Review by Choice Review
Foster describes this excellent reference book as "the first of its kind, not a study of one aspect of women as filmmakers, but a dictionary of women filmmakers, working in film to create new feminist visions of beauty and transcendent power." She also points out that feminist criticism must "allow for violently opposing viewpoints." The alphabetically arranged entries include women from 37 countries, from 1896 to 1910 (Gene Gaunteir and Alice Guy) to the present. For each director Foster provides a brief biography, discussion of important films, brief critical comments, and a selected filmography and bibliography. The clearly written, intelligent comments lean toward feminist interpretations of many of the films. Her introduction cites a number of relevant books. This should be an indispensable volume for film and feminist studies collections. Appendixes list the directors by nationality and by decade. J. Overmyer; emerita, Ohio State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Since a significant number of films this past year were directed by women (e.g., Gillian Armstrong, Jane Campion, Penny Marshall, Jodie Foster, Jocelyn Moorehouse, and Penelope Scheeris), the appearance of this book on women film directors over the last 100 years is timely. This is one of the most complete volumes on the topic, covering the careers of almost 200 women filmmakers, commercial and avant-garde, who created fictional narrative work (rather than documentaries). The author includes directors from around the world but admits that Western filmmakers are more often documented. She makes a serious effort to include many minority directors. Foster's lengthy introduction shows how female directors have influenced the industry--and other female filmmakers. Each main entry includes critiques of major films, an occasional mention of career paths, a selected filmography, and a bibliography. (In comparing the filmographies to those of comparable reference volumes, such as Directors and Their Films, some films have been omitted in this volume.) Connections between directors are often made, which helps the researcher see trends and influences of these women. Each director is covered in one to four pages. Two appendixes list directors by country and by decade of activity. There are indexes by film title and by subject. Women in Film: An International Guide [RBB My 15 91] covers women filmmakers from around the world, and, in addition, has topical entries on cinematic terminology, festivals, studios, etc. Women Film Directors is a wide-ranging, up-to-date survey that should be considered by public and academic libraries. (Reviewed January 1 & 15, 1996)
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
This important work compiles a significant amount of otherwise difficult-to-find information on women filmmakers working in all countries and all contexts, whether mainstream, independent, or experimental/avante-garde. The introduction, which gives generous consideration to a wide range of scholarly contributions, is an excellent synthesis of writing in English on women directors. Following are alphabetical entries of over 200 bibliographic references to interviews and filmographies that would have been more useful with the inclusion of running time, place, and production company. The considerable amount of critical commentary that Foster (English, Univ. of Nebraska) includes is an amalgam of secondary-source opinion and Foster's own viewing of a wide sampling of the films. The only other reference work in this area is The Women's Companion to International Film (LJ 10/1/94), which contains shorter entries on a wider range of subjects. Public and academic libraries with any interest in film will want to acquire both titles, as they will appeal to all types of readers.-Jane Sloan, Rutgers Univ. Libs., New Brunswick, N.J. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Library Journal Review
