Name: Girls on Film
ISBN: 9781642506563

Alicia Malone

Film reporter Alicia Malone brings a collection of personal essays looking at the representation and impact of women on film. In addition to personal anecdotes and analysis, this book weaves in interviews from a diverse group of well-known women working in cinema today.

The Complete History of the Women Who Broke Barriers and Redefined Roles

Girls on Film

Amanda

Just off the bat, this is not the book that Goodreads has it listed as. The author's foreword is very clear that this is a look at the women in film who affected the author's life in some way, NOT a "complete history of the women who broke barriers". I think that wrong title is giving the book some bad reviews because people are going in with wrong expectations.

That said, this autobiographical look at the author's life through the films that changed her is a really enjoyable read. I could completely relate to chapters like the one about Drew Barrymore. While the author has made very different life choices than me, I felt a kindred spirit in her love for films. The stories are interesting and provide lots of behind the scenes and historical information about some of the most famous women in film. The coda chapter about how Covid changed the author's relationship with work and films was an excellent little add-on. 

I really enjoyed the audiobook version of this story. The narrator was very lively and I frequently forgot that it was not actually the author telling the story herself.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Alicia Dixon

Girls on Film by Turner Classic Movies host Alicia Malone walks a fine line between a film criticism book and a memoir, blending Malone’s thoughts on classic films seamlessly into scenes from her own life. She is critical of the flaws of older films in light of modern understanding of the treatment of women and acknowledges that even on this topic, she speaks from a position of white privilege. What’s more, she is able to do all of this without losing sight of her love of these films and how they shaped her life from early childhood to her career as a film host. 

I heard echoes of myself in a lot of Malone’s struggles and joys, though she is 13 years my senior and has chosen a very different career path from my own. She speaks plainly about the expectations for women in society, and the feelings and treatment that come along with rejecting those expectations through film, history, and her own personal anecdotes. The book ends with reflection on how COVID has affected the movie industry and movie theaters in general—and Malone’s decision to try to save and run an independent cinema near her new home in a time when such institutions are struggling worldwide. 

As someone who also visits theaters in foreign countries, has a favorite seat in my local indie, and ran to the movies as soon as theaters reopened last year, I found myself thinking of how much I share with Alicia, beyond our first names. I hope I get to visit her cinema some day. 

Overall, this book felt made for me, in particular. My one regret was that it is not read by the author, but narrator Brigid Lohrey does an excellent job in her stead. 

I would highly recommend to any other girls who would rather be sequestered into a cinema than anywhere else, and to film lovers more generally. I would also recommend it to people interested in a feminist critique of modern media. Overall, an excellent read, and one of my favorite nonfiction choices of the year so far.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for granting me an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Girls on Film The Complete History of the Women Who Broke Barriers and Redefined Roles

Reviews

Highlights