WARNING: This Article May Contain Spoilers
I always thought that “Madonna” was a stage name that she had chosen. You know a little like Sting is actually Gordon Sumner or Elton John is Reginald Dwight. In Madonna’s case this is her actual first name and it seems she was named for her mother who was also Madonna Louise. I would never say I’m a “fan” of Madonna but I definitely wouldn’t skip her music if she came on but what’s interesting is that not only can she sing, and act reasonably well, Madonna can also play the drums and guitar!
A League of Their Own
So I originally wanted to use this film for my based on true stories sport article before I realised it’s not directly based on true events – more inspired by them. It makes me think a little bit about what it could have been like for women over here during the Second World War in terms of football as the premise of this film is that women create their own teams to fill in while the men are at war. The hardest part for me was the attitude of other women towards the idea of women playing sports, especially referring to it as gender confusion, but I guess that’s because of how much society has come along since the 1940s. Anyway, Madonna has much of an ancillary role in this film as truthfully the main focus is on Dotty. Her character of Mae probably would already be considered as “gender confused” as she drinks and smokes. She also almost forms part of a double act with Doris. I actually think Doris sums Mae’s character up in one sentence – “You think there are men in this country who ain’t seen your bosoms?”
Shanghai Surprise
I actually wondered if this was the film where Madonna and Sean Penn had met, sparking their relationship but they had already been married for a year prior to this! On first meeting of their characters, Gloria (played by Madonna) is disgusted by Penn’s character of Glendon Wasey but is reluctantly partnered with him to supposedly find a rickshaw driver. She adopts, I guess, what some people would consider a holier than thou attitude towards him from the outset. Having said that, I feel her attitude towards him changes following his encounter with China Doll as she seems rather jealous. Weirdly, I was expecting it to be Wasey that was looking for Farraday’s Flowers as a beneficial outcome of their search instead of it being the missionary’s and Gloria’s plan to do so as a form of painkiller. We get the feeling there is a lot more to Madonna’s character, the fact that she can pick a lock and picks Wasey’s pocket so easily but it never seems to truly be revealed. I also get the idea that she’s supposed to be quite a strong female character but there are times during the film that Madonna’s delivery falls slightly flat in that aspect.
Desperately Seeking Susan
OK, they do use Madonna’s “Into the Groove” in this film but it doesn’t count as Madonna doesn’t actually sing it herself as part of the film. I actually wondered if the “Susan” in question, played by Madonna herself, was supposed to be based on the director – Susan Seidelman. For all intents and purposes, this film basically starts off being about a bored housewife stalking a woman she doesn’t know, all because she’s been living vicariously through her wanted ads. This may be Madonna’s first starring role and Susan being the titular character but I would say Roberta is technically the main character of this film as it is mainly based around her and her own search for Susan in order to give her back a simple key. Because of this, Madonna’s role is smaller than that of Rosanna Arquette’s. Interestingly the two women don’t actually share any scenes together until right at the end of the film.
Honorary Mentions
It’s interesting to note that even though I have stated that Desperately Seeking Susan was Madonna’s first starring role – she also played the lead character of Bruna in A Certain Sacrifice in the same year. Now, the question is depending on when the films were released – which was her first starring role? Along with this, she starred in Who’s That Girl in the late 80s, Body of Evidence and Dangerous Game in the early 90s – a thriller and drama respectively, before moving on to romance films in the early 2000s with Swept Away and The Next Best Thing.
