A Comparison of Femininity in "Mildred Pierce" and "Gentleman Prefer Blondes"

Do Gentlemen Prefer Mildred? The male- female dynamic permeates nearly all examples of classical Hollywood cinema. The goal of the protagonist, who is most often a man, is to conquer both his private and personal objectives, in order to achieve his ultimate goal, which is to get the girl in the end. Many a rainy afternoons' entertainment was based on this simple, prolific and highly successful formula. As is often the case with any form …

…At the end of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", Dorothy also abandons her sexual independence, which was perhaps her most honourable quality, when she marries Ernie Malone. Both films were a slave to the classical Hollywood system, which advocated that closure was more important than challenging the audience. But despite this fact, both films presented female characters that were a departure from the traditional stereotypes, while criticizing passive females attributes, and for this they should be commended.