Thelma & Louise

Director: Ridley Scott

Writer: Callie Khouri

Release Date: 12 July 1991 (UK)

Genre: Adventure/ Crime/ Drama/ Thriller

Producers: Mimi Polk, Callie Khouri (co-producer), Dean O'Brien (co-producer), Ridley Scott (producer)

Production Companies: MGM, Pathé Entertainment, Percy Main, Star Partners III Ltd. (in association with)
Distributors: MGM, NBC, Alamode Film, Chapel Distribution, Columbus Film,
Tobis Filmkunst, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Argentina Video Home, Columbia Home Video, MGM Home Entertainment, MGM/UA Home Entertainment, United International Pictures, Warner Home Video

User Comment:
********** - Steve (ruth.boaz)

"It is clever, exciting, and funny and is shot in the middle of the breathtaking scenery of the American Southwest. However, the thing that makes it special is its illustration of pure friendship."

User Ratings:

Males- 7.2

Females-7.7

Under 18- 7.3

Males Under 18- 7.8

Females Under 18- 6.2

Aged 18-29 - 7.3

Males 18- 29 - 7.3

Females 18-29 - 7.8

The Film:

Thelma & Louise is set in Colorado, America. The country music and landscape are cultural signifiers. The two characters are very different from one another; this is evident from the first few minutes of the film. Louise has a job and is dressed smartly; Thelma on the other hand has messy hair and is quite scatty. She is less independent that Louise and is controlled by her vein, conceited and cheating husband.

At the beginning of the scene we looked at, Thelma & Louise are in a well lit bar with lots of people- this is quite a safe environment. However, it then cuts to the car park- a generic location for a Thriller; the mise en scene is dark and the car park is deserted. The only people in it are Thelma, who is drunk and unstable and the man she had been dancing with. The "friendly" man automatically creates suspicion and this is proved when he turns violent and tries to rape her. Louise steps in to help- acting as the hero character of the film; reiterating the contrast between the two. Louise is like the male figure; she carries a gun which is commonly thought to be a male weapon.

Their characters personalities are reflected through their costumes also: Thelma wears girly, feminine clothing. Whereas Louise wears more masculine things; her clothes suggest that she is stronger than Thelma, her behaviour seems to be similar to the male also. She shoots Harlem, which is a very irrational reaction: a reaction that is more likely to come from a man as they are recognised to be more irrational than women.

The roads they drive on are dark, wet and seem to be enclosing in on them; a generic feature of the Thriller genre. The light is broken up, suggesting that their lives have been broken up- now that they are on the run. They are surrounded by huge trucks which are male signifiers; their small car is vulnerable compared and it sort of personifies them. This also suggests that there is a male vs. female theme to the film.

Ridley Scott seems to be representing the midwestern males as misogynists throughout the film. For example: Daryl (Thelma's husband) and Harlem (Rapist) The attitude of men in the era that the film is set is that a woman's role is to gratify and serve men; the quote "we don't live in that kind of world Thelma" backs this. Scott turns this on it's head by using two women as main characters- this is quite uncommon and adds a twist to the Thriller genre.