Reviews

Girls on Film: The Complete History of the Women Who Broke Barriers and Redefined Roles by Alicia Malone

ludirik's review against another edition

informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

3.5

energygalreads's review against another edition

4.0

I seriously enjoyed listening to Brigid Lohrey reading Alicia’s perspective on film theory and her backstory to how she got to be one of the greats in her life and career. Malone had me laughing from beginning to end and I absolutely related to not being able to start a film club in high school successfully because no one wanted to watch the classics!

I really enjoyed the different genres she touched on such as noir and dramas dealing with the female gaze. She made really great points on the struggle most female actresses in the 40s and 50s went through to keep their careers despite risking their reputation.

Truly a great read, what a way to end her series! I want to thank Alicia Malone for publishing this book and working to keep TCM great! I also want to thank @netgalley and @tantoraudio for the ARC.

#girlsonfilm #aliciamalone #netgalley #tantoraudio #womeninfilm #womensupportingwomen

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kimberlone's review against another edition

informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.0

devin_mainville's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective

3.75

cajsita's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.0

Girls On Film was an entertaining audiobook chronicling both the history of classic cinema and the author's personal journey, starting with an interest in film when she was young and culminating in being a film journalist. Unfortunately, this mix did not really work for me. While I enjoyed the individual parts, it did not really feel like a cohesive narration to me. The stories about famous actors such as Liz Taylor and Marilyn Monroe were very insightful and reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo at times. Likewise, I appreciated Malone's reflection on how these women were being treated and portrayed. However, some parts felt like she was just listing her accomplishments and name dropping celebrities she had interviewed. This did not really speak to the expectations I had of the book. Further, even though this could simply be due to the Australian accent I am quite frankly unfamiliar with, the narration sometimes contributed to this feeling of merely listening to a list of achievements. 

All this being said, I still enjoyed this title and am very grateful to both Netgalley and Tantor Audio for having received the listening copy! 

shereadstales's review against another edition

informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.75

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ALC of this audiobook.

Growing up, Alicia Malone discovered the joy of classic cinema, and for many years, that’s how she related to the world. As I listened to her talk about her childhood, I realized she could have been recounting my own. At eight years old, I discovered American Movie Classics. Way before the likes of The Walking Dead, Nick Clooney and Bob Dorian would introduce films from Classic Hollywood. I was obsessed. Apparently, so was Malone.

Part nonfiction, historical film book, part memoir, Malone takes us through her childhood and adult years with dreams of cinematic hosting, jobs in the industry, and how COVID changed her career and life. I loved every minute. Though I don’t spend as much time as I’d like with the black and white movies these days, I’m still nostalgic for those days when 10-year old me would spend all weekend binge watching noirs, dramas, and romances.

Like Malone, my world-view has changed. It’s gotten bigger, and I can see the many flaws in these films I once loved. Plagued with racism, sexism, and queer issues, they are a product of their time. That doesn’t excuse them, but it does spark discussions of how far we’ve come and what we might learn from the moments in between, howe filmmakers skirted certain things and managed to say some important things even when censored by the dreaded Hayes Code.

I’ll always love movies, and I loved this book. It’s out on Tuesday, so if you’re a movie buff, check it out wherever you get your books. 

aliciawhatsthestory's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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.