The film and television industry is large and far-reaching. How are women in Hollywood treated, both onscreen and off? Has feminism been successful in Hollywood? How did the second-wave feminist movement affect women in film? Who has power behind the scenes? These books may prove helpful to those who want to learn more about feminism in Hollywood and women in the film industry.
1. Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?, by Rachel Abramowitz
Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?: Women’s Experience of Power in Hollywood is an inside look at the film industry and some of the most powerful women in it. The title echoes a famous line by Mae West.
2. From Reverence to Rape, by Molly Haskell
Molly Haskell's From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies has become a classic of film studies. Molly Haskell also wrote Holding My Own in No Man’s Land: Women and Men and Film and Feminists.
3. Women Who Run the Show, by Mollie Gregory
In Women Who Run the Show: How a Brilliant and Creative New Generation of Women Stormed Hollywood, Mollie Gregory links together hundreds of stories of women who cracked Hollywood’s various glass ceilings.
4. Women Behind the Camera, by Alexis Krasilovsky
Women Behind the Camera: Conversations with Camerawomen is filled with insight about cinematography careers and talented camerawomen who struggled to break into the boys’ club, from pioneers to second wave feminism and the rise of independent filmmakers.
5. Film Fatales: Independent Women Directors, by Judith M. Redding
Film Fatales: Independent Women Directors looks at dozens of female directors, including Ida Lupino, Jane Campion and Allison Anders.
6. Chick Flicks, by B. Ruby Rich
Chick Flicks: Theories and Memories of the Feminist Film Movement is a collection of essays filled with personal memories. B. Ruby Rich chose them to cover a variety of feminist issues, including lesbian films and the anti-pornography movement.
7. Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies and the American Dream, by Marjorie Rosen
Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies and the American Dream first published in 1973, is a study of film with the new perspective of the feminist movement.
8. When Women Call the Shots, by Linda Seger
When Women Call the Shots: The Developing Power and Influence of Women in Television and Film contains interviews and case studies that examine the influence of women in film, a timeline of important breakthroughs for women in film, and a twenty page topical index.