What are the names of the two women who you have selected to profile and what roles(s) did/do they have in cinema (are they directors, producers, writers, editors, actors)?
The women I have chosen to analyze are Lois Weber and Betty Thomas. Both women had multiple roles in the film industry. Lois Weber was an actress, screenwriter, producer and, director. Betty Thomas, is an actress and director.
What education and work experiences did they bring to their work in cinema?
Betty graduated with a BA in fine arts. She started off in comedy but landed a huge role in a TV drama. In the 1980s, Thomas decided to transition into directing films. Many of her films carry a comedic aspect to them, like her early acting career. Lois worked alongside her husband, Phillips Smalley, to create and star in films.
What films are they best known for (including any awards that they have won or been nominated for) and what genres they have typically worked in?
As an actress, Betty is best known for her role as Lucille Bates in Hill Street Blues. For this show, she was nominated for six Emmy's. In 1985, she won the “Best supporting actress” award. As a director, Betty has quite a lot of films that she is best known for. Some include, Alvin and the chipmunks, John Tucker must die, Dr. Doolittle, etc. Her most famous movie was The Brady Bunch Movie. Lois Weber is known for her lead role in the film Hypocrites(1908). As a director, her most successful film was in 1914 when she became the first ever woman to direct a feature length film. In that year alone, she directed 27 films. Summarize their overall experiences working in the film industry (hint: look for historical biographies and contemporary interviews). Lois Weber’s work was always questioned. Many thought it was her husband doing the work instead of her. Others thought that her work declined after her divorce with her husband Phillips Smalley. Anthony Slide believed it was because “without the strong masculine presence”, she could not create as she once had. Betty, was castes as a butch because of her height and “aggressive face”. For that role, she won an award. Her success could no doubt be because of her “masculine appearance”. What do their individual experiences suggest to us about the larger state of women’s work experiences during these different time periods? Although Betty was masculinized, she at least was not casted under the shadow of a man like Lois was. After her divorce, Lois’s career tumbled, partly because she had a hard time switching to ‘talkies’. I also suspect it to be because she did divorce Smalley. It seemed like her career was …show more content…
She is seen as a masculine figure due to her height and build. She also does not focus on primarily “women's films”. I am sure many people did not know that the films they were watching such as Alvin and the chipmunks, was directed by a woman. If veiwers were to know that she directed the films, their opinions on the films would be changed just because of their bias’. I can also see this with Lois Weber. Her films were successful as long as she remained married and her husband took partial credit to her work. When there were married no more, her career
The women I have chosen to analyze are Lois Weber and Betty Thomas. Both women had multiple roles in the film industry. Lois Weber was an actress, screenwriter, producer and, director. Betty Thomas, is an actress and director.
What education and work experiences did they bring to their work in cinema?
Betty graduated with a BA in fine arts. She started off in comedy but landed a huge role in a TV drama. In the 1980s, Thomas decided to transition into directing films. Many of her films carry a comedic aspect to them, like her early acting career. Lois worked alongside her husband, Phillips Smalley, to create and star in films.
What films are they best known for (including any awards that they have won or been nominated for) and what genres they have typically worked in?
As an actress, Betty is best known for her role as Lucille Bates in Hill Street Blues. For this show, she was nominated for six Emmy's. In 1985, she won the “Best supporting actress” award. As a director, Betty has quite a lot of films that she is best known for. Some include, Alvin and the chipmunks, John Tucker must die, Dr. Doolittle, etc. Her most famous movie was The Brady Bunch Movie. Lois Weber is known for her lead role in the film Hypocrites(1908). As a director, her most successful film was in 1914 when she became the first ever woman to direct a feature length film. In that year alone, she directed 27 films. Summarize their overall experiences working in the film industry (hint: look for historical biographies and contemporary interviews). Lois Weber’s work was always questioned. Many thought it was her husband doing the work instead of her. Others thought that her work declined after her divorce with her husband Phillips Smalley. Anthony Slide believed it was because “without the strong masculine presence”, she could not create as she once had. Betty, was castes as a butch because of her height and “aggressive face”. For that role, she won an award. Her success could no doubt be because of her “masculine appearance”. What do their individual experiences suggest to us about the larger state of women’s work experiences during these different time periods? Although Betty was masculinized, she at least was not casted under the shadow of a man like Lois was. After her divorce, Lois’s career tumbled, partly because she had a hard time switching to ‘talkies’. I also suspect it to be because she did divorce Smalley. It seemed like her career was …show more content…
She is seen as a masculine figure due to her height and build. She also does not focus on primarily “women's films”. I am sure many people did not know that the films they were watching such as Alvin and the chipmunks, was directed by a woman. If veiwers were to know that she directed the films, their opinions on the films would be changed just because of their bias’. I can also see this with Lois Weber. Her films were successful as long as she remained married and her husband took partial credit to her work. When there were married no more, her career