Customer Reviews

Movie-Struck Girls

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Early History of Women *And* Film (Not "In" Film)

Every so often, we women complain about women in the media. When it comes to movies, we complain about the diminished roles for maturing women; we complain about the way women are portrayed in films; we complain about the history of films, most notably The Hollywood Code which seemed to destroy & limit our potential as women in film -- on both sides of the camera. But long before all that, in the very beginning, it was even worse.

In 'Movie-Struck Girls: Women & Motion Picture Culture After the Nickelodeon', by Shelley Stamp, we learn more than just the roles of women in films or behind the camera -- we learn about women's role as patrons of cinema.

The book is an eye-opening look at a long ignored part of American film history -- and an astonishing look at the history of women as media consumers.

Stamp spent over ten years researching for this book. She studied trade journals, fan magazines, ephemera, and many official documents and records at the National Board of Censorship Archives in New York City, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Margaret Herrick Library in Los Angeles, & the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Many of the films she reviewed are no longer readily available, let alone circulating, but can be found at the Library of Congress & the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

It sounds like a huge undertaking, & I thank her for it. 'Movie-Struck Girls' presents a wealth of information that I had never known before.

In 'Movie-Struck Girls' you learn all about these long-hidden details of American film history & it's collision with turn of the century American values -- including titles, studios, stars, organizations, & political figures. For a person who adore film & is a passionate feminist, this is a great read. Why it's as thrilling as those old adventure serial films!

Stamp does a great job of presenting this long ignored part of film -- and women's -- history. It's definitely an academic read, which means it is meaty enough for those who want to further search for clues, artifacts & films themselves. It may not read like a novel, but it's so fascinating & full of details, it won't disappoint. Fans of film, especially silent films, cannot call themselves educated in the subject unless they know this history. And women, well, we start to see a much larger image emerge -- our complaints regarding women in the media have much deeper roots than we previously knew.

(Condensed Review)