Female Film Historians Distort Film History as Good as Guys

So you want to discuss silent drama, science fiction, horror, noir, mystery and other NON-COMEDY films? Look no further, this is the place.
Richard M Roberts
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Female Film Historians Distort Film History as Good as Guys

Postby Richard M Roberts » Tue Nov 03, 2015 8:15 am

Boy, I’m so glad the month of October is done on TCM so we can stop seeing those “Trailblazing Women Filmmakers” promos. I was getting really tired of hearing Cari Beauchamp saying that there were more women working in silent films before 1920 because “it wasn’t looked upon as a business” like, it was what Cari, a hobby? A Coffee klatch? An ice cream social picnic? The movie business was a business from the moment someone got paid an admission to see one, it never was, has been, nor ever will be, anything else.

And just when did we start referring to Alice Guy Blanche’ as just plain ol’ Alice Guy? What sort of feminist revisionist film history bullshit is this? Sorry folks, she married Herbert Blanche’ in 1907, and anytime she was actually billed as the Director of her films, it was as Alice Guy Blanche’. Is this more silliness like pretending Phillips Smalley didn’t exist when we talk about Lois Weber? Both Herbert Blanche’ and Phillips
Smalley were as important to the movie business and their respective spouses careers as their respective spouses were, and as a lifetime supporter of equal rights and a film historian, I say it is bad distorting of film history to belittle their accomplishments in attempts to promote these pioneering female filmmakers, it does them no favors. The Movie “Business” is a collaborative one, nobody does it alone. Period.

So what’s next: Mabel Normand was a pioneering and talented film auteur who worked and sorta had a relationship with some Canadian clown, can’t quite remember his name.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

William Ferry
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Re: Female Film Historians Distort Film History as Good as G

Postby William Ferry » Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:59 pm

But what was Molly Haskell's take on all this?
(getting ready to duck)

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Female Film Historians Distort Film History as Good as G

Postby Richard M Roberts » Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:56 pm

William Ferry wrote:But what was Molly Haskell's take on all this?
(getting ready to duck)



No idea, I've never paid any attention to either her or her husband's opinions.

However, I did find great irony as TCM seemed to indicate a sort of passing of the baton from Directors like Alice Guy Blanche' and Lois Weber to the likes of Amy Heckerling and Penelope Spheeris, it seems women can make crap films today just as well as guys too.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Gary Johnson
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Re: Female Film Historians Distort Film History as Good as G

Postby Gary Johnson » Thu Nov 12, 2015 10:17 am

Their heyday was the 80's. Has either gal even made a film recently?


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