When Women Call the Shots: The Developing Power and Influence of Women in Television and Film [Hardcover]

Linda Seger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1996

Interviews with powerful women in television and film, including Sherry Lansing, Dawn Steel, Marlo Thomas, Jane Wyman, and Nora Ephron, comment upon the growing influence of women in the entertainment industry. 15,000 first printing. $12,500 ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Linda Seger, script consultant and author of Making a Good Script Great, examines the role of women in the film industry. Having interviewed many of the major female directors and producers, Seger offers valuable insights into how women are struggling to make their presence known in Hollywood. While interesting to any fan of cinema, this may well be required reading for anyone interested in working in the film business.

From Publishers Weekly

The pedestrian title is unfortunately apt for this book by a script consultant who has also written texts on scriptwriting. Seger has interviewed key women working in TV and film today, including Dawn Steel, Sherry Lansing, Nora Ephron and Liv Ullman. Most of them say the dutiful, expectable things: that women have to work harder than men to succeed, need to develop mentoring strategies, can't lose sight of the need to entertain even when trying to create socially significant work and so on. The general effect is rather dull and repetitious. The layout of the book, in short bites that resemble paragraphs in a long magazine article, does not help, and Seger uncritically accepts anything her interviewees say (Sharon Stone: "I try to find pictures that support my soul... I have a pro-woman agenda."). The not very surprising conclusion: women have more power in the visual media than they used to, but still not nearly enough?and too many movies that demean them still get made. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company; 1st edition (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805038914
• ISBN-13: 978-0805038910
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,921,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have an unusual background - since my degrees are in both drama and theology. I've combined the two through my work in the film industry since 1981, writing books on screenwriting, but have also been giving speeches about theology for the last ten years. My most recent book is called JESUS RODE A DONKEY, and is about Christian values from the perspective of the Democratic Party. That will be published in August, 2006.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Women In Hollywood, November 7, 2001

By 

Hillari Hunter "Westside Tomboy" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Women Call the Shots: The Developing Power and Influence of Women in Television and Film (Paperback)

Dr. Seger has done it again, this time writing an intelligent look at women in the film industry. She points out that women have made great strides in gaining power and authority in the entertainment industry. Dr. Seger also reminds readers that women still have a long way to go in order to command respect, but we're getting there day by day. Highly recommended for anyone (of either gender) to learn about how the industry deals with gender issues.