tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-318433114559203724.post955655416249289077..comments2023-10-29T16:01:01.077-07:00Comments on Just Another Movie Blog: Sexism in CinemaSteve Kimeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14187112520269562190noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-318433114559203724.post-68886651747424724932011-11-23T08:28:45.433-08:002011-11-23T08:28:45.433-08:00His Girl Friday wasn't as noticeably sexist to...His Girl Friday wasn't as noticeably sexist to me because there were men playing different roles in Rosalind Russell's life in this film. Sure, Grant is the usual pushy man, but his goal is less romantic than the attempt to make his paper the best, and he wants Russell for her reporting skills-- which is not the usual sexist premise. Not the usual romantic comedy premise. But Hepburn has another man in her life, played by Ralph Bellamy, who is a milquetoast sort, clearly under Russell's heel. I felt that it was much more complex than a usual patriarchal setting, and that the ending could be read as sexist, it could also be understood as the natural state of these very unique characters.Steve Kimeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14187112520269562190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-318433114559203724.post-91866134475541167872011-11-23T01:32:23.796-08:002011-11-23T01:32:23.796-08:00I'm afraid I haven't seen His Girl Friday....I'm afraid I haven't seen His Girl Friday. But maybe it will be the same as for you: a too late encounter to be enjoyable since I've got those gender glasses on nowadays. Not all the time, fortunately, since it would make a lot of movies unenjoyable if I had them, but quite often.Jessicahttp://www.thevelvetcafe.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-318433114559203724.post-66225330378117037852011-11-21T20:56:28.549-08:002011-11-21T20:56:28.549-08:00Love your post, Steve. Brilliant and interesting c...Love your post, Steve. Brilliant and interesting connections among three very different films. I, too, love the way In a Lonely Place jolts one into a dark reality, a sort of anti-fantasy.<br /><br />Jessica, I'm curious what you think of His Girl Friday, in relation to the question of how older films present women. I grew up with Cary Grant films, but for some reason His Girl Friday was one I caught up with only relatively recently. As a cinephile, I was supposed to love it. And on one level, it is fun - quick and witty - all the best sort of screwball comedy. But I just could not get past what seemed like sexism to me: it took the man (Cary Grant) to teach the woman (Rosalind Russell) that she didn't know her own mind; he did.<br /><br />But I'm completely two-minded in my sensitivity to sexism. You see, I love Philadelphia Story and that one is extremely problematic from the feminist perspective. I can only guess that my hypocrisy has to do with the fact that I saw Philadelphia Story when I was very young, not sensitive to anything like feminism. And I saw His Girl Friday long after I'd gone through my undergrad and graduate degrees, feminist interpretation of things, firmly in place.M. Tamminga (@oneaprilday)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10369421041119819033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-318433114559203724.post-69747125750966274442011-11-20T02:47:14.825-08:002011-11-20T02:47:14.825-08:00Recently the sexism in older movies have started t...Recently the sexism in older movies have started to get a bit at me. I understand the historical reasons for it to be there, but it doesn't make it more enjoyable to watch. I haven't seen In a Lonely Place unfortunately. But it sounds worth a view from what you're sharing. I'd be happy to see more exceptions to the sexistic dominance among the older movies.Jessicahttp://www.thevelvetcafe.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com