Thelma & Louise and Women in Hollywood

by Gina Fournier

Overview

The entertainment industry is all too much a man's world, with Hollywood at its macho center. Thelma & Louise made film history with a female screenwriter, two female leads and a controversial, female-empowered storyline. The film is well worth studying for its impact on Hollywood and, in a broader sense, its reflection of women's role in society.

This book examines the cultural impact of Thelma & Louise, not only upon its release in 1991 but throughout the years since. The book begins with a look at the role of women in media and the underrepresentation of women in the film industry, on and off screen. Next comes a thorough examination of Thelma & Louise's public reception: the controversy it generated, the reviews it received, and the many ways it is referenced in popular culture. Case studies from newspapers across the United States, focusing on reviews and op-ed pieces in The Salt Lake Tribune, The Washington Post, The Boston Herald, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution and others, show how the film's reception differed from region to region. The final chapter provides current female employment statistics for the film industry and offers insight into the present role of women in film.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786423132
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	12/14/2006
Series:	Women's Studies
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.86(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

English instructor Gina Fournier lives in Evart, Michigan.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Preface     
Introduction: Why Isolate Women?     

PART I: A FILM OF THEIR OWN
1. The Primary Insult     
2. Woolf Passes the Pen to Khouri     
3. The Bloody Truth about Women in Hollywood Films     
4. The Remarkable Thelma and Louise     

PART II. PUBLIC RECEPTION
5. The Great Debate     
6. Rape Downgraded to a “Minor Plot Point”: The Nation Reacts to Two Women Characters     
7. Second Wave     
8. Deep Impact     
9. The Thelma & Louise-ing of American Culture     
10. Thelma and Louise Reunite—In Jail     

PART III: CASE STUDIES
11. Middle of the Road—Dayton: The Dayton Daily News     
12. Detroit: The Detroit Free Press     
13. Chicago: The Chicago Tribune     
14. Salt Lake City: The Salt Lake Tribune     
15. Southern Exposure—Atlanta: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution     
16. Coast to Coast—Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post     
17. Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Times     
18. The Hub—Boston: The Boston Globe     
19. The East vs. the Heartland: The Boston Herald and The Kansas City Star     
20. Conclusion: Too Many Bogus Years     

Epilogue     
Cast and Credits     
Chapter Notes     
Bibliography     
Index