Feminist film theorist Claire Johnston was one of the first theorists who studied feminism in film. In her 1973 article ‘Women’s Cinema as Counter-cinema’ she concluded that women had been stereotyped into film and argues for a cinema which challenges such narrow conventions. She also explains how women are seen as an extension of the male view:

“Despite the enormous emphasis placed on women as spectacle in the cinema. woman as woman is largely absent”

This shows that she believes film as an art form, lacks true female representation. Therefore this supports my idea that females were not represented accurately in film. However, she focuses specifically on the idea of stereotyping women during early film and ever since the silent era

She describes how the work of female directors Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino subverts the patriarchal viewpoint. Both directors were some of the most renowned of their time, shooting silent films during the early 1920’s and 50’s respectively. At a time where males dominated the film industry, these women also served as strong female representation as well as avoiding patriarchy within their films.