Post by klep on Aug 10, 2020 7:32:11 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/10: Born in Flames
THIS FILM KILLS FASCISTS WEEK!
The revolution came and all is well! Social Democracy has taken hold in America through a largely peaceful revolution. You may all resume your lives knowing that the United States has finally made good on its promise of equality for all.
Oh hrmm... women (and particularly black women) are being disproportionately fired from blue collar jobs, and the government isn't doing a good enough job of supporting them. Well, I guess sexism and racism aren't going to be eradicated overnight, but it can't be too bad, right?
Oh, men are rioting because they feel the best jobs are going to women. And assaulting women on the street in open daylight with little fear from authorities. And rapists are getting rehabilitation services while benefits for rape survivors get cut to nothing. And the government's response to growing unemployment is to pay women for housework.
Maybe things aren't so great after all.
Lizzie Borden's Born in Flames posits a world where the revolution happened, but largely left the same people in charge. Women participated equally in the revolution, but once it happened the white male patriarchy immediately went to work reasserting itself. Now, a group of predominately black and queer women are banding together to fight for true equality.
It's a cynical idea, but one that is well-justified. Throughout America's history we have been happy to accept the help of women and minorities in struggles for the American Dream only to turn on them a moment later. The Civil War freed the slaves, but the end of Reconstruction allowed imposition of a new kind of slavery. Black women were critical in the suffragette movement, but the white leaders were always fast to hide them from the spotlight. Women were critical factory workers during World War II, but immediately shoved back into the kitchen when the men returned home.
Borden also astutely captures the likely response to any new attempt at social revolution. Much like during the Civil Rights movement the government immediately begins surveillance of Women's Army members, looking for ways to discredit and neutralize them - and almost certainly murdering one.
Born in Flames is also observant in how Borden places white women in this society. The only women we see in any positions of authority are the editors of the Social Labor Party's newspaper (hi Kathryn Bigelow!) and the host of a TV talk show, all of whom are white. They're obviously comfortable with their positions, and are (at least initially) quick to dismiss the Women's Army as violent agitators whose work is counterproductive to the cause. A combination of privilege and fear leads them to turn a blind eye to the suffering of women less fortunate until Adelaide Norris' (Jean Satterfield) murder it makes it impossible to ignore.
Intersectionality was on Borden's mind heavily as she worked on the film. She knew she wanted women who looked like they worked in construction as well as specifically black and queer women, who were hard to find in her own social circles. Her quest took her to black communities and lesbian bars and even (in Jean Satterfield's case) random collegiate athletic tape. She ended up casting a lot of amateurs who were already keenly aware of the oppression she wanted to highlight in the film. In particular the radio hosts Honey (as herself) and Isabel (Adele Bertei) impressed Borden enough that she had them write their own speeches. Much of the film's dialog was partially improvised in order to let the largely amateur cast give authentic cadences and idiom to their lines.
The film concludes not with an ending, but with the beginning of a new phase in the revolution as the Women's Army bombs the radio antenna atop the World Trade Center - cutting off a broadcast where a white male TV anchor is talking about a growing consensus to claw back the social safety net. Early in the film Florynce Kennedy's Zella says that all oppressed peoples have the right to violence just like the right to pee - it just has an appropriate time and place. The peaceful revolution has failed to achieve its goals, and the Women's Army has only one recourse left. They'll have to be vigilant to keep the cycle from repeating itself again.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/17: Top Secret!
CATCH-UP WEEK!
Next week we're finally crossing Top Secret! off our list! Join us next week for this WWII spy parody from ZAZ starring Val Kilmer. Be prepared for antics, shenanigans, and, I suspect, tomfoolery. Top Secret! is available for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 8/11: First Cow
The podcast's pairing concludes with Kelly Reichardt's new film First Cow. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of the film, available for rent in the usual places.
THIS FILM KILLS FASCISTS WEEK!
The revolution came and all is well! Social Democracy has taken hold in America through a largely peaceful revolution. You may all resume your lives knowing that the United States has finally made good on its promise of equality for all.
Oh hrmm... women (and particularly black women) are being disproportionately fired from blue collar jobs, and the government isn't doing a good enough job of supporting them. Well, I guess sexism and racism aren't going to be eradicated overnight, but it can't be too bad, right?
Oh, men are rioting because they feel the best jobs are going to women. And assaulting women on the street in open daylight with little fear from authorities. And rapists are getting rehabilitation services while benefits for rape survivors get cut to nothing. And the government's response to growing unemployment is to pay women for housework.
Maybe things aren't so great after all.
Lizzie Borden's Born in Flames posits a world where the revolution happened, but largely left the same people in charge. Women participated equally in the revolution, but once it happened the white male patriarchy immediately went to work reasserting itself. Now, a group of predominately black and queer women are banding together to fight for true equality.
It's a cynical idea, but one that is well-justified. Throughout America's history we have been happy to accept the help of women and minorities in struggles for the American Dream only to turn on them a moment later. The Civil War freed the slaves, but the end of Reconstruction allowed imposition of a new kind of slavery. Black women were critical in the suffragette movement, but the white leaders were always fast to hide them from the spotlight. Women were critical factory workers during World War II, but immediately shoved back into the kitchen when the men returned home.
Borden also astutely captures the likely response to any new attempt at social revolution. Much like during the Civil Rights movement the government immediately begins surveillance of Women's Army members, looking for ways to discredit and neutralize them - and almost certainly murdering one.
Born in Flames is also observant in how Borden places white women in this society. The only women we see in any positions of authority are the editors of the Social Labor Party's newspaper (hi Kathryn Bigelow!) and the host of a TV talk show, all of whom are white. They're obviously comfortable with their positions, and are (at least initially) quick to dismiss the Women's Army as violent agitators whose work is counterproductive to the cause. A combination of privilege and fear leads them to turn a blind eye to the suffering of women less fortunate until Adelaide Norris' (Jean Satterfield) murder it makes it impossible to ignore.
Intersectionality was on Borden's mind heavily as she worked on the film. She knew she wanted women who looked like they worked in construction as well as specifically black and queer women, who were hard to find in her own social circles. Her quest took her to black communities and lesbian bars and even (in Jean Satterfield's case) random collegiate athletic tape. She ended up casting a lot of amateurs who were already keenly aware of the oppression she wanted to highlight in the film. In particular the radio hosts Honey (as herself) and Isabel (Adele Bertei) impressed Borden enough that she had them write their own speeches. Much of the film's dialog was partially improvised in order to let the largely amateur cast give authentic cadences and idiom to their lines.
The film concludes not with an ending, but with the beginning of a new phase in the revolution as the Women's Army bombs the radio antenna atop the World Trade Center - cutting off a broadcast where a white male TV anchor is talking about a growing consensus to claw back the social safety net. Early in the film Florynce Kennedy's Zella says that all oppressed peoples have the right to violence just like the right to pee - it just has an appropriate time and place. The peaceful revolution has failed to achieve its goals, and the Women's Army has only one recourse left. They'll have to be vigilant to keep the cycle from repeating itself again.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/17: Top Secret!
CATCH-UP WEEK!
Next week we're finally crossing Top Secret! off our list! Join us next week for this WWII spy parody from ZAZ starring Val Kilmer. Be prepared for antics, shenanigans, and, I suspect, tomfoolery. Top Secret! is available for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 8/11: First Cow
The podcast's pairing concludes with Kelly Reichardt's new film First Cow. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of the film, available for rent in the usual places.