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Silent Women: Pioneers of Cinema
It now emerges that more women were working at every level in the first 20 years of the film industry in the USA than at any point since. Early pioneers, such as Alice Guy Blache, directed hundreds of films, invented techniques, ran businesses and set up distribution but with the rise of the male-dominated studio system, their significant contribution to the dawn of the movies has long been forgotten.
With chapters on the writers, directors, producers, stars, film editors, designers and camera women of the silent era this book acknowledges and celebrates the many talented women who were significantly involved in the rise of the industry and explains why the coming of the talkies and big business led to the inequality which exists today. Voted the best book published about silent cinema in THE SILENT LONDON POLL OF 2016 #1 Amazon Best Silent Film Named one of the Best Film Books of the Year by Huffington Post Covers the hidden history of cinema’s diverse beginnings including American, European and African-American female filmmakers, cinematographers, editors, critics and screenwriters. With a never-before published interview with legendary director Dorothy Arzner. Essential reading for students of film studies, media, culture and gender/women studies. Taps into the current debate about discrimination within the media and creative industries. Concludes with a chapter by activist and film director Maria Giese, who instigated the Civil Liberties investigation into sexism in Hollywood, on the current status of women behind the camera in Hollywood today.
With chapters on the writers, directors, producers, stars, film editors, designers and camera women of the silent era this book acknowledges and celebrates the many talented women who were significantly involved in the rise of the industry and explains why the coming of the talkies and big business led to the inequality which exists today. Voted the best book published about silent cinema in THE SILENT LONDON POLL OF 2016 #1 Amazon Best Silent Film Named one of the Best Film Books of the Year by Huffington Post Covers the hidden history of cinema’s diverse beginnings including American, European and African-American female filmmakers, cinematographers, editors, critics and screenwriters. With a never-before published interview with legendary director Dorothy Arzner. Essential reading for students of film studies, media, culture and gender/women studies. Taps into the current debate about discrimination within the media and creative industries. Concludes with a chapter by activist and film director Maria Giese, who instigated the Civil Liberties investigation into sexism in Hollywood, on the current status of women behind the camera in Hollywood today.
312 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 26, 2016
I could not recommend or praise this book highly enough.
If you are a feminist, this should be required reading.
If you are interested in film or media at all, this should be required reading.
Silent Women is presented as a series of essays by experts and researchers of remarkable creative women of the previous century who should be iconic and cemented within cinema history, however circumstances have caused each of these women to be forgotten, or in some cases, their work has even been buried or uncredited.
One of the things I love about Silent Women, is the double meaning of the title; women filmmakers in the silent era, and women filmmakers whose work and contributions to cinema history has been silenced. The book doesn’t just highlight one type of woman either. They look into women of multiple races, nationalities and reasons for initially entering the film industry.
I admit, before I started this book, I had not heard of any of the women mentioned, however this enlightening collection has opened my eyes to multiple women who were courageous, innovative and original creative directors. In the case of Nell Shipman, I too share the enthusiasm of Karen Day, who wrote the chapter on her. I shared equal parts enthusiasm and fascination for every women featured in this book. They truly all were pioneers of film-making, whether that be due to their race, subject matter, dedication to their work, or time in which they created their material. I gained a deep sense of admiration for every women mentioned in this book after reading their stories, and I feel as though this would be the case for multiple other people who read this book in the future.
I also particularly enjoyed quotes from the women themselves, and those in direct contact with them, which were interspersed throughout Silent Women. These gave me a better sense of exactly who they were, rather than just having the opinions of the writers, or simple facts presented to me.
I can also see Silent Women being an important book and tool for film and media students in the future. It could also be a tool for those students studying sociology, and the repression of women due to the rise of a patriarchal industry, or anyone involved with gender equality movements and social feminist groups. I believe this book could be invaluable to a great number of people, and like me, could open up their eyes to a group of visionary, forgotten women. In my eyes, Silent Women could not only have academic weight, but also practical weight, and could inspire a new wave of aspiring filmmakers into creating their own content.
I greatly commend both Melody Bridges, Cheryl Robson and all of the writers who contributed to this book, and for compiling and editing it in order to create a piece of work that will acquaint many readers with these exceptional women.
This is a book that is created by women, about women, accessible to anyone, and written for anyone, regardless of gender.
If you are a feminist, this should be required reading.
If you are interested in film or media at all, this should be required reading.
Silent Women is presented as a series of essays by experts and researchers of remarkable creative women of the previous century who should be iconic and cemented within cinema history, however circumstances have caused each of these women to be forgotten, or in some cases, their work has even been buried or uncredited.
One of the things I love about Silent Women, is the double meaning of the title; women filmmakers in the silent era, and women filmmakers whose work and contributions to cinema history has been silenced. The book doesn’t just highlight one type of woman either. They look into women of multiple races, nationalities and reasons for initially entering the film industry.
I admit, before I started this book, I had not heard of any of the women mentioned, however this enlightening collection has opened my eyes to multiple women who were courageous, innovative and original creative directors. In the case of Nell Shipman, I too share the enthusiasm of Karen Day, who wrote the chapter on her. I shared equal parts enthusiasm and fascination for every women featured in this book. They truly all were pioneers of film-making, whether that be due to their race, subject matter, dedication to their work, or time in which they created their material. I gained a deep sense of admiration for every women mentioned in this book after reading their stories, and I feel as though this would be the case for multiple other people who read this book in the future.
I also particularly enjoyed quotes from the women themselves, and those in direct contact with them, which were interspersed throughout Silent Women. These gave me a better sense of exactly who they were, rather than just having the opinions of the writers, or simple facts presented to me.
I can also see Silent Women being an important book and tool for film and media students in the future. It could also be a tool for those students studying sociology, and the repression of women due to the rise of a patriarchal industry, or anyone involved with gender equality movements and social feminist groups. I believe this book could be invaluable to a great number of people, and like me, could open up their eyes to a group of visionary, forgotten women. In my eyes, Silent Women could not only have academic weight, but also practical weight, and could inspire a new wave of aspiring filmmakers into creating their own content.
I greatly commend both Melody Bridges, Cheryl Robson and all of the writers who contributed to this book, and for compiling and editing it in order to create a piece of work that will acquaint many readers with these exceptional women.
This is a book that is created by women, about women, accessible to anyone, and written for anyone, regardless of gender.
April 5, 2025
I had been looking forward to this book for a long time, but it was ultimately a dull slog. Instead of a cohesive narrative history, it was a hodgepodge of previously published articles edited poorly or not at all, some of them written in such an amateurish fashion that it felt like the writer was following middle school paragraph construction tips. Unfortunate.
June 18, 2021
Quality Rating: Three/Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Three/Four Stars
As this book is a collection of essays from various people, some are invariably better than others. However, over the whole book, I felt like the essays were being very shallow in their investigations of the history of female filmmakers in the early years of cinema; every chapter was just listing female filmmakers and giving their biographies with a little context - they were saying basically nothing about the womens' work, what kinds of stories they told etc. That's why there are only really two articles I'd pick out as worth reading for anything more than a list of names people have forgotten (which is very important, but if you're going to write about women as the pioneers of cinema you should be representing them as creative individuals), both right at the end: When the Woman Shoots: Ladies Behind the Silent Horror Film Camera, by K. Charlie Oughton, and U.S. Women Directors: The Road Ahead, by Maria Giese. The former investigates a series of largely-forgotten female filmmakers, much as many of the other essays do however she delves into their work, explores the themes they created, and does credit to their films by actually talking about them as products of these individuals. The latter, written by a very famous film director herself, details a movement in the Director's Guild of America to try and help female directors overcome being drowned by the Hollywood system; a movement that was overturned by the DGA itself. It's fascinating, only taking place in 2015, and frankly criminal that we don't hear about it more often.
Enjoyment Rating: Three/Four Stars
As this book is a collection of essays from various people, some are invariably better than others. However, over the whole book, I felt like the essays were being very shallow in their investigations of the history of female filmmakers in the early years of cinema; every chapter was just listing female filmmakers and giving their biographies with a little context - they were saying basically nothing about the womens' work, what kinds of stories they told etc. That's why there are only really two articles I'd pick out as worth reading for anything more than a list of names people have forgotten (which is very important, but if you're going to write about women as the pioneers of cinema you should be representing them as creative individuals), both right at the end: When the Woman Shoots: Ladies Behind the Silent Horror Film Camera, by K. Charlie Oughton, and U.S. Women Directors: The Road Ahead, by Maria Giese. The former investigates a series of largely-forgotten female filmmakers, much as many of the other essays do however she delves into their work, explores the themes they created, and does credit to their films by actually talking about them as products of these individuals. The latter, written by a very famous film director herself, details a movement in the Director's Guild of America to try and help female directors overcome being drowned by the Hollywood system; a movement that was overturned by the DGA itself. It's fascinating, only taking place in 2015, and frankly criminal that we don't hear about it more often.
November 17, 2021
I stumbled upon this work when I was looking for something - anything widely accessible that discussed the history of at least one prominent woman in film from the golden age of cinema. Sadly, there is VERY LITTLE out there. It is important to note that this is a collection of scholarly essays about women in film, written by different authors. Due to this, there is a lot of information that you will read repeatedly throughout the book. For me, it helped solidify names and time lines but others may find it tedious. My career is in the industry and it was a bit shocking to read just how much women used to run this industry, and how much we have been pushed down in recent decades. If you have an interest in film, women's rights, or history then I highly recommend giving this a shot.
December 21, 2017
Silent Women is full of intriguing insights and nuggets of information − it is a compelling read for the generally and genuinely curious, not just the student of cinema. The contributors include top filmmakers, writers and film experts who bring to life several great female screen legends
Reviewed on The BookBlast® Diary 2016
Reviewed on The BookBlast® Diary 2016
May 19, 2018
3.5* really. I love the idea behind the book and the approach. But some biographies are a bit too long whereas some are far too short. But then that’s a subjective feeling.
September 12, 2019
Awesome and important info but it could’ve used more copyediting
April 13, 2016
Disclaimer: I was given this book by NetGalley.com for my honest review.
Are you old enough to remember the cigarette ad featuring a lady smoking with the words above/below (in magazines) or narrated (on television) "You've come a long way, baby." As I was reading this book I kept picturing myself yelling at that ad, "YEAH! BACKWARDS!"
Before and during the world wars, women helped create the silent pictures (among other pioneering works around the world. The wars had all the men busy so the women had to step in and do those male jobs. And they did great jobs. When the men came back home they closed that all down and ratcheted back to the little woman, barefoot and pregnant, in the kitchen where men believed women belonged. And if you aren't screaming by the end of this book, you haven't been paying attention.
This is a non-fiction book with footnotes and references galore. If one were reading a traditional paper-paged book, this would be quite handy to follow the strains of facts. But I found that squeezed at the ends of every chapter, they block the flow of the read. Especially, when one reads using Text-to-Speech. It is part of the reason it took me so long to read this gem of a book. I had to stop and fast forward past all the notes to get to the next chapter. I can forgive the few typos as this was an uncorrected proof.
The meat of the book was great! The author, Cheryl Robson, takes us into the lives and careers of many of the silent screen actresses, camera carriers, clip-room slicers, screen writers, and directors at the beginning of the exciting motion picture days. Back then, women were on equal footing. By the last chapter, you are reminded of these last few years of white-male-dominated Academy Awards.
If you follow my reviews, you know that in the last couple of years I have dedicated myself to reading mostly books written by women featuring strong female characters. This has been an awakening challenge for me. This challenge begat the challenge to watch similar types of TV and movies. I learned of the http://bechdeltest.com/ and started seeing how white-male the world of film is. Thank goodness for the ABC Thursday evening goddess: Shonda Rhimes. She gives me hope.
If you need to see how miraculous an evening of Shonda Rhimes is, take these facts directly from this book (Silent Women): "Women make up 51% of our populations. Minority men 18% so why are women only directing 16% of TV...while minority men are directing 18%?" "Minority women make up 19% of the US population yet direct just 2% of TV shows." This isn't just a problem of film. But our young girls aren't seeing themselves in books or movies. I didn't. It took me until I was in my 60s to see what had been missing. I only read guys adventures and sci-fis. There weren't female books beyond the cashmere-sweatered Nancy Drew and other good-little-girls-in-their-places books. Is it any wonder I still can't speak up for myself? Is it any wonder the populations of girls and ladies in this world still can't show the force they own? I have said it before: We hold up more than half the sky worldwide. We need to show the world how that force works.
Thank you for letting me read this very important book. It should be required reading for everyone.
Are you old enough to remember the cigarette ad featuring a lady smoking with the words above/below (in magazines) or narrated (on television) "You've come a long way, baby." As I was reading this book I kept picturing myself yelling at that ad, "YEAH! BACKWARDS!"
Before and during the world wars, women helped create the silent pictures (among other pioneering works around the world. The wars had all the men busy so the women had to step in and do those male jobs. And they did great jobs. When the men came back home they closed that all down and ratcheted back to the little woman, barefoot and pregnant, in the kitchen where men believed women belonged. And if you aren't screaming by the end of this book, you haven't been paying attention.
This is a non-fiction book with footnotes and references galore. If one were reading a traditional paper-paged book, this would be quite handy to follow the strains of facts. But I found that squeezed at the ends of every chapter, they block the flow of the read. Especially, when one reads using Text-to-Speech. It is part of the reason it took me so long to read this gem of a book. I had to stop and fast forward past all the notes to get to the next chapter. I can forgive the few typos as this was an uncorrected proof.
The meat of the book was great! The author, Cheryl Robson, takes us into the lives and careers of many of the silent screen actresses, camera carriers, clip-room slicers, screen writers, and directors at the beginning of the exciting motion picture days. Back then, women were on equal footing. By the last chapter, you are reminded of these last few years of white-male-dominated Academy Awards.
If you follow my reviews, you know that in the last couple of years I have dedicated myself to reading mostly books written by women featuring strong female characters. This has been an awakening challenge for me. This challenge begat the challenge to watch similar types of TV and movies. I learned of the http://bechdeltest.com/ and started seeing how white-male the world of film is. Thank goodness for the ABC Thursday evening goddess: Shonda Rhimes. She gives me hope.
If you need to see how miraculous an evening of Shonda Rhimes is, take these facts directly from this book (Silent Women): "Women make up 51% of our populations. Minority men 18% so why are women only directing 16% of TV...while minority men are directing 18%?" "Minority women make up 19% of the US population yet direct just 2% of TV shows." This isn't just a problem of film. But our young girls aren't seeing themselves in books or movies. I didn't. It took me until I was in my 60s to see what had been missing. I only read guys adventures and sci-fis. There weren't female books beyond the cashmere-sweatered Nancy Drew and other good-little-girls-in-their-places books. Is it any wonder I still can't speak up for myself? Is it any wonder the populations of girls and ladies in this world still can't show the force they own? I have said it before: We hold up more than half the sky worldwide. We need to show the world how that force works.
Thank you for letting me read this very important book. It should be required reading for everyone.
February 15, 2017
I read this early last year after getting a copy from Netgalley and had to pick it up again because it us just. that. good.
It ticks all the boxes that I require for a good non-fiction read (feminist viewpoint, critical analysis, and thorough research), but it is also wonderfully readable. Definitely added to the repertoire of books to reread annually.
It ticks all the boxes that I require for a good non-fiction read (feminist viewpoint, critical analysis, and thorough research), but it is also wonderfully readable. Definitely added to the repertoire of books to reread annually.
June 24, 2017
This was a great expose of the indignities suffered by women in the producing field. I would skip the prologue was very wordy and almost made me not want to read the book, sorry. That being said I totally enjoyed the rest of the book, even the comments at the end. This is certainly a travesty of the film industry that needs to change, women need to have their views shown as well. I had never heard of most of the older women directors before this book and never would have but for it. It seems they had a higher percentage of women directors who simply took the bull by the horns and produced their own films. Well worth the time to read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews