a simple stay in the mountains into a track race through the the United States. This topic is also a characteristic of the character of Louise and is evoked from the levelling point of view throughout film.

The character of Louise

The rape is a characteristic of the character of Louise. Vis-a-vis the attacker and right after the murder, the reactions of Louise seem excessive, too violent. She is in a state of strong nervousness before killing the rapist and later decides to flee with the Mexico by avoiding Texas obstinately. These so excessive reactions are included/understood when, later, it will be learned that she itself was probably violated. Ridley Scott explains to have made the behavior of Louise excessive at the time of this sequence, and makes him say the strange sentence “Pay attention so that you say, small” with Harlan after having cut down it, in order to give a first Indice “heavy Secret” which characterizes this character.

This “heavy secrecy” will never entirely be revealed. There it could have had to describe in many ways what had arrived to him at Texas, like the use of a flashback or a Dialog during which Louise tells what arrived to him, but its silence has any only more to be able. It makes it possible in particular film to suggest that any form of sexual exploitation, that she is large or small, can involve consequences and damage. The fact of maintaining this secrecy is also contrary with conventions of usual style of the large-public productions. All “film televised of the month on the rape” would approach by hystericals revelations the true nature of the abuse, especially if it is of collective rapes or incestes sudden during long years, in order to rebalance the moral balance. The film seems on the contrary to take the party to evoke more subtly the Traumatisme in the long run of the rape through the character of Louise.

Only one another person knows nevertheless the secrecy of Louise: the inspector Hall Slacombe. At the time of the last phone call, Hal says to him: “I know what you flee. I know what it occurred to Texas. ”. Louise remains without voice, bends, loses insurance, like so at this moment, she considered the possibility that the Loi can finally protect it and to include/understand it. Thelma, feeling the doubts of his/her friend, worries then owing to the fact that it can go and explains to him that it could not itself go into reverse. Louise answers him that it includes/understands it, and adds “One will not finish in a tele emission with the idiot” . This counterpart is not entirely faithful to the original version which is “One will not finish in the foutu Geraldo Show. ” which was a American television program dissecting and ardently discussing female pleasures for to finally imposing a Sanction them moral and social. Louise then is definitively convinced to continue the mare, by taking again conscience of what will arrive to them if they turn over in the company. The hostility of the law in their connection, and with regard to the women in general, besides is confirmed by the fact that this phone call is that which made it possible to locate them.

The scene of the explosion of the Camion-citerne is also an important component for the character of Louise. This sequence was modified by Susan Sarandon in order to make it more realistic for its character. In the original screenplay, it was expected that the two women destroy the truck following the refusal of the truck-driver to excuse itself, then dance around the flames as if it were a bonfire. Sarandon estimated that at this stage of the history, Louise wanted to seek to include/understand what motivates certain men to make sexual violences. It lengthened the dialog between the three characters to make it possible Louise to obtain (in vain) an answer to its interrogations:

Louise, calmly: “Has what that rhyme to treat unknown factors in this way? You would say what if somebody did that with your mother,… to your sister… or your wife? ”

the truck-driver: “About what do you speak? ”

Louise: “You know perfectly what I speak. ”

Thelma: “Frankly this trick with your language. It is what, hein? It is disgusting. ”

Louise: “And to show finger your crotch. Does Ca want to say what, with the Juste? do you Stop, come to see which large pig I am? ”

Thelma: “Or then does that want to say sucks to me ? ”

Exploration of the topic of the rape by film

In addition to being a characteristic of the character of Louise, the rape is also a recurrent theme in film.

The rape made by a knowledge

In Thelma & Louise , the history takes a turning different by the sequence from the rape of Thelma. Ridley Scott specifies that it is about a “ rape made by a knowledge ”, i.e. rape more running since it on the occasion to make knowledge with Harlan in the Saloon.

The rape and justice

The film takes then the party to evoke the difficult access to justice for the victims of rape , by establishing various ways in what the Loi does not protect the women and is, essentially, unjust compared to their experiment.

The responsibility for the rapist and blame of the victim

The film initially sticks to insist on the responsibility for the rapist whereas the Société and the Justice tend to be delayed more on the Personnalité of the Victime, the fact that she “sought it” and its possible provocation of the rapist. Lena, the waitress of the Saloon, plays a big role in this direction. She initially asks Harlan not to annoy her customers. Then, during the dialog with the inspector, she declares “I always knew that Harlan Puckett would finish truffle on a carpark. Ca astonishes me that it held so a long time. ” . When Hal requires which person of him could have made the murder, she answers “You saw his wife? I hope that it is it.” , and “I would say, one of his iron ores or the husband of one of his iron ores. ” . She insists finally on the innocence of two heroins. The personality of Harlan is also highlighted in its interaction with Louise right before it cuts down it, where he refuses to recognize the gravity of his act “One nothing but did have fun. ” . Even threatened by a revolver, there remains arrogant and shows clearly that he wants to rape Thelma or any other woman if he could it.

Parallel to the responsibility for the rapist, the film insists on the innocence of Thelma through the description of the phenomenon of the blames victim . When the two women, still under the shock, are sat at table in a service station right after having flees the places of the crime, engages the following dialog:

Thelma: “I will tell you a trick… Hello holidays! Really I burst myself, it is the foot. ”

Louise: “If you a little less sought to burst you, one would not be there. ”

Thelma: “What do you want to say? ”

Louise: “Closes, it is to it all, Thelma. ”

Thelma: “It is of my fault, it is that? ”

Louise does not answer. She rectifies the head abruptly and looks at it fixedly, with an additional nervousness, then lowers the head, pretense to think of its remarks. It becomes aware of its error and, perhaps because it itself underwent it before, does not want to impose the Blâme on his/her friend. This will is supported by the exchange between heroins during the final continuation, where Thelma, panicked, said “All that it is my fault. ” and Louise answer “Good blood, Thelma, you did not understand yet that it is not your fault! ” .

Unsuited justice

The film evokes then the incapacity of the legal system to protect the victims of sexual violence, being given its rules relative in particular to the proof of the rape . In the car fleeing the carpark where the murder took place, Thelma requires: “One should not go in the cops? Is necessary to prevent the police force. ”

Louise: “And to say what to them? You want to say what to them? ”

Thelma: “Simply what it passed. ”

Louise: “Which part? ”

Thelma: “All. That it was violating me. ”

Louise: “There are 100 pilot which saw you stuck to him all the evening. Who will believe that? The world is not also simple. ”

This question is specified by the dialog between the two women right before Thelma calls her husband for the second time and that Louise announces to him that it is probably on listening:

Thelma: “On listening? Why you say that? ”

Louise: “Let us see Thelma, murder and flight with weapons? ”

Thelma: “And the self-defense? ”

Louise: “You speak, one from went away. ”

Thelma: “Yes, but they do not know anything of it. I will say that he violated me and that you had to kill it. It is almost the truth. ”

Louise: “Ca will not go. ”

Thelma: “Why? ”

Louise: “There are not a Preuve. One cannot prove that it touched you. In any event, it is too late. ”

Thelma: “Isn't justice, it tart, hein? ”

These problems return third once, in the mouth of Thelma become Hors-la-loi and having definitively lost its naivety:

“Nobody would believe us, one would have had problems. Our lives would have been rotten. And you know what moreover? This type showed me. Without you that would have been quite worse. And it of it would be drawn since one had seen us dancing. They would have said that I had lit it. And my life would have been quite worse than than it is now. There at least, I burst myself. And I do not regret that this bastard died. I regret just that you killed it and not me. ”

The patriarchal order

In addition to denouncing the faults of the legal system as regards judgment of the authors of sexual violence, the film also tackles the question of the modes even more hostile with regard to the women. Just after the murder, Louise wants to flee towards the Mexico while refusing to pass towards the Texas, which obliges the two women to circumvent this State by the Northern and to strongly lengthen the route. She explains her decision later: “When one exploded a guy the pants on the ankles, believe me, better is worth not to be made stop in Texas” . Texas appears as the extreme version of the law which they fuyent. It is besides in this State that Louise learned how to draw with the Revolver. Texas is also one of the States more preserving and is equipped with the hardest laws. Texas is not only the place where one should not be stopped after having killed a man the pants on the knees, it also incarnates that of the patriarchal order and masculine, the law of the father, the law of the Nation and the law of the men, it with what Thelma and Louise want definitively to withdraw themselves.

The silence of the victims of rape

Vis-a-vis an unsuited legal system and by fear of the social judgment, good number of victims of rape are keep silent. The film approaches this phenomenon by the silence of Louise on what arrived to him at Texas. When Thelma asks to him whether it is that which she lived in Texas, Louise stops the car and says to him with a certain aggressiveness that she does not want to speak about it and that she will never speak about it.

Rape or assault with intent to commit rape?

The Qualification of the act made by Harlan on Thelma like rape or assault with intent to commit rape is abundantly discussed by the commentators of film. The rape implies a penetration, which it is not allowed to show in a film general public.

Certain detractors of film, in particular those which rejètent it because of the violent behavior of heroins, consider that it is not absolutely necessary of a assault with intent to commit rape in order to minimize the act of Harlan and to insist on the responsibility for Thelma. Certain feminists insist on the contrary on the gravity of the act made by describing it as rape . Thelma says itself that the attacker “was violating” lorqu' it proposes in Louise to go to the police force at the time when they fuyent the places of the crime.

Other feminists consider that it is however well about a assault with intent to commit rape because it would be unrealistic that a woman having undergone the Traumatisme of a rape, wants of a sexual relationship with the first hitch-hiker come a few hours only after the aggression. It with what the first answer that it would be undoubtedly the case in normal circumstances, but in the Thelma film reaches in addition the emancipation and freedom. The access to freedom is erotic.

See too

Card of the film Thelma and Louise
Topic of the emancipation in the film Thelma and Louise

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