Reading About Writing About Movies

This title may sound like a joke, but I'm glad it isn't.

After spending about a month picking it up and putting it back down, I finished a hefty volume entitled A Woman's View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women 1930-1960, written by film historian Jeanine Basinger.

Published in 1993, A Woman's View is a nonfiction textbook for a course that my coworker took in university for her film degree. You might think that a 500 page non-fiction textbook would be dry, but it’s surprisingly juicy. Mouthwatering, even. Finger licking good! Full of comic bite and unpretentious writing (these are a few of my favourite things...).

Overall, I thought this book was outstanding for its well structured arguments, plethora of supporting evidence, and endless citations. I loved reading something that resembled a well built stone house. I didn’t watch many movies as a kid and, predictably, am completely unfamiliar with the old film genre, so I like that this book gave me a great background on the subject and long list of movies that I have now added to my watch list.

Of course, as you would expect, this book lacks the compelling intrigue of a juicy novel. It reads more like an academic article. There are many moments of dry humour, and it’s interesting to sit and think about, but it wasn’t exactly immersive.

That said, I am a fan of the complex and nuanced argument the author makes about how the “woman’s genre” and “woman’s movie” is defined. I also like that she resists the urge to oversimplify these topics by claiming that all movies made between 1930-60 carried inherently oppressive or outdated messages, while simultaneously resisting the shortsighted argument that they were all somehow covertly liberating and therefore not problematic. I think Basinger presents a very moderate and sensical argument all around.

What's more, I love that I left this book still being able to see the tropes/story lines discussed within it present in movies and popular series today.

Teasers:

- movies in the women’s genre during this time period typically deal with three big M’s: men, marriage and motherhood

- Glamour and fashion are important indicators of personal and psychological transformation. This can also apply to “men” in “typical” movies, but it has much different connotations

- Women in powerful positions are surprisingly common. It’s what happens to them that sucks.

Recommend if:

- you have any interest in film/TV/media

- enjoy dry humour

- appreciate a solid argument without any pretension to it

Don’t recommend if:

- your arms get sore holding a heavy book above your head

Rating: 8.3/10.

Thank you to my coworker for her considered suggestion - this book was a cup of tea ☕️