March 5, 2009
Searching for Debra Winger, 2002
Searching for Debra Winger is a documentary that searches for an honest opinion from women within the film industry. With a tremendous gathering of women, this documentary is definitely worth the watch to see all the influential women in Hollywood.
Making her directorial debut, actress Rosanna Arquette reveals what it means to be a woman in film. As Searching for Debra Winger debuted at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, Arquette drew inspiration from Michael Powell’s classic1948 film The Red Shoes, as a young woman is forced to choose between her love of being a dancer or the love of her life. Arquette employees this theme when dealing with workingwomen in film today, while exploring the radical balancing act: being a successful working actress, as well as a Mother and partner or wife. While consequently leaving Arquette questing why one of the great Hollywood actresses (Debra Winger) abandoned Hollywood?
Using typical documentary aesthetic and narrative forms, Arquette simply completes her main theme and showcases one on one and group interview’s with some of Hollywood’s finest women. As each actress delivers a powerful and inspirational speech to all women in media, the most memorable experience in this film is learning that everyone’s worries and hopes is coincidently the same opinion as the sole male interview by Roger Ebert.
Later, as Arquette finally reaches the main female source Debra Winger, she simply explains that she was not running away from being an actress, she was simple trying to live all aspects of her life that she had been missing. Unfortunately, Winger’s interview somewhat reveals that trying to have it all is hard, but worth working and fighting for. During this much anticipated one on one, Arquette seems sadly disappointed by Winger’s simple answer, but leaves a great ambiguity for her further career hinting that she now is waiting for the right roles. Not to worry, as this should not be a spoiler to anyone, as we all know Debra Winger has shown her face and acting abilities since 2002, in such films as: Radio, Eulogy and Rachel Getting Married.
Searching for Debra Winger is more popular than one would think and not to worry, as most popular video/movie rental places have at least one copy on their selves.
Here are the fabulous women featured in Searching for Debra Winger:
Patricia Arquette, Emmanuelle Béart, Laura Dern, Jane Fonda, Teri Garr, Whoopi Goldberg, Melanie Griffith, Daryl Hannah, Salma Hayek, Holly Hunter, Diane Lane, Kelly Lynch, Julianna Margulies, Chiara Mastroianni, Samantha Mathis, Frances McDormand, Catherine O’Hara, Julia Ormond, Gwyneth Paltrow, Martha Plimpton, Charlotte Rampling, Vanessa Redgrave, Theresa Russell, Meg Ryan, Ally Sheedy, Adrienne Shelly, Sharon Stone, Tracey Ullman, JoBeth Williams, Alfre Woodard, and Robin Wright Penn.
Ali McKinnon
Searching for Debra Winger, 2002 Trailer
Women’s History Month
Women’s history month is an annually celebrated month in North America. In October it is celebrated in Canada, some may say this month seems over looked in Canada. But, not to freight because in the United States Women’s history month is celebrated in March. So, in honor of women worldwide Sound On Sight will be celebrating women with North America this March 2009.
Stay tuned for my film picks for women’s history month and exciting headlines of the past and present!
Happy Women’s History Month to all!
2009 Theme of Women’s History Month
According to NWHP (National Women’s History Project) the 2009, the National Women’s History Project honors women who have taken the lead in the environmental or “green” movement. For more information about the NWHP, please visit their website: http://www.nwhp.org/whm/index.php.
The NWHP (National Women’s History Project) is honoring two female filmmakers: Tammy Cromer-Campbell and Roswitha Augusta. Both Campbell and Augusta’s work explores the realistic actions completed by society that are damaging the earth and will continue to damage the earth if no change occurs.
These female filmmakers raise awareness, which is overlooked and overheard by government agencies and large corporations. If you are interested in viewing these films and learning about the environmental problems I highly recommend the watch. However, you may have some troubles finding Roswitha Augusta’s film Preserving the Future, that being said, I suggest you scout out any film festival within your area or inquire about this film at any public, college or university library as they may carry small independent films as such. For Tammy Cromer-Campbell you will not have any problems finding her film Environmental Justice in the USA as Campbell has created a website specifically for the exhibition of her short documentary. To view Campbell’s film please go to: http://web.mac.com/tccphoto/iWeb/ejusa/ejusa.html.
Environmental Justice in the USA
Tammy Cromer-Campbell photographer, author and filmmaker is one of the many valued woman being honored for her environmental awareness and contributions within the United States for the 2009 Women’s History Month.
Campbell’s film Environmental Justice in the USA explores environmental injustices within specific regions in the USA: Minnesota, Texas and Washington. Campbell shows the negative and detrimental effects of the working class as corporate industrial plants and mills surround them. These detrimental injustices illustrate how a majority of the lives once lived around these environmental hazards are taken by infectious diseases such as cancer.
The aesthetics of this short documentary make for a visually captivating watch, as a majority of the work is contrived by the use of Campbell’s black and white photography that is intercut with video footage, while followed by text and voice over narration.
If further interested by Campbell’s work please note that this short film was also completed as a book entitled With Fruit of the Orchard/Environmental Justice in East Texas. This film should be given credit by all North Americans, as these environmental issues are present through the United States and Canada. On Campbell’s website, she writes: “The Federal Environmental Protection Agency states that Environmental Justice is the entitlement of all people to a clean and healthy environment where you live, work, and play.”
Watch Environmental Justice in the USA as Campbell’s achieved theme proves the wrong play bad the government, as according the Campbell the “government overlooks areas of the United States that are populated with mainly lower-income minorities that live with toxins penetrating their homes daily”.
For more information on filmmake Tammy Cromer-Campbell, please visit: http://www.tccphotogallery.com.
Ali McKinnon
Naked Lunch Radio 