The Art of Film: The Love Goddesses

Duration: 12:00

Year Published: 1965

Creator: Janus Films

Complete Record: This film explores the role of women in Western filmmaking society. The first example is a jungle scene where a woman in a gorilla costume disrobes from her fur into a beautiful dress. We explore the early silent films to set the tone for roles that women were expected to play. Early films contained the Good Girl (Heroine) or the Vamp. The Vamp could be very sexual because the Heroine was void of sexual play. As soon When WWI came around, a different woman emerged. She was stronger and could wear more varieties of dress. Valentino was an early example. The sexual roles were clearly defined in the beginning. Black and white footage of can-can girls!! The goddesses appeared queen-like on screen...Greta Garbo is a perfect example of this. Moral attitudes eventually relaxed a bit in the early 1930’s. Busby Berkeley films accentuated the female form and played on female stereotypes. Comedy began to take center stage. Mae West was a sexy comedienne. She’s wearing a really sexy outfit.