I’ve asked myself the question “What is writing for?” on a number of occasions since I started blogging. Most of the time, for me at least, it’s to entertain and amuse. I love making people laugh and let’s be honest, for the last year, laughter has been needed more than ever. From time to time, however, I find myself sitting here angry, incensed, burning with a desire to make a change with my words. Today is one of those days.
I recently read a book called “Women Versus Hollywood” by Helen O’Hara, a film journalist. I heard her reading extracts from her book on Radio 4 and was fascinated by what she had to say. I thought I knew about Hollywood. The early days of silent films with slapstick, Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, Clara Bow, the “It Girl”, Mary Pickford starting up United Artists, then the Dream Factory years, right up to today with the Marvel Universe and any number of amazing spectaculars.
Hollywood was in the news for all the wrong reasons with the #MeToo movement and the appalling revelations of Harvey Weinstein’s years of abuse. Discrimination has also been big news, and rightly so. This book told me that in the very earliest days of Hollywood, a woman called Lois Weber was one of the highest-paid directors in the silent era while one of the first people to make a narrative film was Alice Guy-Blaché. History seems to tell us that the whole industry began with men. This, it seems, is not the case. In 1917, Universal Studios had eight female directors. A hundred years later, the studio made just one female-directed film.
Lois Weber
Guy-Blaché ended up Gaumont’s Head of Production where she made over a hundred short films. She made huge strides in the understanding of technology. Have you ever heard of her? Me neither. For most of her career, she worked as a writer, director and producer, but as soon as the department started turning a profit, she had to fight every step of the way against being replaced by a man.
Meantime, Lois Weber was one of the foremost directors in the industry. She worked hard to encourage and mentor an entire generation of women in Hollywood, but I bet you’ve never heard of her either. From 1910-1920, women directed 170 Universal films between them. By the early 1920s, it was becoming harder for women to make it in their chosen field. Actress Lillian Gish made a film in 1919, hiring women to play all the roles and do all the jobs. The exception was the cameraman, and he caused problems, accusing her of being “hysterical” when a set was too small for the shot he wanted. Gish wrote to a friend, “Would never do it again, however it was a good experience, and I am not sorry.”
Lillian Gish
Rapidly, women directors, writers and producers were pushed out and replaced by men. If you think of the 1920s, you probably think of Charlie Chaplin (mentored and supported by Mary Pickford), Harold Lloyd, Valentino and a whole host of other male names. An exception to the rule of women being on the acting side of the camera was Ida Lupino, who managed to act, write, direct and produce for nearly fifty years. She was the exception, however.
Moving on to more recent times, consider these names. Darryl Hannah. Rosanna Arquette. Heather Graham. Mira Sorvino. Annabella Sciorra. When’s the last time you saw one of them in a major film? There’s a reason their careers died out when they did. They said no to Harvey Weinstein and/or were assaulted by him. He was one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, so when he told people they were “difficult”, they believed him and hired someone else instead.
This is not a review of Women Versus Hollywood, although I would urge you to read it. O’Hara also shines a light on the shameful treatment of other sectors of society in Hollywood.
The murder of Sarah Everard on 3rd March sparked a wave of outrage, vigils and peaceful, socially distanced demonstrations. Women were saying “We’ve had enough” and I agree. We have. I have.
The difference in the way women and men are treated, the way our safety is compromised (even living in the countryside, I check escape routes and carry my car keys in a certain way when I’m out alone after dark) and perhaps most of all the fact that I found myself comforting my weeping twelve-year-old daughter last night has broken something in me.
Enough. Why should my daughter, a bright, funny, strong person who has been raised to believe that she can achieve anything she puts her mind to (as have my sons) be fearful that men in plague masks are coming to England to rape women? Why should I have to talk to her about what to do and say when boys of her age tell her she should go back into the kitchen and make them a sandwich if she engages in debate with them. (“Make it a knuckle sandwich,” my fourteen-year-old son suggested). She’s looked up the stats. Just over 99% of women have experienced some kind of sexual assault or unwanted attention. Really? In 2021?
I am angry and the anger shows no signs of going away. Yes, I know. It’s not most men. Most men are decent and kind and respectful. And yet, and yet – 99%? Someone’s doing that. Some men genuinely believe it’s OK to touch women when they say no and to “compliment” them with remarks about their appearance when they walk past them on the street. It’s not OK.
From the deliberate writing out of creative women in history to the present day where we don’t feel safe on the streets, I say it’s time for change. And not sticking a plaster over a gaping wound, either. Grassroots change. Half the population are paid less, taken less seriously, have to work twice as hard to get to where they want to be.
I think that’s plain wrong. What do you think?