The Greatest Show-Women
The Hugh Jackman renaissance is in full swing and one can only thank the newest Deadpool movie for that. It is in fact a wonderful sight to see the world be absolutely enamoured with this Aussie actor who must have been the people’s celebrity crush for some 25+ years. Hugh’s filmography spans several genres, he is not afraid to take a risk and on top of that he really just might be one of the nicest people ever. I sadly cannot say I’d know because I do not know Hugh Jackman personally but the overall parasocial energy that is in the room right now would agree that he might be perfect.
I have been finding myself rewatching his movies again which meant sooner or later I would be rewatching The Greatest Showman. Even if you never watched this absolute masterpiece I am certain you know one or two songs off by heart, simply because the world couldn’t get enough of it when the film first released in theatres. The songs are not what I will be analysing today but much rather the female performances that the movie offers us. Four characters in particular have tickled my fancy and I want to talk about them and the role they play not only in the movie but in society as well. We have the character of the loving wife, the young starlet with the voice of an angel, the young performer who has to fight to survive on multiple levels and the songbird that always gets misunderstood because she doesn’t fit the agenda.
Of course all of them function as side characters and Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron count on them for the continuation of the plot. The two actors lead the ensemble, they function as the glue and connect everyone’s stories but it is the women who effectively steal the show- with ease might I add.
We are dealing with a male protagonist but I would argue that The Greatest Showman is an incredibly female centred motion picture.
One doesn’t always have the pleasure of seeing a good set of female characters in movies. Hollywood doesn’t like banking on women and their stories but the movie just somewhat used Barnum’s story to further women’s stories.
The Wife:
Charity is pictured as incredibly supportive, caring, forthcoming and having as much patience as one could effectively possess. She is one of the main reasons why P.T. Barnum even considers taking the leap and opening the circus because he knows he has got a support system at home that would still cheer him on even if he failed. The pair has had different upbringings. It is quite ironic that she is named Charity since her father gives the love of her life the impression that he is in fact nothing else but charity and someone who has no place in the world that her family is actually a part of. She defied her parents when they wouldn’t let her see him or even acknowledge his presence as a poor boy. Choosing love over a comfortable lifestyle makes her the perfect wife but not ‚perfect‘ in the sense of doing everything her husband tells her but much rather knowing her worth and protecting her peace when necessary. The minute Barnum doesn’t view her as an equal or gives her the impression that he doesn’t care for family but would much rather travel around the world with a circus or even worse a young beautiful woman she sets an ultimatum. Usually the character of the wife is only ever an accessory to the husband but Charity does indeed have more agency than that because she gave it to herself. A sensationally interesting character who doesn’t stay where she feels like she isn’t welcomed. She doesn’t want to stay in a marriage that doesn’t serve her or her children right. Barnum should change his ways and if he isn’t doing it for himself then it should be for his daughters who look up to him.
The Starlet:
Off we go to the next female character deserving of further analysis- the young, maybe impressionable, Jenny Lind with the voice of an angel. She appears like a vision straight out of a dream, moving elegantly and making you fall in love with just a quick glance. The Swedish Nightingale has a ‚go getter‘ attitude and knows what she wants. It appears that she always gets what she so desires so naturally as she develops feelings for a married man due to having spent nearly every waking minute with him she finds herself making a move. Barnum does not feel the same way even though it does feel like he was harbouring feelings for her too but the thing about Barnum is, he loves Showbusiness more than he would like to admit. One could now label her as the villain of the story, trying to come between a family, trying to destroy people’s lives because she fell in love. I wouldn’t put it quite like that though. To me she is merely a young and impressionable woman that felt safe in the presence of a showman who helped her gain international stardom. A young woman being incredibly successful and having the autonomy to be a part of the show business was a special thing to witness. Not many could speak of a career, much less had the means to provide for themselves. She might have just been misunderstood, having forgotten that he had a family and life that didn’t include her simply because he forgot that too. Now I do not want to deny that what she tried to do wasn’t wrong but I feel like one needs to look further into the man who she developed feelings for. He invited her to have feelings, he made her feel like the only woman in the world but both had different ideas of that. She saw a future and he saw a business idea.
The Young Performer:
Next up is most probably the saddest plot point in the whole movie. A young black trapeze artist falls in love with a white man and their romance is shunned by society. We are looking at a forbidden romance, that was sadly not a one time thing in the 19th century. People look at her funny when she walks the streets, they disregard her talent because of the way she looks and they do not approve of her relationship with Phillip Carlyle, a white man. Let’s just call it what it is: Racism. This young woman is trying her best to go unnoticed on a daily basis not because she feels inadequate but because she is tired of the racist assumptions that are thrown her way. She is a victim of discrimination but her love Phillip doesn’t seem to understand the severity of the situation. He cannot put himself in her shoes, he simply does not know what it is like being shunned simply because he is a rich white American man. In a way Anne develops an artist persona whenever she performs at the circus. A bright pink wig accompanied with a strikingly purple costume is her way of putting herself out there and showing the world she is not afraid to be seen in a place deemed safe to her. Whenever she’s performing on the trapeze she appears self confident, sensationally outer worldly and strong in every sense of the word. We are dealing with a young woman working hard for her money but being paid dust by society, which shows her incredible perseverance. Anne Wheeler didn’t exist in real life but the challenges women of colour had to face back then and even today, are very much real. Adding her character to the movie adds another layer of importance to it.
The Songbird:
Another woman shunned by society because she doesn’t fit in is Lettie Lutz. A songbird with the power to make you cry within seconds. She is a victim of prejudice, considered ugly and yet she is singular. With the voice of an angel she finds herself into your heart. She is loyal, kind hearted and holds a fire in her soul that is ready to burst. Her song „This Is Me“ tells the audience that Lettie and her troupe are tired of living like this and that the outside world should get used to them inhabiting the space that they are allowed to take up. The time to hide away, and be ashamed of what was essentially just what made all of them unique, was up. The song serves as an anthem on and off screen. “Look out ‘cause here I come//I’m marching to the beat I drum.” The sequence is one of the most glorious in the film and I applaud everyone who was a part of it. Even seven years later this song has everyone and their mother in a chokehold. The characters now know what they deserve and that there is nothing they’re not worthy of. Lettie realises she has agency and doesn’t need to hide away anymore. The circus and her troupe gave her the last push she needed. She finally has a support system and didn’t need to earn them seeing her as human because she never needed to earn her right to exist.
What is interesting is that all of Barnum’s actions stem from what the women in his life will think about them and their outcome. He is surrounded by immense female energy and without the women in his life he wouldn’t be able to develop his character the way he did in the end. A narcissistic man like him being ‚saved‘ by the glorious and singular women in his life.
The Greatest Showman serves as a vessel to let everyone know their existence isn’t anything that should be disputed. An ‚everything is possible‘ attitude is given to everyone who watches the cinematic spectacle. But it was especially girls who left the theatre knowing they could accomplish anything thanks to the extraordinary female characters the movie presented them with. Just like Jenny Lind they will make mistakes but that doesn’t take away from the fact they can be successful go getters. Maybe they are seen as weak but just like Charity they can speak up and let themselves be heard. Anne serves as a reminder that they’re adequate no matter what someone else might say or think. She gives girls and women hope that they can accomplish anything. Lettie makes us remember we are not what other people suspect we are, to not fall for a prejudice and to keep on marching to our own beat no matter how loud someone else’s song might be.
We are unique and singular and that is a good thing.