American Women's History on Film

(Hardback)

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Description

By exploring a range of films about American women, this book offers readers an opportunity to engage in both history and film in a new way, embracing representation, diversity, and historical context. Throughout film history, stories of women achieving in American history appear few and far between compared to the many epic tales of male achievement. This book focuses largely on films written by women and about women who tackled the humanist issues of their day and mostly won. Films about women are important for all viewers of all genders because they remind us that the American Experience is not just male and white. This book examines 10 films, featuring diverse depictions of women and women's history, and encourages readers to discern how and where these films deviate from historical accuracy. Covering films from the 1950s all the way to the 2010s, this text is invaluable for students and general readers who wish to interrogate the way women's history appears on the big screen.

Reviews

A welcome addition to women's- and film-history collections. * Booklist *
This readable, well-researched book is a unique addition to the literature. Recommended. All readers. * Choice *

Author Bio

Rosanne Welch, PhD, serves as executive director of Stephens College MFA in TV and screenwriting, where she created a set of history of screenwriting courses and teaches courses in one-hour drama. Peg A. Lamphier, PhD, teaches interdisciplinary humanities at California State Polytechnic University and American women's history at Mount San Antonio College.