Popcorn Venus : women, movies & the American dream

by Marjorie Rosen

The history of the film industry is in many ways a reflection of the thwarted emergence in society of feminism and full equal civil rights for women. Commercial films have traditionally relied upon the charm and sexual allure of actresses to assure economic success at the box office. Victorian mores heavily influenced the way women were treated in early films, and from the 1920s to the present the cinema has capitalized upon the public's wish to safely rebel from those values by presenting films which stress women's sexuality. In the 1920s the image of the flapper and the vamp dominated the screens. In the 1930s the brashly "wisecracking" blond woman typified by Jean Harlow, emerged. With the coming of war, cinema's women became factory workers. The "strong woman" became the image of that day. The presentation of an idealized, exaggerated sexuality in women, typified by Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot, became popular in the 1950s and 1960s. The more current trend in film's treatment of women concentrates upon the quasi-liberated female typified by Jane Fonda and Glenda Jackson. Each period, however, is marked by a varied but superficial and sometimes demeaning depiction of women. ---www.eric.ed.gov

Genres: Feminism, Film, Nonfiction, History, Media Tie In, Theory, Womens Studies

Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Author of "BOOM TOWN: How Wal*Mart Transformed an All-American Town into an International Community," about the new diversity in Bentonville, Arkansas, hometown of W-M. Books include "Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies, & the American Dream" and "Mia & Woody: Love & Betrayal." Also, author of screenplays and numerous articles, professor of journalism and film at Lehman College in NYC, and a Faculty Fellow at CUNY Grad Center's Center for Place, Culture, and Politics." Please visit me at www.marjorierosen.com"

Reviews

[Nancy Loe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The grandmother of all feminist film study. Fun reading.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does art reflect life? In movies, yes. Because more than any other art form, films have been a mirror held up to society's porous face."

"Which is strongest the reality out of which the illusion is created, the celluloid illusion itself, or the need for illusion? Do we hold the mirror up and dive in? And if we do, what are the consequences?"

"Women's films [in the fiftiesl became "howto's" on catching and keeping a man. Veneer. Appearance. Sex Appeal. Hollywood descended into mammary madness."

"Studios, purporting to ease the anguish of Depression reality, transformed movies into the poIitics of fantasy, the great black-and-white opiate of the masses."

"Preface, "Popcorn Venus," 1973."
"Popcorn Venus," Pt. 1, Ch. 2, 1973."
"Popcorn Venus," Pt. V, Ch. 17, 1973."
"Popcorn Venus," Pt. III, Ch. 9, 1973."

www.creativequotations.com

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does art reflect life? In movies, yes. Because more than any other art form, films have been a mirror held up to society's porous face."

"Which is strongest the reality out of which the illusion is created, the celluloid illusion itself, or the need for illusion? Do we hold the mirror up and dive in? And if we do, what are the consequences?"

"Women's films [in the fiftiesl became "howto's" on catching and keeping a man. Veneer. Appearance. Sex Appeal. Hollywood descended into mammary madness."

"Studios, purporting to ease the anguish of Depression reality, transformed movies into the poIitics of fantasy, the great black-and-white opiate of the masses."

"Preface, "Popcorn Venus," 1973."
"Popcorn Venus," Pt. 1, Ch. 2, 1973."
"Popcorn Venus," Pt. V, Ch. 17, 1973."
"Popcorn Venus," Pt. III, Ch. 9, 1973."

www.creativequotations.com

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting to read one of the books from which feminist film theory emerged.