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A review by caseykoester39
Backwards and in Heels: The Past, Present and Future of Women Working in Film by Alicia Malone
3.0
It's very clear that this book was Alicia's passion project. Her extensive research into women in all aspects of Hollywood production is extraordinary. Her coverage spans the birth of Hollywood all the way through the present day. It's hard to find information about who supports women in Hollywood right now, especially any men who see it as a priority. Alicia describes a few and gives glimmers of hope.
She also describes the way the hiring system has worked since studios took over in the 1930s. How men were placed in charge because moviemaking became a profitable business and women were seen by investors as untrustworthy with large sums of money. Alicia particularly details the inequality in how men move through the ranks as directors of small indie films and are suddenly catapulted to directing a big budget blockbuster - after only one directorial credit. Men help each other out and she details a story of how Brad Bird (recently selected to co-host The Essentials on TCM...) did just this for Colin Trevorrow and Jurassic World. Colin had only directed one feature film at the time, but on Brad's say-so, he was given this huge chance.
She brilliantly illustrates with loads of examples how women directors are not afforded this same courtesy - at least not by male power players. Women have consistently needed to prove their box-office worthiness with success after success before studios will trust them with a large budget feature.
The only sticking point for me was the lack of a good editor and proofreader. There are glaring typos and errors on every other page (not an exaggeration). A little plea on the last page of the book to send errata to the publisher only serves to grate at me. The reader is not the person who should be proofreading a published work.
She also describes the way the hiring system has worked since studios took over in the 1930s. How men were placed in charge because moviemaking became a profitable business and women were seen by investors as untrustworthy with large sums of money. Alicia particularly details the inequality in how men move through the ranks as directors of small indie films and are suddenly catapulted to directing a big budget blockbuster - after only one directorial credit. Men help each other out and she details a story of how Brad Bird (recently selected to co-host The Essentials on TCM...) did just this for Colin Trevorrow and Jurassic World. Colin had only directed one feature film at the time, but on Brad's say-so, he was given this huge chance.
She brilliantly illustrates with loads of examples how women directors are not afforded this same courtesy - at least not by male power players. Women have consistently needed to prove their box-office worthiness with success after success before studios will trust them with a large budget feature.
The only sticking point for me was the lack of a good editor and proofreader. There are glaring typos and errors on every other page (not an exaggeration). A little plea on the last page of the book to send errata to the publisher only serves to grate at me. The reader is not the person who should be proofreading a published work.