२७ डिसेंबर, २०१९

"The predominantly white and male guardianship of the literary and intellectual high ground tended to view the essential American story as a solo confrontation with the wilderness..."

"... not a love triangle or intimate domestic saga. Nineteenth-century men of letters 'saw the matter of American experience as inherently male,' the literary critic Nina Baym wrote in her 1981 essay 'Melodramas of Beset Manhood.' It was a complete negation of women’s points of view, not just an artistic dismissal. That doesn’t mean American women’s fiction wasn’t popular — like 'Little Women,' Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 'Uncle Tom’s Cabin' could barely keep up with demand after its 1852 publication. But that widespread appeal was used to slight the genre out of hand and further relegate it to the status of mere entertainment. As Ms. Baym noted, Nathaniel Hawthorne, for one, complained in 1855 about the 'damned mob of scribbling women' whose inexplicably popular work he feared would hurt his own book sales. There’s some truth in the notion that women strove to write works that would sell — Ms. Alcott herself said she wrote 'Little Women' 'at record speed for money' while men toiled away on epics like 'Moby-Dick' that would fail to generate much income.... It may be that on its surface, 'Little Women' doesn’t seem as fresh and progressive, comparatively. Maybe men feel it’s too familiar — the book has been turned into a movie no fewer than seven times, including a little-seen version released just last year. But in an era when sequels and remakes clog the film landscape (many of them male-centered), it’s hardly an exception...."

From "Men Are Dismissing ‘Little Women.’ What a Surprise/The rejection of the latest screen adaptation of the beloved novel echoes a long-held sentiment toward women-centered narratives" by Kristy Eldredge (in the NYT). Eldredge is responding to a tweet by Janet Maslin, which read: "The 'Little Women' problem with men is very real. I don’t say that lightly and am very alarmed/In the past day have been told by 3 male friends who usually trust me that they either refuse to see it or probably won’t have time."

1. The media churn up this notion that you're supposed to see films. But, really, there doesn't need to be a reason not to see a film. There needs to be a reason to see a film. And films are aimed at particular sorts of people. It's absurd to criticize anyone, ever, for "rejection" of a film. Reject them all! The presumption is no. Then select only what feels right for you, what's worth your time and attention.

2. Almost no one needs to select another remake of "Little Women" as what they will allow to occupy their own precious mind for 2 hours. It doesn't matter that it's well made and the acting is good or whatever. Select it if it serves you. You don't owe Hollywood anything. Hollywood makes its offer to you, and you will be saying no to almost anything.

3. There's no reason for anyone to feel a gender-based obligation to see this or that. If something doesn't appeal to you, go somewhere else. The movie was made with intense conniving to appeal based on gender. "Little Women" gets the women that go to the movie in response to that appeal. Rather than say men ought to strive against their feeling of gender-based exclusion, I'd say women ought to strive against the pull of gender-based inclusion.

4. Louisa May Alcott herself had a distaste for what she was doing writing that book specifically for females! She wrote in her journal (quoted at "Girls adored ‘Little Women.’ Louisa May Alcott did not." (WaPo): "Mr. N wants a girls’ story, and I begin ‘Little Women.’ … I plod away, though I don’t enjoy this sort of thing. Never liked girls or knew many, except my sisters; but our queer plays and experiences may prove interesting, though I doubt it."

5. I wrote "females" under point #4 because you can see she was writing for girls — not women. It's a young adult novel. "Little Women" are "little" in the sense that they are very young. They're girls. It's horrifying that women are catered to with this story over and over again. Why is any adult interested in this material? Ask that, rather than ask why adult men are not interested.

6. Let people be interested in in the stories they're actually interested in. Don't push them to invent an interest to something that does not call out to them. It's awful to lose touch with what you really feel, who you really are, and to generate a false sense of interest in what you've been enticed to think you ought to like. That's a general problem in life, not specific to movies.

7. Does the question what is "the essential American story" have any serious meaning in the context of what movies people are choosing to go to see? Even if it's true that males dominate the activity of deciding what is "essential" and what is "American" — or what is "the intellectual high ground" — that has little relevance to the question of what's the next movie you're going to see. Let's assume "Moby-Dick" is that thing. I don't see any good film adaptations of "Moby-Dick"! The movies aimed at men don't come from an "intellectual high ground." They're low-culture stuff from comic books! Loads and loads of young-adult material.

8. "Moby-Dick" is not "a solo confrontation with the wilderness."

१३१ टिप्पण्या:

Rory म्हणाले...

One of the sequels to Anne of Green Gables, called "Anne of the Island" is a very nice book about Anne and her college friends. I know that the Anne books have been mined mercilessly since the 80s, but has that book been adapted?

Mr. Forward म्हणाले...

“ The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted.” D. H. Lawrence

David Begley म्हणाले...

1. Ann is right about the target audience for “Little Women.” My “Bride of Frankenstein,” on the other hand, is a four quadrant movie.

2. Tolstoy described “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” as “one of the greatest productions of the human mind.” High praise.

America’s Politico म्हणाले...

I totally agree here. In fact, this is yet another reason why Warren is expected to be our next POTUS. We Just Plain Americans (JPAs) are tired of the way things have been in for generations in our great country.

Cheers,
Raj

AllenS म्हणाले...

Once the Democrat nomination is over, Biden will be holding The Fake Indian's scalp.

AllenS म्हणाले...

... and waiving around her only pair of black pants. Yuck.

Quayle म्हणाले...

Saw Little Women. Liked it 6.5 to 7 out of 10. Liked the new attempt and approach to telling the story.

Saw Star Wars. Rather boring. 4 out of 10 for me, at best. The more you stir the soup, the more it becomes a thin gruel.

Quayle म्हणाले...

Really liked Knives Out.

Laughed my way through it. Hilarious. Brilliant. But rest of theater (which was full) didn’t seem to laugh as much. Been wondering about that.

rehajm म्हणाले...

There’s some truth in the notion that women strove to write works that would sell — Ms. Alcott herself said she wrote 'Little Women' at record speed for money

you can see she was writing for girls — not women. It's a young adult novel.


She was the Marvel comics of her day, yet now we're supposedly obligated to see it and genuflect? No thank you...

Rob म्हणाले...

Given the plethora of dog movies Hollywood churns out, does Janet Maslin feel we’re under an obligation to see “Cats”? The horror!

(Rob Delaney tweeted, “Just stormed out of “Cats” with my sons Bairon & Tannis because of how much the Judi Dench cat licks her own asshole. Once I’d understand, but she acts like the thing is a goddamn buffet. Tannis is still crying.”)

rehajm म्हणाले...

If you want to attract guys to your women's story you need to write to appeal to guys. The baby Yoda show appeals to men and women!

It has a baby Yoda!

Laslo Spatula म्हणाले...

"My “Bride of Frankenstein,” on the other hand, is a four quadrant movie."

Beware the Fifth Quadrant!

Also: are you sure you want to use the same title as the Elsa Lanchester / Karloff classic? "Frankenstein in Love" was a great title...

(and, in answer to an earlier comment of yours: the Toronto festival where my films won is the ALTFF Toronto)

I am Laslo.

David Begley म्हणाले...

“Cats” cost at least $95m and the gross the first weekend was $6m.

John henry म्हणाले...

I'd like to see a remake of the Moby Dick movie. I loved the Gregory Peck version.

Only this time tell the story from the viewpoint of the whale.

Perhaps Dustin Hoffman could play Ahab.

John Henry

readering म्हणाले...

Fanny Burney?

readering म्हणाले...

I really loved the film Moby Dick as a boy.

Birkel म्हणाले...

Hollywood is having a self-induced bad run.
The preaching will never attract a broad audience.
The "woke" gambit is a guaranteed loser, over time.

The question is whether the people risking OPM for their political ends will ever suffer the inevitable reintroduction of feedback loops. Will the market punish their poor leadership? Will corporate governance reassert itself? Will shareholders demand a refocusing toward profit? And away from SJW bull shit?

The seed corn is being eaten. Will any of the executives push away from the table? Can they? Do they have that power?

अनामित म्हणाले...

How many articles based on this template have been written in the last 50 years: (White) men don't write/film the experience of women/blacks/Asians/black Asian women/etcetcetc; (white) men don't read/watch books/films about women/blacks/Asians/black Asian women/etcetcetc". Thousands?

"Pay attention to me, (white) man!" (or, worse, "write my stories for me, (white) man!").

"6. Let people be interested in in the stories they're actually interested in."

Can't have that. It's offensive to certain kinds of people to have to face the fact that other kinds of people just aren't that into them.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

They make women weaker than men to limit the amount of damage they can do.

Leslie Graves म्हणाले...

If you did a Top Ten Posts of 2019, this one should be in it.

Quayle म्हणाले...

Hard to say "I don't need you", "You should give me the power", and "Why won't you invite me to your party" in the same book or movie, and make it all hold together and make sense.

But we keep trying.

rehajm म्हणाले...

They make women weaker than men to limit the amount of damage they can do.

another rhhardin classic...

Howard म्हणाले...

What, no discussion of Jane Austen's overabundant popularity in the modern era?

stevew म्हणाले...

An enthusiastic two thumbs up for our blogger host's take. Art, in all forms, is subjective. I reject the notion that I HAVE to see this or that film (play, song, painting). Side note: have we stopped referring to these films as "chick flicks"? Is that no longer allowed?

I also loved the film Moby Dick when I was young. Directed by John Huston, screenplay by Ray Bradbury (of all people). Later in life I found, read, and loved Philbrick's "In the Heart of the Sea", the story of the Nantucket whaling ship The Essex. Possibly the inspiration for Melville.

Lloyd W. Robertson म्हणाले...

Outstanding. It's simply become a commonplace to say: you must agree not only with my view of movie x or whatever, but as to its importance. Why are you not going to see it? Why have you not seen it already? You're probably a sexist, or enabling the sexists, or living in a comfortable bubble, this is just the whole history of the West, wah wah wah or words to that effect. For this people acquire a certain amount of higher education?

Lincoln knew that Uncle Tom's Cabin was not "women's fiction." When he met author Stowe he said something like "so you're the little lady who started the Civil War." I know, the Women's Studies people will be all over that one, but Lincoln was partly joking. He addressed Stowe more or less as an equal. Stowe did a great deal to stiffen the abolitionists in the North, and make civil war inevitable. Lincoln wasn't exactly an abolitionist, but he agreed that there should be no more compromises. I think the history, and the thoughts of thoughtful people, actually matter.

Howard म्हणाले...

This is too funny. For Christmas I just bought my grandsons bcomplete short stories of Ernest Hemingway and the Sea Wolf by Jack London. We will read these together after work done with commodore Hornblower

whitney म्हणाले...

I didn't like that book when I was a little girl so it doesn't bother me that the woke Brigade has taken it because, you know what, they always had it. I just didn't understand what it was when I was young but now I do and the only thing I feel about it is some innate superiority about having always disliked it

Ray - SoCal म्हणाले...

Movies have gotten more expensive, so unless it’s a must see, I don’t.

Netflix and Amazon take care of most of my movie needs.

$40 million production cost.

Sounds like it will be break even at best.

Rotten Tomato reviews, both critic and audience are good. Audience reviews are too god to be faked, like Disney seems to be doing with the latest star wars movie, oh, excuse me, using viral marketing (fake reviews) to counter act reviews by trolls.

अनामित म्हणाले...

I love this post, agree with Leslie-top post ‘19!
I have a 10 yo daughter and 18 year old son. In just those 8 years apart, the obvious systematic pushing out of critical thinking in public school is disturbing. Parents are too busy to teach it to their kids and they don’t do it at school=no critical thought given to anything. Disturbing.

Tank म्हणाले...

I feel like I should go see No Safe Spaces and Richard Jewell just to support the messages they are sending, but I know the message so maybe I'll see them or maybe not. Going to see Jewell does not sound like it would be fun; on the other hand No Safe Spaces probably is.

Temujin म्हणाले...

#6. People will gravitate to those things that interest them. You can't shame them to win approval. You can't coerce them by slamming their character. If they are prodded to go to something they don't innately like, the odds are great that they will not like what they are 'forced' to see.

Here is an example. Last night my wife and I went to see a play at one of the local playhouses. It was a last minute purchase. My wife wanted to see the play. I did not. Though I love plays, reading about this one, I had a bad feeling. But I agreed to go as I know we have a large football weekend coming up and I owe her this. As it turned out, I was right. It sucked. Even my wife was shaking her head as we left (staying for the entire thing, I might add). Bad story, bad music. Written by a woman and a man (famous people, but not as playwrights, which shows that sometimes one should stick to what they do well.)

This is a very commonly themed article for these times. Slighted women demanding we take them more seriously. We do. We take you very seriously. Some of us are just not interested in the story Little Women. Little Women is probably great for it's genre. But I'll never know. I have zero interest in pursuing it. Can't change my DNA.

Fernandinande म्हणाले...

Articles like this make me wonder why They would pay someone to write it - then I wonder if perhaps the author paid the NYeT to print it.

It was a complete negation of women’s points of view, not just an artistic dismissal. That doesn’t mean American women’s fiction wasn’t popular

A complete negation would have meant that women's fiction was nonexistent.

Tank म्हणाले...

My daughter, age 35, asked for and received Little Women (the book) for Christmas and is reading it now.

Dust Bunny Queen म्हणाले...

I would never ever watch this "remake" of Little Women because it will be full of modern feminist social justice bullshit.

Read the book and put the female interactions in the context of the historical era for which and IN WHICH it was written. The book had relevance and was significant for its time.

If the movie makers want to make a statement about their current feelings on feminism, society.....make your OWN DAMNED MOVIE. Write your own damned books.

Create something new and different for these times and stop bastardizing the works of the past.

Ralph L म्हणाले...

I'd say women ought to strive against the pull of gender-based inclusion.

I've been reading BBC History magazine, which is chock full of short articles by most of the historians in the UK. At least 90% of the articles by women are about women. "And now for the women's point of view...."

Robert म्हणाले...

1. What do movies and songs have in common? Story telling.
2. Movies have remakes. Songs are covered.
3. Movies have more capital invested than songs. A successful song does have a significant amount of capital invested.
4. As a music consumer I will actually seek out new songs and artists in differing genres. Exciting.
5. I will never watch a movie remake.
6. Where do I find new stories from differing cultures and countries? Streaming services. Fully realizing there is a set number of plots that all story lines fall into. And POP songs have their formula structure.
7. I believe society as a whole is becoming more knowledgeable and as a result have become more discerning.
8. Indie Go Go, Instagram, TIK Tok, Podcasting and .other similar platforms are having an impact. "Democratization of Creativity" for lack of a better word.
9. I wonder if the major entertainment entities see the peril, understand it, and have plans to address?

Dust Bunny Queen म्हणाले...

Allen said re Warren ... and waiving around her only pair of black pants. Yuck.

Every time I see her waving her absurdly long arms in the air....frantically gesticulating, I can't help but see one of those blow up noodle guys that they have in front of car dealerships and cheap furniture stores. Just watch her next time :-) You'll see it too

Waving, weaving, bobbing, trying to entice you into the salesman's lair: and all powered by hot air. Just like Warren and the Democrat party. Hot air

I also see her resembling a big spider with long legs/arms and a tiny body. The spider and lair analogy works for Warren too.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
mockturtle म्हणाले...

What about Ayn Rand?

John Christopher म्हणाले...

It is beyond obvious on twitter when a critic is over-praising a new movie, TV show or album because he feels like he has to like it to be part of the conversation. I don't know why they think anyone falls for it.

mockturtle म्हणाले...

Every time I see her waving her absurdly long arms in the air....frantically gesticulating, I can't help but see one of those blow up noodle guys that they have in front of car dealerships and cheap furniture stores. Just watch her next time :-) You'll see it too

Waving, weaving, bobbing, trying to entice you into the salesman's lair: and all powered by hot air. Just like Warren and the Democrat party. Hot air


Excellent, DBQ!

Caroline म्हणाले...

As a writer, a thought experiment once came to me, after reading yet another splendid portrayal of a leading female character written by a male author. List the women authors who have successfully created male characters which have found their way into the pantheon, like Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, and the like. I could only think of one— Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake. Then I pondered why that might be. Women, myself included much to my chagrin, tend to write about their own experiences; men are more universal. It’s just indisputable.

John henry म्हणाले...

Howard,

"the Sea Wolf" is a great book and reads well on a number of levels. Great as an adventure story for kids, young adults. Just as good as a morality for mature adults. Far better than a lot of the dreck published for kids and teens in the past 50 years.

I hope they enjoy it.

When Jack London was a young teen, perhaps 12-14 years old, he worked for the San Francisco Fish Patrol which was the equivalent of game wardens. They sailed all over the bay in small skiffs going after illegal fishing and oyster pirates.

London wrote a book called "Tales of the Fish Patrol" which is a series of short stories about his time with them. It is excellent. Depending on your grandson's ages and attention spans might be a better choice for reading aloud than Sea Wolf. Since the principal character in Tales is more their ages and each story can be read in 30-45 minutes or so.

The problem with reading novels to kids, I think, is that you can't finish it in a single sitting.

I had read Jack London in my teens in the 60's but then had forgotten about him til the 90s when I went on a binge and read everything I could find by him. That included some of his more obscure works like Tales, Cruise of the Snark, John Barleycorn, the Iron Heel and others.

I did not read, or even hear of, Burning Daylight which was his most commercially successful novel. I stumbled across it when looking for a book to listen too on Librivox.

First half takes place in the Yukon where "Burning Daylight" (Elam Harnish) strikes it rich not by luck by by vision, intelligence and physical endurance. The second half he goes to San Francisco and becomes a financial buccaneer.

Then falls in love. sees the error of his ways and becomes the "Burning Daylight" of old.

One of the great books of all time, IMHO. I've read it several times (free on Kindle) and listened to it several more.

Re Hemingway: I've read a number of his books and collections and always enjoyed them. But I find him like a plunge in a mountain stream. Invigorating once in, but hard to take the plunge. I really hate the idea of reading Hemingway but then, when I do get into reading him, find him quite enjoyable. I am much the same with Dickens.

John Henry

mockturtle म्हणाले...

Many years ago, when I learned that I am related to Harriett Beecher Stowe, I bought a copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin and was very pleasantly surprised by the intellectual depth and subtle humor she displayed in this well-written novel. As a child, I enjoyed Little Women and wouldn't want to watch a modern adaptation of the novel stripped of depth and Christian values.

Mark म्हणाले...

That anti-male screed -- that men, of course, hate Little Women -- was formulated before people even heard of the new movie.

As for me, the PBS version that was on just a few months ago (maybe a year ago) was quite good. But I don't see the need to go spend money on another remake.

Tina Trent म्हणाले...

And yet men are flocking to the new lesbian interpretation of Emily Dickinson's life story.

Michael K म्हणाले...

Woman author with successful male characters= Mary Renault and her Greek history novels.

The "Little Women" with June Allyson and Elizabeth Taylor was so good there is no reason to ever make another version.

"Richard Jewell" was good and it was a pleasure to see the press depicted as they are.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

Eldredge is responding to a tweet by Janet Maslin, which read: "The 'Little Women' problem with men is very real. I don’t say that lightly and am very alarmed/In the past day have been told by 3 male friends who usually trust me that they either refuse to see it or probably won’t have time."

I guess the assumption is that these are people who are seeing movies all the time. But if that's the case, the guys will probably see it on cable or streaming or DVD or whatever sooner or later. It's a problem if they're judges and this is a film in contention for awards.

Otherwise, it's another phony controversy, but it gives the writer a chance to deploy what's in her tool kit: a little Leslie Fiedler, a lot of "opening up the canon" to female writers. When people are always complaining about "having to watch" the latest Star Wars or Marvel comics movie, is it any surprise that they respond to yet another remake of an oft-filmed classic with a sigh or a groan? It would be the same with Oliver Twist or Great Expectations.

Andrew म्हणाले...

I saw the play Little Women put on by a local high school, and it was great. I had only heard about it vaguely, so didn't know the story. I found it very moving. I would have no problem watching a well-done movie adaptation.

But I only needed to see the trailer for Little Women once to know it wasn't for me. There is a palpable, heavy-handed feminist vibe. I don't need to be preached at, or "helped" to understand something. I just want to watch a good story.

Now, having heard that I am obligated to watch it, and my not desiring to watch it shows what a jerk I am, I will emphatically choose not to watch this movie.

I recently saw Knives Out, and that was a fantastic movie which I highly recommend. They lay the politics on a little thick, but I didn't care, because it was a great story with an exceptional cast who were clearly enjoying themselves. (Spoiler Alert) And the hero was a woman! I guess my toxic masculinity was temporarily overcome by good acting.

But if I had been told that I "should" see Knives Out because it would teach me a lesson, and shame on me if I didn't see it, then I wouldn't have bothered. Save me your self-righteous sanctimony. I don't go to the movies to be delivered from my sins and thought crimes.

On a lighter note, I enjoyed the Friends episode where Joey reads Little Women. "These little women, how little are they?"

https://youtu.be/sgNjdg8-Wyc


HoodlumDoodlum म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Lincolntf म्हणाले...

I watched my first ever "Mission: Impossible" movie with Tom Cruise last night at my in-laws. I assume the genre is considered toxically male, but the flick was a lot of fun. The helicopter chase/crash sequence belonged in a Marvel movie, I don't care how good a spy you are, nobody is surviving that.

HoodlumDoodlum म्हणाले...

If you didn't see 2016's Ghostbusters then you're a sexist--it's as simple as that folks.

Don't ask questions, just consume product and then get excited for next products."

Wince म्हणाले...

Althouse said...
6. Let people be interested in in the stories they're actually interested in. Don't push them to invent an interest to something that does not call out to them. It's awful to lose touch with what you really feel, who you really are, and to generate a false sense of interest in what you've been enticed to think you ought to like. That's a general problem in life, not specific to movies.

"If that DVD even touches Road House I will kill you."

HoodlumDoodlum म्हणाले...

Side note: am I going to have to read this kind of article for the rest of my life? How can no one else be bored enough of these to decide "hey, it's been done, let's talk about something else?"

Women make up about 60% of college students today, and an even greater percentage of recent college graduates. "The Future is Female!" right? At what point will it be embarrassing to keep pushing the sexism/oppression button?

I guess women are only around 45% of professors, asst. professors, instructors, or lecturers at US universities. Once women are a supermajority of those positions do you think we'll see more or less of this kind of complaint? I'm taking bets...

HoodlumDoodlum म्हणाले...

Lincolntf said...I watched my first ever "Mission: Impossible" movie with Tom Cruise last night at my in-laws. I assume the genre is considered toxically male, but the flick was a lot of fun. The helicopter chase/crash sequence belonged in a Marvel movie, I don't care how good a spy you are, nobody is surviving that.

The MI movies have some great stunts (most of which are practical!) but the problem you identify, of superhero-ing leads in action movies, is widespread and seems to be getting worse. I liked John Wick but with every new one he's more of a Superman and less of a person. The Fast & Furious movies quit pretending their characters were humans on Earth (subject to known physics). Even the new Star Wars has "regular" characters easily defeating huge numbers of opposing troops without really trying.

Superhero and Marvel-type movies are dull when the characters don't face any danger--when there're no stakes or consequences to the obstacles that they should have to overcome. Thor or Captain Marvel just overcome things--they're simply explained as being stronger and so they win, and there's no danger that they might lose or be hurt. We rarely see any kind of explanation of the limits of their powers or abilities, and when everyone's Superman (who can do anything) there's no actual dramatic tension. Kryptonite is cheesy but it's also necessary; superheros without fatal flaws or any limits are just boring. You can only make so many stories around the idea that "they have to learn to work together as a team!"

narciso म्हणाले...

Well captain marvel is ridiculous, but in every crisis from avengers to infinity war the stakes were potentially world ending and the collateral damage was nearly the same in the dc universe.

n.n म्हणाले...

War of the sexes, featuring male and female chauvinists.

rcocean म्हणाले...

The author had 3 NYC male friends tell her they won't see it. So, obviously, this is National news and an indicator of what's happening with 150 million American men. This happens on NPR a lot too. Some radio producer finds them relative or friend who Thinks XYZ and suddenly its a story..that.. must..be..told.

Supposedly, the 1933 version with Kate Hepburn is the best of the lot.

rcocean म्हणाले...

Remember all those NYT's articles about women not wanting to See "Saving Private Ryan" or "Rambo part III"? Yeah, neither do I. All these stories go one way. Evil Whites or Evil Men or VERY EVIL white men, refuse to see a movie by a woman, black, Asian, etc.

Nobody talks about the fact, that blacks will show up in far greater numbers for a Movie with black lead actor, then for an all-white movie.

Lincolntf म्हणाले...

Agreed on all counts, hoodlum.

rcocean म्हणाले...

I like some Female-Centrict Movies. "The Women" by Clare Booth Luce is good, as is "All about Eve" "Stage Door" "Westward the Women" and most of the stuff based on Jane Austen. You can argue that GWTW is a best female movie of all time.

Roughcoat म्हणाले...

"Where is the Proust of the Papuans? Where is the Shakespeare of the Zulus?"

rcocean म्हणाले...

The Prime of mIss jean Brodie should be better than it is. It has a great lead performance but misses the mark. The book is much better.

Mark म्हणाले...

The trailer from the BBC/PBS miniseries from about a year ago.

cronus titan म्हणाले...

My mother made me see Little Women in the 1980s. Immediately afterward, I went outside and chopped wood to restore some semblance of masculinity.

Strange, but she was not all that interested in reading Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn, or any of the movie versions. I did a google search, and chicks do get fired up about those books! Mark Twain's books were apparently a misogynist plot. Did not know that.

n.n म्हणाले...

Diversity culture.

Fernandinande म्हणाले...

Moe Szyslak gets caught reading "Little Women" to bums at a homeless shelter. Warning: SPOILER!

rcocean म्हणाले...

The Two greatest female books are "Alice in wonderland" and "Through the looking glass"

RigelDog म्हणाले...

Dust Bunny Queen notes that Elizabeth Warren waving her long spidery arms around reminds her of the inflatable tube men who dance outside of businesses to advertise. Immediately thought of Dee from Always Sunny in Philadelphia, who does a great imitation of tube men: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NaJyv_WXOo

rcocean म्हणाले...

Great women authors: Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, Wilma Cather, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Laura Ingalls Wilder, George Eliot, Bronte Sisters, Daphne du Maurier, Joan Didion.

Fernandinande म्हणाले...

Moe Szyslak gets outed reading "My Friend Flicka" to sick children in a hospital.

cronus titan म्हणाले...

Forget Little Women. There is a study showing what female readers really enjoy, and it is 30% of the entire fiction market:

https://www.bustle.com/articles/166802-who-reads-romance-novels-this-infographic-has-the-answer

tcrosse म्हणाले...

8. "Moby-Dick" is not "a solo confrontation with the wilderness."
Neither is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

JAORE म्हणाले...

I've got an idea! Let's remake "The Greatest Story Ever Told" with an all female cast!
What could go wrong?

Owen म्हणाले...

Eldredge is just doing what columnists do: surf off whatever recent or emerging cultural or political event will deliver enough energy to get her up on her board. Controversy and novelty = energy. If none is present, manufacture some. Use hand-puppets (she knows three guys who won’t see the show or read the book).

A commenter above poses the question: as women continue to build a supermajority of college graduates, and move into more and higher professorial and management positions, will we see a lessening of this obsessive (and IMHO tedious; even sterile) examination of (white) male hegemonies in the production of culture? I think the answer is clearly No; because it’s both a lucrative game (albeit with diminishing returns) and the only one for which the players have any training or skill. They have invested totally in this excuse for independent critical thinking, and they cannot adapt, easily or perhaps at all, to any other livelihood.

Evolutionary dead-end, but it will require a crash, not a graceful transition, to end it.

IMHO.

stevew म्हणाले...

My female English teacher, sophomore year in high school, introduced me to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. This teacher was a bit of a hippie and a feminist (the year was 1972). She didn't make a big deal out of it but did point out that the author is female and the book was first published in the early 1800's. I loved the book and story. The teacher also got me reading Vonnegut, starting with Player Piano.

अनामित म्हणाले...

rcocean: I like some Female-Centrict Movies. "The Women" by Clare Booth Luce is good...

Yes, that's a lot of fun. And speaking of that "essential American" quality, look for it in Joan Crawford's portrayal of gold-digging homewrecker Crystal Allen, distilled down in her last scene, after she's played and lost, flown high and fallen hard:

"Well girls, looks like it's back to the perfume counter for me". (From about 1:10)

She's down, but she ain't out.

Michael म्हणाले...

Progressives to everyone else: You will be made to care.

Owen म्हणाले...

T Crosse: Good call on Huckleberry Finn; ditto on Moby-Dick. I am revisiting the latter and it is an intensely social book. Life aboard Pequod is the life of a community, full of rich and unique personalities and their (cross- and counter-) purposes, and all of them forced or drawn together by the unknowable sea and its animating spirit.

To claim that “male” literature is like boys with trucks is absurdly reductive, but apparently that’s where Feminist Lit Theory V5.0 takes us.

Seeing Red म्हणाले...

Maybe they should interview women who won’t go and see it?

They do like to whine when they don’t get their way.

Amexpat म्हणाले...

"What's the matter, Molly, dear
What's the matter with your mound?"
"What's it to ya, Moby Dick?
This is chicken town!"
Lo and behold! Lo and behold!
Lookin’ for my lo and behold
Get me outa here, my dear man!

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"The predominantly white and male guardianship of the literary and intellectual high ground tended to view the essential American story as a solo confrontation with the wilderness... not a love triangle or intimate domestic saga."

Like Little House on the Prairie?

gerry म्हणाले...

Kristy Eldredge.

Another tiresome hysterical rant from the NYT.

Char Char Binks, Esq. म्हणाले...

I watched the 1994 movie version of Little Women. I think it's because I somehow sensed that Christian Bale would later become Batman.

Louisa also wrote "Little Men", but nobody makes a big deal out of that.

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"as women continue to build a supermajority of college graduates, and move into more and higher professorial and management positions, will we see a lessening of this obsessive (and IMHO tedious; even sterile) examination of (white) male hegemonies in the production of culture? I think the answer is clearly No"

Agreed. Whining works. It enhances status. It deflects conflict within the sisterhood. And women will still need excuses.

mockturtle म्हणाले...

Rcocean asserts: The Prime of mIss jean Brodie should be better than it is. It has a great lead performance but misses the mark. The book is much better.

I found the movie to be a very faithful adaptation of the book down to the very dialog.

Michael K म्हणाले...

I like some Female-Centrict Movies. "The Women" by Clare Booth Luce is good, as is "All about Eve"

The 1930s and 40s had the great women's roles in movies. You know; back when Hollywood was run by men.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

IMAO the story of the March sisters is terribly dated, which may be part of its problem. Meg only wants to get married and be a homemaker. Does that appeal to today's women? Amy is "artistic" but marries the wealthy boy next door so she can be supported in style. Does that appeal to today's women?

Then there's the problem of Beth's death. Does Beth really die of complications from scarlet fever? Louisa May Alcott writes it that way, but then writes that Jo and Meg are immune because they've already had it. Sorry, but scarlet fever is bacterial and certainly can be caught a second time (and a third and ...). And since scarletina is bacterial, today it would be cured with a few doses of antibiotic and Beth would have been fine. I don't think today's young adults can grasp the reality of the danger of disease 150 years ago.

As an aside, I suspect that Louisa May Alcott meant for the Hummel baby and Beth to die of rubella, which is viral, and so Jo and Meg would indeed be immune. But today it's a disease that is close to being exterminated through vaccines (except, of course, where anti-vaxxers live).

I think that it's time to stop remakes of "Little Women." The target audience can't relate to the issues facing women in the mid-19th century.

William म्हणाले...

@Caroline at 8:02: That's an interesting observation. I can think of several female created male characters who have made it to the pantheon: D'Arcy, Rochester, Heathcliff, umm, Uncle Tom. The only male character I can think of, however, who struck me as a cool guy with a cool life outside of the courtship dance was Rhett Butler. He could be the star of an action movie.

William म्हणाले...

I have a vague memory of seeing the 1949 version of Little Women. That one had June Allyson, Janet Leigh, and Elizabeth Taylor. That could not have been all bad, but it's just not the kind of story that appeals to men. I don't remember anything about it. Maybe if the girls talked about their hopes and aspirations while undressing it might have some cross over appeal

Leland म्हणाले...

All good points Althouse. I find the Moby Dick comments interesting. I read the books "The Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex" and "In the Heart of the Sea". However, I have never been able to make it a few minutes into the movies Moby Dick or In the Heart of the Sea. Sometimes good literature, if it is good, is better as just literature.

Ken B म्हणाले...

I thought your lists had 9 bullets.

mockturtle म्हणाले...

Michael K observes: The 1930s and 40s had the great women's roles in movies. You know; back when Hollywood was run by men.

Yes, they did. Some of the best women's roles of all time were in that era.

Kirk Parker म्हणाले...

Hmmmm, now Roughcoat is Bellowing at us...

Narr म्हणाले...

That Little Women, book or movie, was ever a thing, just reinforces my sense of superiority to The Classics of Literature as defined by a bunch of fruits and schoolmarms.

"Great" books I have missed or skipped: LW, Moby Dick, Sense and Sensibility, and almost everything else named so far. Ditto with the film adaptations--other than decor and costume (and possibly score) they simply hold no interest for me.

Narr
Sense 'n' Superiority

Christy म्हणाले...

Ahab's Wife was rather lovely novel written 20 years ago about the woman left behind when Ahab was out following his passion. The Chinese post Li Bai was most famous for a poem about a wife waiting by the River for the return of her merchant husband.

"The predominantly white and male guardianship of the literary and intellectual high ground tended to view the essential American story as a solo confrontation with the wilderness... not a love triangle or intimate domestic saga." I take her point. When researching family history I read a First Settlers of Howard County (between Baltimore and D.C.) book which waxed eloquent about the bravery of the men who took their families into that wilderness to build a better future. I laughed thinking about what bravery those probably always pregnant wives must have had forced upon them. Forgetting the ladies, as Abigail Adams phrased it, did happen.

Thanks for the Knives Out recommendation.

Roger Sweeny म्हणाले...

It is wonderful that there is essentially no difference between men and women, and women can do anything men can, and yet there is a "women's point of view" that has been unfairly dismissed by men.

Heads I win, tails ...

Caligula म्हणाले...

Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Scarlet Letter, The Red Badge of Courage, Leaves of Grass ... Only one female author in that list, and not one solo confrontation with the wildernesss.

And that's just to pick a few of the better-known titles. Is this Nina Baym supposed to be knowledgeable about 19th century American literature, or is this just another case of ignorance plus arrogance? Because, really, we don't mind your ignorance: human knowledge is vast, thus ignorance of most of it is inevitable. It's just that it becomes ugly when combined with insufferable know-it-all arrogance.

Or (perhaps more accurately) maybe it's just an inability see the past on its own terms, but only as a flawed reflection of the present?

Milwaukie guy म्हणाले...

Good books, Howard.

No further mentions of Hornblower? I've read the series three times, about 30 years apart.

The Aubrey-Maturin and Richard Sharpe series are great, too.

What is the plural of series?

Kirk Parker म्हणाले...

Caligula,

"is this just another case of ignorance plus arrogance? "

That's a rhetorical question, right?

Bill Peschel म्हणाले...

John Henry: The next time you read one of the novels, like The Sun Also Rises, check out from your Interlibrary Loan "Reading Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises'" by H.R. Stoneback.

It's a book-length annotation of the novel, chapter by chapter, that goes into detail the places, themes, and history of the novel. Using Hemingway's iceberg theory, Stoneback raises the iceberg and shows you what's underneath.

For example, there's a section in the book where Jake Barnes is walking through Paris. Stoneback tells you that it's the same path as a Catholic pilgrimage, and describes the meaning of each of the places he visits.

The book is part of a series that covers the rest of Hemingway's ouvere, although I haven't delved into those as well.

Swede म्हणाले...

I don't watch movies that are uninteresting to me.

Or read books or listen to music for the same reason.

If it appeals to me for whatever reason, I'll give it a go.

That some woman (women?) find this "alarming" reminds me that too many people are stupid.

Jim at म्हणाले...

I wonder if the left will ever figure out normal people don't take kindly to constant scolding.

I doubt it.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

The Dilbert take on men's and women's tastes in movies
https://dilbert.com/strip/2010-12-10

SGT Ted म्हणाले...

It's like claiming women are misandrist because they don't want to see Rambo or some other guy flick.

Men weren't put on this earth to affirm feminists egos and self image. The femiNazis need to shut it.

frenchie म्हणाले...

Milwaukie guy@12:19pm

Milwaukie, Oregon?

rhhardin म्हणाले...

"Women" by Philippe Sollers is good.

Nichevo म्हणाले...


Tank said...
I feel like I should go see No Safe Spaces and Richard Jewell just to support the messages they are sending, but I know the message so maybe I'll see them or maybe not. Going to see Jewell does not sound like it would be fun; on the other hand No Safe Spaces probably is.


Richard Jewell was highly affecting. Worth a watch. To strike a blow for freedom, go see it now in the theater as opposed to wait for the TV; but the movie itself is a good movie. You might find your eyes a little moist at the end. Poor man, and his poor mother! Kathy Bates was great and so was the HERO, played by Paul Walter Hauser, the security guard in Terminator 2 who was killed at the coffee machine. He remarkably showed us Richard Jewell, the man. Olivia Munn and John Hamm played their roles well, and it's always something to see Sam Rockwell go.

So watching Richard Jewell is not a pity viewing.

Nichevo म्हणाले...

Thx for tip on Knives Out, I was prepared to give it a miss. May still wait till it's free.

Milwaukie guy म्हणाले...

That's right, Oregon.

Not spelled like those cheeseheads in Illinois' biggest state park. Word is our Algonquin is better.

Rockport Conservative म्हणाले...

I can count on one hand the movies I have paid to see in the last 50 years. Three of those were with my granddaughters and children's movies. One of them I actually enjoyed, it was poignant and funny. For too many years I have been turned off by the blatant use of females as objects, sex, violence, etc.
I do watch some when they come on television. However, I don't even watch much television drama, soaps, sitcoms or otherwise. I am very much interested in watching documentaries, history, archaeology, and such.
I guess there is just enough drama in the real world I just don't want to bother with it in the unreal world. I must admit though my daughter in law is a singer, actress, very dramatic and glamorous. She is also a sturdy woman who loves to build, garden, redo things and get her hands dirty while doing it. She is a nurturer and sweetheart.

Unknown म्हणाले...

It seems like it is time once again to ask, "Are we all agreed that men and women are essentially identical, and therefore they want the same things and have the same capabilities, so that there is no reason any law, custom or moral precept should distinguish between them? Or is it our current doctrine, to the contrary, that vast differences exist between the desires and capabilities of men and women, as a result of the Y chromosome, and our laws, customs and mores should reflect those differences?"

As usual, I expect that women will insist on having it both ways.

minnesota farm guy म्हणाले...

Does anyone else get tired of women whining about their mistreatment by some mythical male? Most of the women I have known in my life have been strong, intelligent and full of well deserved self-esteem and deserving of respect. What is with these whiny bitches that appear in print.

minnesota farm guy म्हणाले...

@Michael K What you say about the 30's and 40's seems true. The women were "womanly", but they were anything but weak. I always get a kick out of the old Grant/Hepburn flicks where there is actually some intelligent dialogue. We have a standing joke in this house when we watch older flicks: "My God, dialogue!"

Leora म्हणाले...

"List the women authors who have successfully created male characters which have found their way into the pantheon,"
I would go for Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind", Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome and Newland Archer and Ferber's men from "Cimmaron" and "So Big." I could probably come up with a few more.

I'd love a "Moby Dick" remake with the movie techniques to depict the sea and the whales so much better. Would have to be someone who could deal with the narrators sense of humor which is totally missing from the Gregory Peck movie.

rcocean म्हणाले...

"The 1930s and 40s had the great women's roles in movies. You know; back when Hollywood was run by men."

Its because they were trying to appeal to a broad an audience as possible. They were constantly trying to get men to see "women's Pictures" and vice versa. Another one I liked was "Mildred Pierce" which amazed me, since I've seen the Carol Burnett Satire. And I generally don't like Joan Crawford.

I like my women tough (like Susan Hayward) but Crawford is just a little too much. Bette Davis is good in "All about Eve' because it harnesses her over-the-top dramatic persona to the benefit of the story. She could also be obnoxious AND funny.

rcocean म्हणाले...

"Would have to be someone who could deal with the narrators sense of humor which is totally missing from the Gregory Peck movie."

Yeah, I like Greg Peck, but I'm trying to think of a funny scene with him where he's NOT the straight man. Thinking...thinking....nope.

rcocean म्हणाले...

MockTurtle sings out: "I found the movie to be a very faithful adaptation of the book down to the very dialog."

Rcocean demurs: Books and movies are two different mediums. One can be "faithful" to the book, but its a 2 hour movie and a 250 page novel, so a lot gets left out. And you can't transfer the "author's voice" even if you faithfully film *most* of the plot and dialogue. CF: Comment from someone on Moby Dick's humor being lost in the filming.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Laslo:

I've gone back and forth on the movie title and I've now settled on "Bride of Frankenstein."

1. It really is about the marriage of the Creature a/k/a Franz P. Frankenstein. It is his search for love and a mate. That's his essential need which, as you know, is a must. He also is transformed from a beast and single guy to a loving and married man.

2. Adding the female to the title might increase female viewership. I wasn't getting any traction with the other titles. I can always go back to them.

3. The Bride (Margaret Saville Frankenstein) really is a major character. I want Emily Blunt in that role! And Margaret's streak of gray hair grows during the movie. Think Tulsi Gabbard. Cool idea and homage to the 1935 movie.

4. I'm sure my script is better than Universal's "Bride of Frankenstein" movie that has been cancelled. I'm going to pitch them.

5. The 1935 "Bride" is mostly about the Creature.

6. Endings are important. The ending of the 1935 "Bride" helped fix a slight problem in my ending. I use the line, "They belong dead." Last words of my script now.

7. As you know, "nobody knowns anything in this business."

8. Right now at 106 pages and I have about 60 footnotes. Rewriting now. Will be over 110 but no more than 120.

9. Will see "Little Woman" for the writing.

glam1931 म्हणाले...

I've seen pretty much every film version of LITTLE WOMEN, and as the years go by they get worse and worse...the miniseries on Masterpiece a couple years ago was awful. The 1933 George Cukor version is much-loved, although I find Katharine Hepburn a little shrill in it, but it it was a huge box office hit (#4 for 1933) and won Oscars. The 1949 version is a very respectful near-exact remake of the 1933 film, with pretty much the same script and samples of Max Steiner's great 1933 score, but also in color and with a cast of MGM starlets including Elizabeth Taylor and Margaret O'Brien, and June Allyson in probably her best performance ever.
TCM runs it often, it's the one to see.

narciso म्हणाले...

the dark universe take on the mummy, was truly horrid, Emily blunt can be awfully wooden when she wants to be, rosamund pike is the opposite,

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Narciso:

The screenwriter has no say in who gets the part and I just speculate. I like Blunt for this part because she's English with a slight accent. The whole project, at times, seems like a total fantasy but I'll keep plugging away because I think it is very well written and has commercial appeal.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

The Dark Universe concept is sound, but bad execution. My script solves that problem! Also not real expensive to make.

अनामित म्हणाले...

Caligula: ...or is this just another case of ignorance plus arrogance?

That's usually the way to bet.

narciso म्हणाले...

of course, why that many footnotes,

traditionalguy म्हणाले...

Actually, they re-did Moby Dick in a 2014 released for Christmas film. It was a good action adventure flic called "In the Heart of the Sea."

narciso म्हणाले...

But its based on nathan philbricks bookits why i decided to take a crack at moby dick annotated version

Bunkypotatohead म्हणाले...

I've never seen any previous Little Women movies and won't see this one.
But I might have watched the new one if Greta Gerwig appeared in it rather than just directed it. I could watch her peel turnips for 2 hours.

Caroline म्हणाले...

@william at 10:30: I’ve considered those characters, and I wouldn’t want to take away from Austen-bronte-Wharton’s eminence. But these are essentially women’s stories.. with Darcy and heathcliff serving as foils for the stronger female leads, Elizabeth Bennett and Cathy. They are rather one dimensional by comparison.

Ken B म्हणाले...

The Grapes Of Wrath
American Tragedy
Babbitt
Catch-22
Huckleberry Finn
The Scarlett Letter
As I Lay Dying
Moby Dick
The Old Man And The Sea

That's a pretty representative list of the books considered “the high ground” in American literature.
Only the last resembles “a solo confrontation with nature”.

अनामित म्हणाले...

Caroline: she writes genre fiction, but Le Guin’s male characters are very well done. Unfortunately, none of her books have ever been successfully translated to the screen (with the exception of a low budget but brilliant effort by PBS on Lathe of Heaven). No, they’re not pantheon, but Ged of Earthsea should be.