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Uninvited Patricia White

Uninvited By Patricia White

Uninvited by Patricia White


Summary

Examines "masked" lesbian representation in Hollywood cinema

Uninvited Summary

Uninvited: Classical Hollywood Cinema and Lesbian Representability by Patricia White

"White writes with considerable flair, and her arguments are always interesting . . ." -Choice

"Uncovering a massive trove of what she calls 'lesbian representability'-images of lesbian desire, love and life-in mainstream movies, White provides an insightful look at classic American films. . . . her myriad examples and finely wrought arguments prove both convincing and engaging." -Publishers Weekly

"Conspiratorial and witty, Uninvited is a mischievous invitation to dissect classical cinema by someone who wields the razor with glee." -OUT Magazine

Lesbian characters, stories, and images were barred from onscreen depiction in Hollywood films from the 1930s to the 1960s, together with all forms of "sex perversion." Looking at the lure of some of the great female stars and at the visual coding of supporting actresses, the book identifies lesbian spectatorial strategies.

Uninvited Reviews

White (Swarthmore College) seeks traces of lesbian desire and difference in the films of the classic era. Since the Production Code forbade even the slightest hint of sexual deviancy, White must engage in a great deal of what she calls retrospectatorship, with somewhat mixed results. She begins by discussing the Code itself; moves on to a discussion of star personae (e.g., Davis, Hepburn, Dietrich, Garbo), the gothic/horror film and maternal melodrama, overt lesbian overtones among supporting players such as McDaniel, Waters, Fitter, McCambridge, and-especially-Moorehead; and closes with a chapter on retrospectatorship. She draws on all of the major figures in feminist film theory, if only to chastise them for ignoring the lesbian spectator. Since White covers much of the same ground that Mary Ann Doane does in The Desire to Desire: The Woman's Films of the 1940s (CH, Oct'87), she is particularly concerned with correcting Doane's omissions. White writes with considerable flair, and her arguments are always interesting, if not always fully convincing. A useful addition to studies of spectatorship in and of the classic era. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals.

-- W. A. Vincent * Choice *

About Patricia White

Patricia White, Assistant Professor of English and Film Studies, teaches film and cultural studies at Swarthmore College. Her work has appeared in Screen, The Oxford Guide to Film Studies, and in numerous collections of feminist and lesbian/gay film studies. She is co-editor of a Wide Angle special issue devoted to the work of the feminist film distributor Women make Movies and a member of the editorial collective of Camera Obscura.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1: Reading the Code(s)
Chapter 2: Lesbian Cinephilia
Chapter 3: Female Spectator, Lesbian Spectator
Chapter 4: Films for Girls: Lesbian Sentiment and the Maternal Melodrama
Chapter 5: Supporting "Character"
Chapter 6: On Retrospectatorship
Notes
Works Cited
Index

Additional information

GOR006042318
9780253213457
0253213452
Uninvited: Classical Hollywood Cinema and Lesbian Representability by Patricia White
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Indiana University Press
1999-10-22
396
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Uninvited