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Pink-Slipped

What Happened to Women in the Silent Film Industries?

Jane M Gaines author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:University of Illinois Press

Published:23rd Feb '18

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Pink-Slipped cover

In Pink-Slipped, Jane M. Gaines reveals the significant yet forgotten roles of women in the silent film era, examining their contributions and subsequent obscurity.

In Pink-Slipped, Jane M. Gaines explores the significant yet often overlooked contributions of women in the silent film era. During this time, women held more positions of power in American cinema than at any other point in history. Figures like Marion Leonard, who co-founded a feature film company, and Gene Gauntier, known for her writing and acting at Kalem Films, played pivotal roles in shaping the industry. Despite their achievements, these pioneering women have largely vanished from historical memory, prompting Gaines to investigate the reasons behind their obscurity.

Gaines delves into the individual careers of these early filmmakers, illustrating how their stories have been overshadowed by a lack of recognition in film history. She argues that the failure of 1970s feminist historiography to rediscover these women further cemented their absence from the narrative. Through a blend of feminist theory and personal reflection, she examines the limitations of historiography and how it affects the representation of women in cinema.

Ultimately, Pink-Slipped serves as a bold journey through history and memory, highlighting the need for a new understanding of these artists' pasts. Gaines connects the aspirations of early female filmmakers to those of contemporary women, emphasizing the importance of reclaiming their legacies. This exploration not only sheds light on the influential women of the silent era but also calls for a reevaluation of their place in film history.

A Choice Outstanding Title, 2018
"An intellectually dense and enlightening intervention in the never-to-be-concluded discussion of how we frame history and how we navigate time." --Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television
"Pink-Slipped is a momentous contribution to the interdisciplinary field of feminist media history in its embrace of 'unknowability' as a critical stance." --NECSUS
 
"Pink-Slipped weaves an extraordinarily intricate complex of issues and impasses surrounding history and historiography." --Screen
"An eye-opening look at these innovative film pioneers and their relevance today, supported by extensive research and in-depth presentation and an insightful examination of the historiographical process itself. This scholarly narrative is an informative addition to film, cultural, and feminist history collections, prompting additional study and discussions."--Library Journal
"[Gaines's] work should not be missed by those interested in the intersection of critical theory, feminism, and film." --Publishers Weekly
"Complex and well researched." --H-Net Review
"Gaines's study is of crucial importance to feminist film critics and historians, and its meditations on history and politics are relevant to many contemporary fields of study. Essential." --Choice
"Gaines' book is an engaging and rich examination of the 'knowability' of the past." --Gender & History

"A valuable reflection on the processes of history-making, and an interrogation of the blind-spots that such practices create." --Synoptique

"A preeminent and provocative feminist historian of early cinema, Jane Gaines has always balanced empirical research with philosophical interrogation of how 'history' as an object of knowledge is itself historically conceived, practiced, and legitimated. She goes even further in Pink-Slipped, developing a 'melodramatic theory of historical time' that should be read by every historian, whatever their focus. A groundbreaking and brilliant book!"--Vivian Sobchack, author of Carnal Thoughts: Embodiment and Moving Image Culture

"This is not simply a book about the historiography of early film history or women's place in it. Gaines's larger argument is more ambitious, as she attempts to trouble, complicate, and inject some skepticism into the historical project in which she and others are engaged."--Patrice Petro, author of Idols of Modernity: Movie Stars of the 1920s

"Jane Gaines has been our great pioneer of feminist film history, blazing a trail into the neglected terrain of women filmmakers, particularly during the silent era. In this complex new work she traces a path into controversial areas of the theory of history and the goals of feminist film studies. This is a book that questions assumptions and will agitate our field."--Tom Gunning, author of D. W. Griffith and the Origins of American Narrative Film: The Early Years at Biograph

  • Winner of <DIV>A <I>Choice</I> Outstanding Title, 2018</DIV> 2018

ISBN: 9780252083433

Dimensions: 254mm x 178mm x 20mm

Weight: 680g

328 pages