Women in Film: Scandalous Sisters GHUM 1094

OntarioLearn description: How are women represented in film? What kinds of stories are told about women’s experiences – and who is telling these stories? What kinds of women are represented in films – and what kinds of women don’t we see in mainstream movies? Women in Film - Scandalous Sisters explores and analyzes representations of women in a range of mainstream historical and contemporary films. Our focus is on movies that were seen as “scandalous” or controversial when they were released because of the “unconventional” behaviour and/or appearance of the central female character(s). We explore the historical, social and political factors that influenced both the representations of women in these films and the controversies that arose when the films were released. We also discuss how and why representations of women (both “scandalous” and “proper”) in film have changed over time and consider the future of women in film. Issues of gender, race, class and sexuality are central to our discussion and analysis.