Feminist reflection and social abjection through film acting: The case of Shelley Duvall and Sissy Spacek in 3 Women (Altman, 1977)

Abstract

The actresses Shelley Duvall – as Millie – and Sissy Spacek – as Pinky – contribute with their acting to the concluding feminist reflection of the film 3 Women (Robert Altman, 1977). Using the star studies’ methodology, this paper analyzes the acting of these actresses to determine how they build characters who become aware of their social abjection, with an explicit criticism of patriarchal society. We also analyze how these specific characters relate to the star image and the star persona of these actresses. Abjection linked to terror defines their careers: Spacek embodied this a year earlier in Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976), a film that would win her fame and international recognition, while Duvall would carry it to its highest level in The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980), after which her public image came to be defined by this concept. Likewise, we study the different character of the control and autonomy that these two actresses have experienced with respect to this image created in their work and in the media.

KEYWORDS: 3 Women, star studies, Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek, abjection, feminist reflection.