I remember her from that monster movie
Female characters who stick in your memory
Dragonslayer (1981): Recently, from out of the blue, I found myself thinking about a minor character from a film I saw 20 years ago – Elspeth (Chloe Salaman), the martyred princess from Dragonslayer.
Dragonslayer was a rare Disney-produced fantasy film in which it was established early on that good characters can die. The king of a medieval dragon-ravaged region keeps peace with the fire-breathing beast by offering it virgin sacrifices, chosen by lottery from among the villagers. Elspeth, the king’s daughter, learns that her name has been omitted from the drawing all these years, and that because of this she has earned the resentment of the people. To redress this injustice, she rigs the lottery, replacing all of the villager’s names with her own. It is this act which finally convinces the king to destroy the dragon rather than bargain with it, and he begs the protagonist (Peter MacNicol) to save his daughter.
You don’t see characters like Elspeth very often. Her serene certainty about what is right and fair is backed up by her actions. She is a picture of nobility amongst a rabble of self-serving characters, and she isn’t even the love interest of the story. (That position goes to a young woman who also avoided the lottery, but by cheating. She disguised herself as a boy her entire life.) Most surprisingly, the hero fails to save her, and the mob’s resentment of her past immunity keep them from appreciating her finer qualities until after her fate is sealed. Perhaps, after the events of the movie, they will look back on her with admiration, as I have.
Devilman II: Demon Bird (1990): Part two of this as-yet-uncompleted Devilman trilogy is an improvement over its predecessor, thanks to a truly fascinating villainess. The demonic Shirenu is a memorable character, and not just because she’s a naked woman with wings coming out of her head.
Some background: in the first Devilman story, it was revealed that humanity really does have a predator after all – a race of ancient demons that have been in suspended animation for centuries, but are beginning to reappear in ever-increasing numbers. To combat this menace, schoolboy Akira Fudo magically fuses himself with a demon to become the monster-destroying hybrid, Devilman.
After Devilman massacres dozens of demons, Shirenu arrives to put a stop to his rampage. This is no two-dimensional villain to be vanquished and forgotten – Shirenu is an incredibly dangerous and capable opponent, as well as being (oddly enough) quite human. Before engaging Devilman, Shirenu voices her own doubts about whether or not she can defeat him. (A refreshing change from demons who laugh and laugh while boasting of their invincibility and hurling insults at the hero.) Despite her doubts, circumstances force her hand. Devilman has declared war, and his goal is the utter extermination of Shirenu’s people. From her perspective, this cannot be allowed to happen. She’s fighting for the lives of everybody she knows.
The battle between Shirenu and Devilman takes up most of the second half of this 60-minute OAV (Original Animation Video), and what a battle it is. Shirenu employs actual strategy instead of doing the usual stupid-demon thing, and both combatants learn things over the course of the battle that tip the scales in their respective favours. Both parties are gravely injured, and when Shirenu finally dies, she does so with a look of triumph on her face, believing that she has rid the world of the genocidal Devilman.
Perhaps she has – the anticipated third chapter to the Devilman saga never materialized. Does this mean that Devilman died from his wounds? Perhaps Akira lost his ability to transform into Devilman, ending his demon-slaying career. Or, perhaps the artists behind this animé series knew that they could never find a worthier opponent for their hero than Shirenu, and quit while they were ahead. |
