{"id":790,"date":"2023-03-02T10:17:51","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T10:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/?p=790"},"modified":"2023-03-02T10:17:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T10:17:54","slug":"committed-bringing-a-stylistic-flare-to-the-dark-tale-of-a-hollywood-great","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/committed-bringing-a-stylistic-flare-to-the-dark-tale-of-a-hollywood-great\/","title":{"rendered":"Committed<\/em>: Bringing a Stylistic Flare to The Dark Tale of a Hollywood Great<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by Harris Montgomery<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Screenshot from Committed <\/em>(1987), directed by Sheila McLaughlin and Lynne Tillman, First Run Features.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Acclaimed novelist and cultural critic Lynne Tillman and feminist director Sheila McLaughlin combined creative forces to direct this stylised biographical piece that depicts the involuntary commitment of famed actress Frances Farmer. Noted for her work across numerous films and theatre productions, Farmer also gained notoriety for her public image, which was centred around her leftist political views. McLaughlin and Tillman\u2019s expert directing shines new light on the tale, providing particular contexts that help to portray Farmer\u2019s thinking and powerful persona.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film presents a strong protagonist\/antagonist dynamic. Frances, portrayed excellently by McLaughlin, is painted as a beacon of charisma throughout the narrative struggles. The \u2018men in suits\u2019 approach to the dominant male ideology, highlights those in power as oppressive clones who constantly try to gaslight Farmer; and other women like her, into believing a diagnosis of mental illness purely for questioning the social norms. Their constant discussions of \u2018freedom\u2019 amidst their role as gatekeepers adds an undeniably humorous hint of irony, and the manner in which the narrative recounts Farmer\u2019s life hammers home her position as a victim of society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film\u2019s stylistic choices capture the bleak nature of its events. The lack of score forces its audience to listen to the discussions it portrays, highlighting the importance of the injustice that unravels on screen. The monochrome cinematography enforces the contrasts between light and darkness, emphasising the social conflict that acts as a backdrop to the unjust events inflicted upon Farmer. The runtime of 75 minutes makes McLaughlin and Tillman\u2019s writing efforts all the more impressive, pulling no punches and portraying its message with intense efficiency.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can watch Committed<\/em> on Kanopy<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further Viewing:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She Must Be Seeing Things<\/a> (1987) \u2013 directed by Sheila McLaughlin  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Angel at My Table<\/a> (1990) \u2013 directed by Jane Campion  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Harris Montgomery Acclaimed novelist and cultural critic Lynne Tillman and feminist director Sheila McLaughlin combined creative forces to direct this stylised biographical piece that depicts the involuntary commitment of famed actress Frances Farmer. Noted for her work across numerous films and theatre productions, Farmer also gained notoriety for her public image, which was … Continue reading “Committed<\/em>: Bringing a Stylistic Flare to The Dark Tale of a Hollywood Great<\/strong>“<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[44,43,52],"class_list":["post-790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-gender","tag-women","tag-womens-history-month"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=790"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":792,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790\/revisions\/792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/equality-and-diversity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}