Women in the Movies: Quick Glance at AFI's Top 100 List

1 CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2 GODFATHER, THE (1972)
3 CASABLANCA (1942)
4 RAGING BULL (1980)
5 SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
6 GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
7 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
8 SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
9 VERTIGO (1958)
10 WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939)
11 CITY LIGHTS (1931)
12 SEARCHERS, THE (1956)
13 STAR WARS (1977)
14 PSYCHO (1960)
15 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
16 SUNSET BLVD. (1950)
17 GRADUATE, THE (1967)
18 GENERAL, THE (1927)
19 ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
20 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)

So I read the Hollywood to Women: Drop Dead post over on Indiewire. In it, it links to the recent studies about the low number of women behind the camera, on the screen and reviewing/critiquing films.

It got me to thinking. We've got a 100 years of film behind us, what has AFI chosen as the 20 best American films as of 2007. Surely, there's got to be some strong feminine energy--can you tell I used to write poetry--on that list.

Here's just some cursory observations:

Excluding Gone With the Wind and Wizard of Oz, all the films on the list revolve around the journey of a central male character. Consequently, both films are based on bestsellers.

Star Wars features the only female character whose actions are catastrophically essential to the plot. Princess Leia doesn't help steal the plans, Luke never meets Obi-Wan, learns about the force or leaves Tatooine and the Death Star is never destroyed.

Maybe I missed a named somewhere, but Betty Comden, as a writer on Singin' is the only above line name who isn't an actress. There's not another female director, writer, or producer to be found on the list. Hopefully, I'm wrong on this one and I just missed somebody.