In the last 15 years there has been a backlash from within the movie industry of the manic-pixie-dreamgirl (MPDG) trope. Coined by critic Nathan Rabin in his review of the 2004 film ELIZABETHTOWN starring Kirsten Dunst, he writes:
“[the MPDG is] that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.”
The whimsical women of films like 500 DAYS OF SUMMER and GARDEN STATE similarly function as a cypher — mysterious and alluring to the men enamored with them but ultimately built for the service of telling men’s stories.
The 1962 film JULES AND JIM hinges on Catherine, played by Jeanne Moreau, who, on the surface looks like a prototype for the characters mentioned above.
Catherine is the object of desire for not one but two men, the titular Jules and Jim. Catherine is spontaneous and carefree, young and ethereal. Moreau’s striking looks makes the viewer bask in her beauty just like the men in the film.
But JULES AND JIM is a critique of the shallow treatment of women, not an indulgence of it like the films that come after.
When Catherine’s bubbling discontent rises to the surface, Jules and Jim think they have a solution: They will share her. But they do not understand her at all. Unlike them, she is not driven by romantic idealism. Love will not temper her restlessness.
Catherine’s refusal to fit neatly into their plans makes for a progressive narrative — one more willing to give a woman agency than some films today.
— Diana Martinez, Film Streams Education Director
