Average customer rating:
- Any Book That Will Quote A Cleo Moore Film Deserves 5 Stars
- One of my all time favorite books
- Basinger's "A Woman's View" is a Great History Read
- Now I know why I enjoy this type of film so much.
- When Women Ruled the Screen
|
A Woman's View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women, 1930-1960
Jeanine Basinger
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Women's Studies
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Dance
| General
| Reference
| Theater
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Reference Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Wisdom of Eve
-
Critical Approaches to Writing About Film
-
Imitation of Life
-
Mildred Pierce
-
From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies
ASIN: 0394563514
Release Date: 1993-08-31 |
Amazon.com
When film experts talk about the "woman's picture," a Hollywood genre that flourished in the '30s, '40s, and '50s, they often squabble over whether these films were liberating or constraining. Jeanine Basinger argues that they were both at the same time. She maintains that they freed their female protagonists to break social bonds while also punishing any women who seemed too free and feisty. This lively and exceedingly thorough book covers every major aspect of this fascinating film genre, including the roles female stars were expected to play, the fabulous clothes they wore, the social behaviors they were condemned to adopt, the ways they responded to and were treated by men, and the ideals of femininity Hollywood producers tried to impress upon their audiences. --Raphael Shargel
Book Description
In this highly readable and entertaining book, Jeanine Basinger shows how the "woman's film" of the 30s, 40s, and 50s sent a potent mixed message to millions of female moviegoers. At the same time that such films exhorted women to stick to their "proper" realm of men, marriage, and motherhood, they portrayed -- usually with relish -- strong women playing out liberating fantasies of power, romance, sexuality, luxury, even wickedness.
Never mind that the celluloid personas of Bette Davis, Myrna Loy, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, or Rita Hayworth see their folly and return to their man or lament his loss in the last five minutes of the picture; for the first eighty-five minutes the audience watched as these characters "wore great clothes, sat on great furniture, loved bad men, had lots of sex, told the world off for restricting them, even gave their children away."
Basinger examines dozens of films -- whether melodrama, screwball comedy, musical, film noir, western, or biopic -- to make a persuasive case that the woman's film was a rich, complicated, and subversive genre that recognized and addressed, if covertly, the problems of women.
Customer Reviews:
Any Book That Will Quote A Cleo Moore Film Deserves 5 Stars.......2005-09-11
This is one of the most enjoyable "film studies" I have ever come across, essentially about "soap opera" 'women's pictures' of the 1930's and 1940's but expanding into the 1920's and 1950's a bit and touching on other types of films and the great women stars from this time period. From Kay Francis (who is the cover girl and Basinger's main muse for this tome) to Rita Hayworth, this is a wonderful book for any one obssessed with films from the era, it's like finding a new best friend to talk about these classic films. Basinger writes informatively yet in plain academic-free language making the book a pleasuer to read - and she knows when to crack wise and when to be serious, no mean feat. It's a skill a lot of "movie historians" don't have.
One of my all time favorite books.......2005-04-05
If you love movies you must read Ms. Basinger's marvelous study of "women's pictures" which encompasses the stars that acted in them, the directors that guided them, the writers that gave them life and the studios that distributed them. Hollywood history, women's history, art history all rolled into one readable and thought provoking volume. This one is right up there with Louise Brooks by Barry Paris as one of the best books on film and those who created it.
Basinger's "A Woman's View" is a Great History Read.......2004-12-02
A Woman's View, by Jeanne Basinger, was rightfully the most interesting history based book I have ever read. Although it can be lengthy at times, it touches on subjects in which I had barely any knowledge of, and shows how it was reflecting the time period of the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's. Seeing as though this was about women right after the women's rights movement in the 20's, this book shows how Hollywood used female movie stars to incorporate the countries opinions on them. With that, I thought the introduction chapter on the genre of these types of movies was absolutely spectacular. It really made me have so much respect for women during these time periods. They had such class and such morals, which, sad to say, is starting to slowly fade away, or can at least be argued that it is.
A few of the sections of this book that I thought was the most interesting, were the ones about twin women in movies and the fashion and glamour of women. Before reading this book, I never really thought into the idea that being a woman in Hollywood, and acting a certain role represented something as a whole. These actresses were not just playing the part of their assigned character; they were representing women as a whole. With their fashion, their speech, and their actions, I found it truly inspiring to know that they were stepping out of their comfort zone and taking risks with the roles that they chose to act out.
One chapter, entitled Duality, included how Hollywood used twins in their movies to represent one specific point in these movies. This chapter, being one of the more detailed ones, showed how twins portrayed particularly two things: the good and the bad. The good twin, usually dressed in fashionably acceptable clothes and appropriate styles, was usually criticized by her twin, which represented evil, or the bad. I thought it was very much a shock to me how many of the so called "bad" twins in these Hollywood movies were constantly pretending to be their twin to confuse their family, friends, or even their husbands! Many of them did this only to find some sort of revenge on their twin for whatever reason they could think of. In my mind, I would have never thought of this as being presented in movies during these time periods, but I also have to remember that this was also a time when women were really standing up for what they believed in and stepping out of the ordinary molds they had always been put into.
What was so fascinating about this book was how Basinger found a way to represent women in film in such a respectable way, and not so much trashy as some may have viewed it at the time. Women like Loretta Young, Kay Francis, and Greta Garbo are true heroines when it comes to paving the way for all future actresses, and also for open our countries eyes to the lives of women, and really shows that they were becoming less and less like housewives and more like the hardworking entrepreneurs that they really were and always will be.
Now I know why I enjoy this type of film so much........1998-09-15
This book articulates for me why I have always loved this genre of film. The author highlights the work of many fine actresses of the period whose work is overlooked in many film books. Although the ideas they espoused may be dated, the desire of women to see the concerns of their private lives played out on screen still exists. I believe that the next century may bring a resurgurce of this type of film.
When Women Ruled the Screen.......1998-05-01
Jeanine Basinger is to be congratulated for shedding light on a too-little studied aspect of Hollywood history. She puts the movies and the stars she discusses in the context of how movie-going women perceived them at the time. In doing so, she concentrates not on the "greatest" stars, but rather on secondary figures like Kay Francis, Ann Dvorak, and Loretta Young, women who had (sometimes surprisingly) immense popular appeal while they were making movies but whose careers either faded, made the transition to character rather than leading-lady status, or moved to television. She reminds us that the "woman's picture" was far more than the drama of suffering and renunciation (like "Now, Voyager", "Back Street", or "Autumn Leaves") we most commonly think of today. She broadens her definition to include virtually any film that either focused on a woman as its central character or concerned itself with traditionally "women's" concerns.
What she makes clear is that, despite the pronounced limitations of the world view of the woman's picture, it represented a varied and vigorous film culture in which (as she writes) "on the screen ... the woman will decide. She is important. She matters. She is the Center of the Universe."
"A Woman's View" is that rare thing -- a scholarly examination of mostly obscure figures and works that is at the same time an excellent and entertaining read.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on June 22, 1993. The length of the article is 1232 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: A Woman's View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women, 1930-1960. (book reviews)
Author: Barbara Quart
Publication:
Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 1993
Publisher: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
Volume: v20
Issue: n3
Page: p67(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Vivaldi's celebrated Four Seasons are among the most popular works of all time and these, with the rest of the concertos in Op. 8, represent the composer's remarkable innovation in the field of the Baroque concerto. This detailed guide examines the work's origin and construction in a way that enables the reader to distinguish what is extraordinary about the Seasons, at the same time providing an ideal introduction to Vivaldi's music in general.
Book Description
Chris Moneymaker parlayed $35 into the 2003 World Poker Championship of $2.5 million, and got players thinking, If he can do it, anyone can! Diary Of A Mad Poker Player is the story of one such player's journey to Las Vegas and the World Series of Poker, from March 30th - May 28th 2004. This is the heart of poker, where professional players are treated like rock stars, and tables are peopled by angry amateurs, cheats, insiders, legal experts, and Internet moguls. Here are up-to-the-minute, behind-the-scenes views of card-rooms and even poker websites, culminating in the greatest tournament of them all.
Customer Reviews:
A Witty, Insightful Romp Through the Landscape of Contemporary Poker.......2006-09-06
Richard Sparks' "Diary of a Mad Poker Player" is a wonderful read. It reaches out to the reader on so many levels.
It's the quest of a dedicated amateur poker player to win his way in to the World Series of Poker through a combination of online satellite tournaments and satellites held in brick and mortar casinos. Richard Sparks is an extremely witty man and a great teller of tales, and along the way he interviews everyone from legends of the game such as Doyle Brunson, Chris Moneymaker, and Sammy Farha, to unknown players who are hoping for glory after winning their way into the World Series of Poker through an online satellite.
I'm not sure there's another writer out there who could combine his quest for winning a seat in poker's richest event with the make and model number banjo played by Earl Scruggs, classic Monte Python sketches, and a few quotes that William Shakespeare might have authored, had the bard been born a few centuries later, instead of in his own, unfortunate time, before poker was invented. Not only does he combine all this irreverence, but somehow it works in masterstrokes of wit and wordsmithing.
Sparks also tells the story of how online poker came to prominence and how it led to the incredible growth in tournament poker in general and the World Series of Poker in particular. After all, at the turn of the century, the World Series of Poker was happy to have slightly more than 300 entrants pony up $10,000 each to play in its main event. In 2006, nearly 8,000 played, a number no one would have dared to imagine just a few short years ago.
He delves deeply into the legal status of online poker, as well as its safety. So just while you're having fun with Sparks' madcap romp through poker's highly textured landscape, you find yourself on a knowledgeable ride through the underpinnings of contemporary poker.
There's even some good poker advice tucked into its pages. Though it's not an instructional book by any means, the advice that bubbles up to the surface is sound and solid.
There's actually nothing about "Diary of a Mad Poker Player" not to like. It's authoritative, informative, insightful, wildly funny, incredibly witty, and a book you can go back to time and again. If Richard Sparks represents everyman in his quest to play at the WSOP, this is everyman at his best, and funniest. I highly recommend it.
Truly Unique. .......2005-12-01
This is an extremely novel book as it is a first hand account of a journalist's obsession with poker and of his online attempts to procure a seat for the 2004 World Series. The narrator, Richard Sparks, spends the first half of the diary talking about the game in general and providing us with accounts of his own efforts to gain a seat. Sparks is a good writer and possesses a creative mind. One would never describe him as boring. Overall, it's an average+ book, although it could have been a better. Sparks pastes in too many conversations from online poker chat boxes, and does not devote enough pages to the 2004 WSOP event itself. There is, however, one section in which Diary transcends, and that is where we are made privy to the transcript of the interview he had with Sammy Farha. It's absolutely excellent. We learn more about the man in those few short pages than we do over the course of all his ESPN human interest moments. There are other titles to buy ahead of this one, but it's still enjoyable.
Laughing Without Losing.......2005-11-30
"Diary" is terrific for learning the inside game of poker and laughing. There are very entertaining characters behind those reflector glasses and grain feed caps. I discovered important plays and strategies while enjoying the author's Monty Python-esque humor. Finally, my knowledge of "tells" has exceeded waiting for a gasp, heave or howl. I don't think amateurs or experts will be disappointed.
Memoirs of an average player........2005-09-16
This is a sad poker book. (I have not read the Stu Ungar bio which must be even more poignant.) He gives a lot of the gritty details of his poker play. Don't get me wrong: the tone isn't sad, but the game play is.
In fact, he admits he never does very well at the tables, and I can't tell if that's due to bad beats or his own bad play.
Instead, try the Moneymaker book which at least has an upbeat poker ending or Aces and Kings, about several well-known players.
Or read Positively Fifth Street by James McManus about his adventures in the WSOP Main Event. It's not just upbeat; you can tell he understands the game.
P.S. Sparks has a new book out, Getting Lucky: the Education of a Mad Poker Player. In it, the author admits his game needed help when wrote this book. (As he was coached by Tom McEvoy before he wrote his new book, I'm sure his game has become much better!) For those who think I was too harsh with Mr. Sparks, I did buy his new book.
excellent.......2005-08-12
Great book! Sparks uses each chapter to capture different aspects of poker today. The book is very fast moving and hard to put down. I would definately recc it to anyone interested in either big time or online poker today.
Book Description
In clear, simple terms Leadership and the One Minute Manager® teaches managers the art of Situational Leadership®--a simple system that refutes the conventional management mandate of treating all employees equally. Here, you'll learn why tailoring management styles to individual employees is so important; why knowing when to delegate, support, or direct is critical; how to identify the leadership style suited to a particular person; and how consistent use of the One Minute techniques will produce better management and enhanced motivation on all levels. This remarkable, easy-to-follow book is a priceless guide to creative, personalized leadership that elicits the best performance from your staff--and the best bottom line for any business.
If your management motto is "everyone should be treated equally," Leadership and the One Minute Manager. will show you why this style not only hinders workplace efficiency, but also frustrates your staff. In clear, simple terms, Ken Blanchard, co-author of the enormously popular The One Minute Manager., coupled with business gurus Patricia and Drea Zigarmi, teach managers the art of Situational Leadership.. You'll learn why tailoring management styles to individual employees is so important; when to delegate, support, or direct; how to identify the leadership style suited to a particular person; and how consistent use of the One Minute techniques will produce better management and enhanced motivation on all levels. This remarkable, easy-to-follow book is a priceless guide to creative, personalized leadership that elicits the best performance from your staffand the best bottom line for any business.
Customer Reviews:
One Minute is practical.......2007-08-13
The style of the book is great, it's a story. Someone discovers the method just like we would do it.
It's fiction (I suppose) but the situations are clear and the lessons are clear.
This makes the methods usefull, you understand them immediately.
Putting it into practice will require some thinking and self-training, but the principles are sound.
It's all too obvious, but in practice I see that not doing this is very unproductive.
Leadership.......2007-07-01
4 Stars.
Leadership and the One Minute manager, by Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigarmi, and Drea Zigarmi, is a great book on leadership methods. In particular, Blanchard's "Situational Leadership 2"(tm) model is an outstanding description of effective leadership approaches. The idea that your approach to leadership should depend not only on the individual(s) you're leading, but also on the context (i.e. - the situation) of leadership is sadly overlooked by many other theories/philosophies on leadership.
Admittedly, Blanchard's parable style approach to the matter is a little hokey, and some of the dialogue is contrived. Nonetheless, this book sends a message that many of today's leaders and managers would do well to pay attention to.
Also recomended are Blanchard's other One Minute Manager books, particularly:
- The One Minute Manager, with Spencer Johnson, and
- The One Minute Manager Builds High Performance Teams, with Donald Carew and Eunice Parisi Carew.
Leadership - developed, not appointed.......2007-02-18
Very good book for any one that supervises or directs employees. Primarily for a manager with salaried employees, but applicable for first line supervisor of hourly.
This book examines different levels of ability, and the different responses required to deal with different conduct/performances.
A Must Read - Situational Leadership.......2007-01-09
Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership by Ken Blanchard and company takes the classic "One Minute Manager" to the next level. The key difference is that Leadership and the One Minute Manager provides you with a scalable system to assess your team members skills, agree on the terms of success and the steps to success and then agree on a system for accountability. I have found it to be one of the most powerful tools to run my business.
a different definition of consistency.......2006-07-13
This entry in Ken Blanchard's One Minute Manager Library uses the narrative style that has for better or worse become standard in business literature to teach `situational leadership' in terms of flexibility, diagnosis, and partnering.
Blanchard's style tends toward the simple rather than the complicated side of the leadership menu and so his popular books are short and broken into bite-sized chapters, usually based upon one of his trademark sayings.
The `situational' in `situational leadership' means that Blanchard wants to coach a leader who can vary his style based upon the situation he encounters. The idea is not to produce an automaton of managerial efficiency, but rather a human being who is wise. This latter aspect of his program may have increased in recent years. The book under review dates from 1985, but wisdom under other names is already a desirable feature, even if it emerges at this early date more as a technical ability than a character virtue.
I find this little entry to be a refreshing reminder to step back and understand the human being whom one is `managing' when much of my leadership reading focuses--properly, I think--on the person of the leader. Blanchard reminds us between the lines of Leadership and the One Minute Manager that we manage human beings and that we do so for some reason larger than ourselves. Their competence and attitude vary from week to week and from task and so, therefore, should our managerial interaction with them.
That alone is worth the read.
Book Description
Ken Blanchard's phenomenal bestselling classic The One Minute Manager explores the skills needed to become an effective self leader. Now, Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager clearly and thoroughly reveals how power, freedom, and autonomy come from having the right mind-set and the skills needed to take personal responsibility for success.
In this captivating business parable, number one
New York Times bestselling author Ken Blanchard, with coauthors Susan Fowler and Laurence Hawkins, tells the story of Steve, a young advertising executive who is about to lose his job. During a series of talks with a gifted magician named Cayla, Steve comes to realize the power of taking responsibility for his situation and not playing the victim. Passing along the knowledge she has learned from the One Minute Manager, Cayla teaches Steve the three skills of self leadership. These three techniques not only empower him to keep his job but show him what he needs to know in order to keep growing, learning, and achieving.
For twenty-five years, millions of managers in Fortune 500 companies and small businesses nationwide have followed Ken Blanchard's management method, thus increasing their productivity, job satisfaction, and personal prosperity. Now, discover Ken Blanchard's newest techniques in Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager and experience the profitability that has been achieved by applying his management lessons.
Customer Reviews:
good book!.......2007-07-09
very eye opening. I hope it will increase my effectiveness and it has increased my awareness.
good concept but...........2007-01-10
The idea behind increasing effectiveness is a good one. There were times that I was able to incorporate the ideas into the situations here in an optical office. There were more times however, that the events just do not unfold as you would hope. It is as this point that the book's offered guidelines become faint and you may find yourself deeply in, and feel like you are starting over.
Worked in conjunction with the other Minute Manager books your business self is improved. The earlier books were more helpful than this addition to the series on their own. This edition just does not stand up by itself.
Eliminating Victimization.......2006-09-06
One of the main problems with most organizations is the amount of victimization throughout; blaming everything and everybody for ones problems. In delightful story form, this book shows how one can go from being a victim to self leader. The book gets at the very foundational factors that allow us to learn and grow and shows how we can use our power to lead ourselves and others. It is a must-read for everyone.
Simply Amazing!.......2006-06-08
I selected a variety of management books to browse at a local bookstore. This was the second book I picked up from the stack and I didn't get to any of the others. I couldn't put it down. Because it was such a quick and easy read, I finished it in the store!
When I finished I felt better about myself, my position at my newly formed software company, and how to push through to complete my large goal list. I will definitely be adding this book to my library. My friends and coworkers will be receiving copies as well.
Another "Home Run" for the Blanchard Team!.......2006-02-20
Blanchard's Leadership and the One Minute Manager written in 1985 was an excellent, easy to understand book about Situational Leadership.
Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager is a "must read" if you are working in the year 2006. Here's why...
Blanchard points out on page xiii of the introduction that it is not unusual for a manager to have 25 to 75 direct reports. Some of these direct reports he/she may never have met face to face.
This "fact of working life" makes it important for YOU to take responsibility for the application of the situational leadership model to YOUR life and career. Your supervisor or HR no longer has the time to be concerned with the YOUR career development.
As a executive coach I find many people in the work place are discouraged with the progress of their careers, but are not ready to accept the responsibility for their own career development.
This book will show you how!
Books:
- Quotable Star Trek
- Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho
- An Unauthorized Guide to Godzilla Collectibles (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
- Batman Begins: The Official Movie Guide
- Bazin at Work: Major Essays and Reviews From the Forties and Fifties
- Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company
- Bruce Lee: The Celebrated Life of the Golden Dragon (The Bruce Lee Library)
- CGI Filmmaking: The Creation of Ghost Warrior
- Cocktails In Tahiti
- Conversations with Brando
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present
- Copy This! : Lessons from a Hyperactive Dyslexic who Turned a Bright Idea Into One of America's Best
- The Shocking Miss Pilgrim: A Writer in Early Hollywood
- Uniforms of the NSDAP: Uniforms - Headgear - Insignia of the Nazi Party
- Audio Post Production for Television and Film, Third Edition: An introduction to technology and tech
- Eat Cake
- Beyond the Camellia Belt: Breeding, Propagating, and Growing Cold-Hardy Camellias
- You Name It Co. Practice Set
- Theories of Corporate Governance: The Theoretical Foundations
- A Woman Named Solitude
