Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? : The Truth About Female Power in Hollywood

Rating:
Summary: Terrific!
Review: A highly readable, intelligent book about women and power (or lack of) in modern-day Hollywood. This was one of the best books I've read in quite a while and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fascinating look behind-the-scenes. I hope this author continues to write more books.

Rating:
Summary: Sharp observations with the insider sizzle of gossip
Review: I bought this book because I heard a humor piece Rachel Abramowitz did on public radio, and loved it. I was not disappointed. Reading this book was like sitting down with a witty and observant friend in the movie business for a lovely long dish session. It showed me how far women have come behind the camera (and how far we still have to go), and gave me a real appreciation for the women who have made their mark on the film industry, and for what it cost them. This book is well worth purchasing, because you'll want to refer to things you remember in it, and anecdotes about movies you've seen.

Rating:
Summary: A compelling look at women and power in Hollywood...
Review: I love movies almost as much as books and have long been concerned about the roles that women play both behind and in front of the camera. In Is That a Gun... Rachel Abramowitz provides a fascinating, intelligent look at the power dynamics in Hollywood and a deeply personal one at the women themselves.

Abramowitz spent seven years researching this book and it shows. She interviews women who have occupied various positions in Hollywood - from director to producer, agent, executive - about their lives and work. The women are very different from each other, but they were all among the first women to assume power in Hollywood and as such they have shared experiences. She often provides a background of the women, taking us through their early lives to their arrival in Hollywood - both literally and figuratively - and through their struggles and achievements. Often, along the way, much is revealed about how certain movies, such as Flashdance, Fatal Attraction, Forest Gump and more, were made and about actors, directors, studio heads and so on.

Abramowitz does not rely solely on the women's accounts. She interviews scores of tangential players - from directors to spouses, many famous in their own right, and so on - who corroborate stories and offer their own perspectives, sometimes unwittingly underscoring one of the major points of the book - that however much many of the women might want to deny that sexism affected them personally, they certainly weren't treated the same way that men were.

Many, many women are profiled in this book, so many that there were some that I wanted to learn more about. Others, most notably Dawn Steel and particularly Sherry Lansing, play a more prominent role - in fact, I'd say that Sherry appeared throughout with the most consistency. But a lack of 'page time' does not mean a lack of details, description or insight. Her interviews with Jodie Foster are stunning, especially as Jodie discusses her work on The Accused, Taxi Driver and directing Little Man Tate. And learning about Barbra Streisand's struggles to get her films made was surprising and illuminating. I simply wished there had been more because what was there was so fascinating and interesting.

Too much can be learned from this book to summarize here, and it is much more substantial than mere gossip even though it is sometimes just as fun. If you love movies and have ever questioned why 'chick flicks' meant for women are often totally sexist and completly insult your intelligence, this books helps point you in the direction of an answer. Yet beyond all of the information - and, yes, dirt - I was suprised to find out how human these women were, how unlike the stereotype of the typical powerful, agressive, tough and successful Hollywood career woman. It is a bit disheartening to see how many of them distanced themselves from each other and feminism, not wanting to admit to seeing sexism or being treated differently, but it becomes almost understandable given what some of these women were up against. At any rate, that's a whole other book and this one, as it is, is wonderfully written, thoroughly researched and offers a perspective on Hollywood that's fresh and new - aside from making it about a thousand pages longer, I wouldn't change a thing.

Rating:
Summary: HELD MY INTEREST - MOST OF THE TIME
Review: I read an excerpt of this book a couple months back in a magazine and when I found out it was from a future book, I made a mental note to myself to be sure & buy it when it became available. I did, and I was fairly satisfied. The first 1/2 of the book was very interesting and I learned many new things about women I had never heard of before but learned have great power in Hollywood and were responsible for some of the very movies I have loved over the years. Now when I see the name Sherry Lansing or Polly Plat in print, I know exactly who they're speaking of. I appreciate movies like Forest Gump & Fatal Attraction all that much more now because I know the story behind them. The second 1/2 of the book dropped off a little. It seemed to drag on a little too much, and probably could have been 2-3 chapters shorter. The final few chapters are good again & renewed my interest. Too bad I can't use 1/2 a star, because I'd actually rate this a 3 1/2, but 4 is pretty close. Overall, I don't think you'll be disappointed unless you're a chauvanist or a man who still thinks a woman's place is in the kitchen or barefoot & pregant - although it would probably teach some of those people a lesson! Defintiely worth buying in hardcover!

Rating:
Summary: It draws you in and you gobble it up
Review: I read books on Eisner and Diller and even Mazursky, but this one really drew me in, from its opening at the funeral of Dawn Steel at Mount Sinai Cemetery in 1997 -- Dawn, the woman who headed Columbia Pictures, the woman who hung up on President Clinton when she was placed on hold by the White House. For the next 445 pages, it is a non stop enjoying read and history of women in Hollywood, women as agents, directors, producers, and actors. Stories of sexism, nude auditions, jealousy, rivalry, friendship, struggle, and POWER. It was refreshing to read about the rivalries. i especially enjoyed the profiles and background stories on Elaine Goldsmith, Polly Platt, Amy Herckerling, Elaine May, Joan Micklin Silver, Sue Mengers, Paula Weinstein, Nora Ephron, Dawn Steel, Amy Pascal, and Sherry Pascal.

Rating:
Summary: Depressing but well documented
Review: It's been a shibboleth of the feminist movement that women are not treated well in Hollywood, meaning the movie industry in general. Unfortunately, this book is proof of that argument. The process of making a movie is described in detail, and many major players, both male and female, of the past few decades are interviewed on-the-record about how women are excluded from both decision-masking and screen time. If you're interested in the business, this is a good read. but it's not a star-dropping tell-all.

Rating:
Summary: Depressing but well documented
Review: It's been a shibboleth of the feminist movement that women are not treated well in Hollywood, meaning the movie industry in general. Unfortunately, this book is proof of that argument. The process of making a movie is described in detail, and many major players, both male and female, of the past few decades are interviewed on-the-record about how women are excluded from both decision-masking and screen time. If you're interested in the business, this is a good read. but it's not a star-dropping tell-all.

Rating:
Summary: Hollywood Behind the Scenes
Review: Rachel Abramowitz has achieved what so many would like to accomplish. She has written an intelligent, compelling and very entertaining account of how women achieve power in Hollywood. The book opens with Dawn Steel's death in 1997 and for the next 500 pages it is almost impossible to put down.
Abramowitz has done her research well. This was a book that took her seven to write and I can believe it. We learn how a studio runs and we glimpse the personal lives of the most powerful women in town.
On the production side Dawn Steel, Sherry Lansing, Polly Platt are profiled and we learn a great deal about each one of these major studio players. Female directors and actresses such as Penny Marshall, Nora Ephron, Barbra Streisand, Jodie Foster have their careers and lives etched with great detail.
The women that Abramowitz talks about happen to be high profile Hollywood producers, agents and actors. However, they could just as well be in any boardroom in any city in the US. It is also a story about the adversity that women face in big business.
A difficult book to put down.

Rating:
Summary: Hollywood Behind the Scenes
Review: Rachel Abramowitz has achieved what so many would like to accomplish. She has written an intelligent, compelling and very entertaining account of how women achieve power in Hollywood. The book opens with Dawn Steel's death in 1997 and for the next 500 pages it is almost impossible to put down.
Abramowitz has done her research well. This was a book that took her seven to write and I can believe it. We learn how a studio runs and we glimpse the personal lives of the most powerful women in town.
On the production side Dawn Steel, Sherry Lansing, Polly Platt are profiled and we learn a great deal about each one of these major studio players. Female directors and actresses such as Penny Marshall, Nora Ephron, Barbra Streisand, Jodie Foster have their careers and lives etched with great detail.
The women that Abramowitz talks about happen to be high profile Hollywood producers, agents and actors. However, they could just as well be in any boardroom in any city in the US. It is also a story about the adversity that women face in big business.
A difficult book to put down.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific Dish; Useful History
Review: This book provides great insight into the lives and careers of some of Hollywood's women. My only complaint lies in the author's writing style...e.g. the word "transmorgify" appears at least 30 times. Come on Ms. Ambramowitz, even if you like the word, enough is enough. Other than this somewhat minor complaint, I found the book quite satisfying and would recommend it to those interested in the entertainment industry.