Customer Reviews

Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?: The Truth About Female Power in Hollywood

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is wonderfully refreshing (and about damn time) to learn in depth about women's experiences in Hollywood business. The author writes as candidly as she can, considering the women she included are still alive (Dawn Steel aside) and desirous of keeping their Hollywood careers going (i.e. there is a political cautiousness throughout, as men still do rule the Hollywood roost and offending them would not help any of these successful women's careers. Though the content is informative and enlightening, the choppiness of the books' overall structure is quite annoying, as is the way the author consistantly refers to people suddenly out of nowhere without explaining who they are and how they fit into the picture. Also irritating, is the chapter formation - they jump from woman to woman without any apparent rhyme or reason, cutting of the story of one to start the story of another and not returning to continue the story of the first until many chapters (and women) later - the result being that by the time you get to the pick up of a left off story, you've got to go back and refresh your memory on who she was and where her story left off! Though not the smoothest read ever, this book is definately a must read by anyone desirous of understanding just how male-driven, male-oriented, male-everything Hollywood is (as if that isn't already apparent in every film) and just how tight the keyhole is for women to squeeze through!

This book is an absolute delight. The actors interviewed are revealed as real flesh and blood people with unique insights to the film industry. The author is without a doubt a skilled and keenly perceptive journalist. This is one book that should be read by every aspiring actress and every studio executive.

What a wonderful read! My only regret is that I began to browse it over the weekend and then literally gobbled it down. I wish I had waited for a lazy summer day so I could have relished it slowly. I opened this book, which was a gift, skeptically as the subject matter is not my usual cup of tea. Then I couldn't put it down! Abramowitz must have conducted her interviews with exceptionally sensitivity to be able to give her stories such detailed drama and emotion. This is not gossip and this is not just for women. This is a must for anyone who wants to be a player in a very cutthroat world.

I read books on Eisner and Diller and even Mazursky, but this one really drew me in, from its opening at the funeral of Dawn Steel at Mount Sinai Cemetery in 1997 -- Dawn, the woman who headed Columbia Pictures, the woman who hung up on President Clinton when she was placed on hold by the White House. For the next 445 pages, it is a non stop enjoying read and history of women in Hollywood, women as agents, directors, producers, and actors. Stories of sexism, nude auditions, jealousy, rivalry, friendship, struggle, and POWER. It was refreshing to read about the rivalries. i especially enjoyed the profiles and background stories on Elaine Goldsmith, Polly Platt, Amy Herckerling, Elaine May, Joan Micklin Silver, Sue Mengers, Paula Weinstein, Nora Ephron, Dawn Steel, Amy Pascal, and Sherry Pascal.

I love movies almost as much as books and have long been concerned about the roles that women play both behind and in front of the camera. In Is That a Gun... Rachel Abramowitz provides a fascinating, intelligent look at the power dynamics in Hollywood and a deeply personal one at the women themselves.

Abramowitz spent seven years researching this book and it shows. She interviews women who have occupied various positions in Hollywood - from director to producer, agent, executive - about their lives and work. The women are very different from each other, but they were all among the first women to assume power in Hollywood and as such they have shared experiences. She often provides a background of the women, taking us through their early lives to their arrival in Hollywood - both literally and figuratively - and through their struggles and achievements. Often, along the way, much is revealed about how certain movies, such as Flashdance, Fatal Attraction, Forest Gump and more, were made and about actors, directors, studio heads and so on.

Abramowitz does not rely solely on the women's accounts. She interviews scores of tangential players - from directors to spouses, many famous in their own right, and so on - who corroborate stories and offer their own perspectives, sometimes unwittingly underscoring one of the major points of the book - that however much many of the women might want to deny that sexism affected them personally, they certainly weren't treated the same way that men were.

Many, many women are profiled in this book, so many that there were some that I wanted to learn more about. Others, most notably Dawn Steel and particularly Sherry Lansing, play a more prominent role - in fact, I'd say that Sherry appeared throughout with the most consistency. But a lack of 'page time' does not mean a lack of details, description or insight. Her interviews with Jodie Foster are stunning, especially as Jodie discusses her work on The Accused, Taxi Driver and directing Little Man Tate. And learning about Barbra Streisand's struggles to get her films made was surprising and illuminating. I simply wished there had been more because what was there was so fascinating and interesting.

Too much can be learned from this book to summarize here, and it is much more substantial than mere gossip even though it is sometimes just as fun. If you love movies and have ever questioned why 'chick flicks' meant for women are often totally sexist and completly insult your intelligence, this books helps point you in the direction of an answer. Yet beyond all of the information - and, yes, dirt - I was suprised to find out how human these women were, how unlike the stereotype of the typical powerful, agressive, tough and successful Hollywood career woman. It is a bit disheartening to see how many of them distanced themselves from each other and feminism, not wanting to admit to seeing sexism or being treated differently, but it becomes almost understandable given what some of these women were up against. At any rate, that's a whole other book and this one, as it is, is wonderfully written, thoroughly researched and offers a perspective on Hollywood that's fresh and new - aside from making it about a thousand pages longer, I wouldn't change a thing.

I read an excerpt of this book a couple months back in a magazine and when I found out it was from a future book, I made a mental note to myself to be sure & buy it when it became available. I did, and I was fairly satisfied. The first 1/2 of the book was very interesting and I learned many new things about women I had never heard of before but learned have great power in Hollywood and were responsible for some of the very movies I have loved over the years. Now when I see the name Sherry Lansing or Polly Plat in print, I know exactly who they're speaking of. I appreciate movies like Forest Gump & Fatal Attraction all that much more now because I know the story behind them. The second 1/2 of the book dropped off a little. It seemed to drag on a little too much, and probably could have been 2-3 chapters shorter. The final few chapters are good again & renewed my interest. Too bad I can't use 1/2 a star, because I'd actually rate this a 3 1/2, but 4 is pretty close. Overall, I don't think you'll be disappointed unless you're a chauvanist or a man who still thinks a woman's place is in the kitchen or barefoot & pregant - although it would probably teach some of those people a lesson! Defintiely worth buying in hardcover!

While terribly edited (repeated words and anecdotes, awkward writing, total absence of structure), the stories told in this book shed light not just on the particular women and films addressed, but on how women acclimate to and change male-dominated industries like the movies. The details of these women's lives -- from their decisions about how to package a particular film to their decisions of whether or not to marry -- are illuminating. I'm not a film buff, but I found the book captivating and memorable.

This book provides great insight into the lives and careers of some of Hollywood's women. My only complaint lies in the author's writing style...e.g. the word "transmorgify" appears at least 30 times. Come on Ms. Ambramowitz, even if you like the word, enough is enough. Other than this somewhat minor complaint, I found the book quite satisfying and would recommend it to those interested in the entertainment industry.

A highly readable, intelligent book about women and power (or lack of) in modern-day Hollywood. This was one of the best books I've read in quite a while and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fascinating look behind-the-scenes. I hope this author continues to write more books.

I've started reading biographies of the "legends", but nothing could have expected me for all of the insight that Rachel provides in this book. What I found especially interesting was the length of time a script can kick around hollywood before it's chosen, how many different writer's might re-wright it, and how actors and actress sign off an on to projects on a whim, sometimes due to the producer that' "presently" producing the movie at the start, but may not be there at the end.

Overall I found it a great, informative read and hope there there're similar books out there. This one sat on my shelf for 10 years before I decided to crack it open. Although I read a comment by another who stated that it was difficult to follow, I had no difficulties keeping up with the main characters in this work of non-fiction. If you want some hollywood insight, albeit from a female perspective (which to me doesn't change things, this would be a great purchase.