The plots of these vintage gems — many of which involve illegitimate children and illicit sex — are a hoot. Take, for example, Now, Voyager (1942), in which spinster Bette Davis checks into the sanitarium, undergoes a glamorous makeover, sets sail on a cruise, meets a charming married man, falls in love, accidentally kills off her mother, returns to the sanitarium, and rescues her paramour’s miserable daughter. Still, no matter how implausible the storylines, these films vicariously liberated women. The plots may have punished their heroines for straying too far from the kitchen, but, in their outlandishness, they let women sidestep the morality that governed real life. And as anyone who’s sat trickling tears in a darkened theater knows, nothing is quite as cathartic as a good weepy. Says Jeanine Basinger, author of A Woman’s View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women, “In the old days, a woman’s film was one that was about women, but not necessarily just geared to a female audience. The studios believed a mature woman’s problems were interesting to everyone.”
title: “Weep Show” ShowToc: true date: “2023-02-09” author: “Mark Bolger”
“Once a woman could have sex without being married or have a child without a husband things changed,” explained Basinger. “The plots went out the window when the social rules relaxed. These films were about women’s restricted place in society, the grief it caused and how they dealt with it. There’s really only one category left — fatal diseases and trouble with men.”
title: “Weep Show” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-10” author: “Catherine Eure”
In addition, with the focus on female relationships, Hollywood’s top actresses —Meryl Streep in One True Thing and Dancing at Lughnasa, Susan Sarandon in Stepmom, and Sharon Stone in The Mighty— are enjoying meaty parts. Will the flow of weepies increase the Oscar intrigue this year? “Let’s hope so,” said Basinger. “Every year it’s an embarrassing situation. They can barely scrape up five women for Best Actress nominees. Strong roles for women at least ensure some real competition.” And that’s nothing to cry about. Related Links:
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