Women vs Hollywood
- Author Helen O'Hara
- Narrator Helen O'Hara
- Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
- Run Time 11 hours and 50 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Film history, theory or criticism.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price p/Title
- €9.95
- €8.95
- €7.95
- €6.95
- €5.95
Listen to a sample
What to expect
'A powerful, sobering and vital work' The Mail on Sunday
'A page-turning read, peppered with humour' Sight & Sound
'A must read' Edgar Wright
A call to arms from Empire magazine's 'geek queen', Helen O'Hara, that explores women's roles - both in front of and behind the camera - since the birth of Hollywood, how those roles are reflected within wider society and what we can do to level the playing field.
Hollywood was born just over a century ago, at a time of huge forward motion for women's rights. With no rules in place to stop them, there were women who forged ahead in many areas of filmmaking. Yet, despite the work of early pioneers like Dorothy Arzner, Mabel Normand, Mary Pickford and Alice Guy-Blaché, it soon came to embody the same old sexist standards. Women found themselves fighting a system that fed on their talent, creativity and beauty but refused to pay them the same respect as their male contemporaries - until now . . .
The tide has finally begun to turn. A new generation of women, both in front of and behind the camera, are making waves in the industry and are now shaping some of the biggest films to hit our screens.
In Women vs Hollywood: The Fall and Rise of Women in Film, film critic Helen O'Hara takes a closer look at the pioneering and talented women of Hollywood and their work in film since Hollywood began. And in understanding how women were largely written out of Hollywood's own origin story, and how the films we watch are put together, we can finally see how to put an end to a picture that is so deeply unequal - and discover a multitude of stories out there just waiting to be told.
Critics Review
-
A fascinating polemic
Sunday Times -
A page-turning read, peppered with humour
Sight & Sound -
Women vs Hollywood is encyclopaedic, illuminating and passionate all at once, and O’Hara’s erudition and love of film shine throughout
Sunday Independent -
A must read
Edgar Wright -
Women vs Hollywood is fascinating and righteous. The research is incredible, as is the storytelling. It’ll be a game changer for how the history of women in film is considered and told. The history is rich and deep and robust, but O’Hara also has such a precise point of view. An incredible piece of work that is as inspiring as it is informative
Terri White, editor-in-chief of Empire and author of Coming Undone -
I will be quoting this liberally on Girls On Film – it’s an enlightening page-turner, stacked with stories and stats that will have your jaw on the floor. Thanks to O’Hara’s thorough research and sparkling writing, it works as an engaging alternative history of Hollywood as well as an important feminist film text and a call to action. I’d recommend it to any open-minded film lover, whether or not they identify as feminist – and who knows, they might do by the end
Anna Smith, film critic, broadcaster and host of the Girls On Film podcast
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.