''From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies'' is a 1974 book (revised and reissued in 1987 and 2016) by

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...

Molly Haskell Molly Clark Haskell (born September 29, 1939)Aitken, Ian, ed. (2006)''Encyclopedia of Documentary Film, Volume 2'' New York: Routledge. p. 541. . is an American feminist film critic and author. She contributed to ''The Village Voice''—firs ...

(born 1939). It was one of the first books to chronicle women's images in film. Along with

Marjorie Rosen Marjorie Rosen is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and professor best known for her 1973 book '' Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies and the American Dream''. Rosen currently teaches Journalism at Lehman College in New York . Career Holdi ...

's ''

Popcorn Venus ''Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies & the American Dream (Popcorn Venus)'' is a book written by Marjorie Rosen, published in 1973. Considered one of the first books written by a woman exploring film from a feminist perspective, Rosen's study covers wo ...

'' and

Joan Mellen Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...

's ''Women and Their Sexuality in the New Film'', it typifies the first feminist expeditions into film history and criticism, adopting the "image of woman" approach. Haskell compared the portrayal of women on-screen to real life women off-screen to determine if the representation of women in Hollywood cinema was accurate. Later developments in

feminist film theory Feminist film theory is a theoretical film criticism derived from feminist politics and feminist theory influenced by Second Wave Feminism and brought about around the 1970s in the United States. With the advancements in film throughout the years ...

have partially rejected Haskell's and Rosen's approach as rudimentary.

"The Woman's Film"

One particularly influential chapter in ''From Reverence to Rape'' discusses the genre of the "woman's film". As Haskell points out, woman's film could be a compensation for "all the dominated universes from which she has been excluded: the gangster film, the Western, the war film, the ''policier'', the rodeo film, the adventure film." A woman's film is also more self-pitying in comparison to the male adventure film which

Raymond Durgnat Raymond Durgnat (1 September 1932 – 19 May 2002) was a British film critic, who was born in London to Swiss parents. During his life he wrote for virtually every major English language film publication. In 1965 he published the first maj ...

calls the "male weepies." The man's film abstracts the times before settling down, when men were battling nature or the enemy. Marriage becomes the killjoy. "All the excitement of life occurs outside of marriage. At a soap opera level, which Haskell considers the lowest level, a woman's film "fills a masturbatory need, it is soft-core emotional porn for the frustrated housewife." These "weepies" are focused on "self-pity and tears, to accept, rather than reject".

Woman's film characters

*Three types of women characters appear in the woman's film, according to Haskell: #The Extraordinary woman #*For example, characters played by

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

and

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

. #*These women portray strong, powerful figures. #The Ordinary woman #*These women are common, passive, and often a victim. #*They are precursors to soap opera characters. #The Ordinary who becomes extraordinary woman. #*The victims who rise, or endure.

Woman's film themes

Haskell contends, "The domestic and the romantic are entwined, one redeeming the other, in the theme of self-sacrifice, which is the mainstay and oceanic force, high tide and low ebb, of the woman's film". #Sacrifice: #*A woman must sacrifice herself for her children. #*Her children for their own welfare. #*Marriage for her lover. #*Her lover for marriage or for his own welfare. #*Her career for love. #*Love for her career. In the 1930s and 1940s most films end tragically. #Affliction: #*Women holds a secret. An illness or disease. #*Martyrdom is proportionate to guilt.Haskell 1987, p. 170. #Choice: #*Normally two suitors. #*Commonly the male is only curable by "her." The man is a clergyman or confirmed bachelor. #Competition: #*The heroine must do battle with the woman whose (husband, fiance, lover) she loves.

References

{{reflist 1974 non-fiction books Books about film Books about rape Women in film