Charlies Angles.

In the movie Charlie's Angels based on a popular 70's television program, the director of the film, McG, introduces audiences to three "very different little girls". These Ð''little girls' who grew up to be "three very different women" go by the names of Natalie Cook Dylan Sanders and Alex Munday The Angels, who work for the mysterious Charlie and who are assisted by John Bosley are sexy, powerful, intelligent and independent women unlike their male counterparts who are presented as weak, naive, comical and idiotic individuals. The difference in gender is very evident when you look at the fact that the creators of Charlie's Angels have chosen to present males and females in a particular way.

All throughout the film Charlie's Angels and especially during the racing sequence women are portrayed as being sexy, intelligent, powerful and deceptive. They show confidence and independence while still remaining beautiful and seductive. To achieve this portrayal of the angels, the director uses different techniques to enhance the status of the woman. These include the mise en scene which involves the set, props, lighting and costumes. In the racing sequence the set is made up of the race track and the streets and the props include the cars, their suits, tools, drills, rags, helmets, their hair, headpieces, street cars, gloves and glasses to name a few. Lighting is also a big tool used in making the woman look powerful. With the use of natural light which is sunny and bright, the angels come across as very seductive and dreamy. Costumes also play a huge role in the portrayal of woman during the racing sequence with the women wearing very revealing racing suits, wigs and helmets. All throughout the film the woman are shown as being classy and sophisticated as well as powerful and sexy. For instance, when Charlie says "they have three things in common: they're brilliant, they're beautiful and they work for me" it is evident that the angels are very strong woman who are always in charge of a situation. It is obvious that the angels are very athletic and fearless woman who know how to put up a fight. This is made very clear when Dylan says "and that's kicking you ass" after she beats up a bunch of guys with her hands tied behind her back. This just goes to show that the angels are very courageous and strong willed individuals who always have the upper hand and are able to intimidate their competitors. We can safely assume that the angels are also portrayed as very intelligent and intellectual woman. This is very clear when Alex and Jason are discussing Jason's script when Jason says in correlation to diffusing bombs, "Why wouldn't I just yank the wire?" and Alex replies with "No honey, the real mechanism is inside encased in a titanium shell, if you trip the external feedback circuit the bomb will detonate." This quote just goes to show that the angels are very knowledgeable about many things and have very extensive general knowledge. All throughout the movie Charlie's Angels, it is evident that a variation and mixture of techniques including lighting and costumes as well as quotes, all add up to help portray woman as being very sexy, intelligent, and powerful human beings.

Everywhere that you look in Charlie's Angels, men are depicted as submissive, powerless and weak individuals. They are shown as being very clumsy and gullible people who come across as quite idiotic. To make sure that this portrayal of the men is very evident and clear to the audience, the director uses different techniques including (much like for the portrayal of females) the set, props, lighting and costumes. The set and the lighting are the same as for the females but there are some definite differences in the mise en scene including props which include Corwin's black car, the race cars, the thin man's lock of hair, the score boards and the drink in Corwin's hand. The costumes that are worn by the men in the racing sequence include the chauffeur's suit, the racing suits, and Bosley's white cowboy hat and sun glasses. Considering the actions of the men and props used, males appear to be very uneducated and competitive people who are always out to impress. This is clearly portrayed when Bosley is in the Red Star racing car and he says "It's nice. I like what you've done with it. Our's has got bigger mirrors." This clearly just goes to show that the men are very clueless and unknowledgeable people who try to make themselves look big but usually end up making themselves look like complete idiots. In addition to this, the men are also portrayed as extremely unintelligent and idiotic. For instance, when Bosley is talking to a bird and he says "and I had a long talk with a squirrel one time, longer in fact then I can talk to most people", it is made very obvious to the audience that compared to the women, the men are very foolish and clearly display stupidity. Furthermore, the men are constantly portrayed as being excessively naive and clueless as well as very weak. This is shown when Jason (Alex's boyfriend) asks Alex "so when do I get to meet this Charlie?" And Alex says "well, Charlie's not a very social person" and Jason replies with "but Charlie's a chick right? I mean she's definitely a woman?" From this we see that the men in Charlie's Angels are very predictable while needing constant reassurance showing that the women always have the upper hand. With the help of different techniques like costumes, quotes, props and their actions, it is clear that the men of Charlie's Angels are portrayed as being very weak, submissive and naive individuals who are of a very low status in comparison the women.

In nearly every aspect of the film Charlie's Angels, the gender roles of males and females are constantly being communicated to the audience. The females in Charlie's Angels are portrayed as confident, independent, brave, and intelligent women who have sexual power over men but on the other hand, males are portrayed as being submissive, weak, clueless, idiotic, gullible and naive men who have little or no power. These gender roles are expressed to the audience with the use of the actor's actions. Throughout the film, the actions of the women show them as being strong and powerful women who are seductive and flirtatious. Some of these actions include Natalie seducing Roger Corwin by smiling at him and flopping her gloves around, Dylan giggling at the chauffeur and Natalie stroking Corwin's chin when she says goodbye to him, but at the same time, the actions of the men (which make them appear weak and stupid) include Bosley falling off of the beach chair and also when he tries to light the fire at