On November 15th, 2018, Alicia Malone, a film reporter, author, and confessed movie geek, released her book The Female Gaze: Essential Movies Made by Women to promote the careers and movies of female directors in the film industry. I decided to buy the book a few months ago because the best way to support women in film is watching movies made by women, but I must confess that sometimes I run out of options to watch. Fortunately, the book contains a list of 52 films, and in this article, I talk about the first four.
All of these are part of the Female Gaze, a phrase used within feminist cinema that embraces the complexity of each character no matter their sex or gender. Films like these create complete characters with feelings and thoughts of their own. Every project guarantees that a woman was behind as a director, screenwriter, or producer, and I think this list entirely reflects the work of some of the most creative minds in cinema. I hope you enjoy watching them as much as I did!
- 1.- The Consequences of Feminism (1906) by Alice Guy Blaché
This is a gender role reversal comedy set in a fictional world where men are the ones objectified. The film shows us a world where women are in charge, and the men are the workers, housemaids, and caretakers for the children. Would they resist? Watch and find out for yourself!
- 2.- Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) by Dorothy Arzner
It’s a movie about a complex female friendship/rivalry between two dancers of opposite styles trying to earn a spot on stage. The lead character, Judy O’Brien, is a shy brunette ballerina who hopes to succeed in ballet and find true love one day. Her friend and the second main character, Bubbles, is a feisty blonde dancer who sees nothing wrong with using her sexuality to earn money and fame. But what happens when both are interested in the same man? Will Judy and Bubbles let him get in the way of their goals and their friendship?
- 3.- The Hitch-Hiker (1953) by Ida Lupino
This movie follows the story of two men held hostage by a dangerous serial killer. The story is about Roy Collins and Gil Bowen, two friends driving to Mexico for a weekend fishing trip. They hope to escape their homes, lives, children, and wives, but on the way there, they make the mistake of picking up a male hitch-hiker from the road. What could possibly go wrong? With Hitch-Hiker, Ida Lupino was a rare woman director who explored masculinity and identity within film noir. The film noir genre is associated with masculinity, providing a commentary on the place of men in postwar America: their losses, sense of passivity, distrust of authority, and their identities on their return to home.
- 4.- Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962) by Agnès Varda
It’s a real-time drama following a singer waiting for the results of a medical test. The film follows Florence “Cléo” Victoire walking through 1960s Paris, visiting friends, drinking in cafés, walking through parks, traveling in cabs and trams, rehearsing her act, and finally, meeting a lovely soldier. The audience follows her for ninety minutes and learns a lot about her in the process. But what happens when she gets those medical results back?