Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 03/16/2010
Kathryn Bigelow: The Woman Behind the Landmark
Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow made history on March 7th when she became the first woman to win the award for Best Director. And to be honest, up until that point I knew very little about her. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one, since she hasn’t exactly been the most prevalent director of our time.
I haven’t seen the Hurt Locker because, frankly, it is my junior year of high school and when I emerge, blinking at the unexpected brightness of the sun after hours of light generated by my computer screen I usually take shelter at a friend’s house so that they might remember I still exist.
So, instead, I did what I do best and took to Google. Apparently, Kathryn Bigelow has directed Point Break – a bank robbery type movie – and The Weight of Water, about a journalist researching a historical murder that parallels her own life, along with a few other movies. So…not exactly chick flicks. Which could mean nothing but at the same time is it really a coincidence that a woman who makes movies that are very much male-oriented was the first woman to win an Oscar? Of course that’s not to say women don’t enjoy/appreciate movies about war, murder and bank robbery – sure they do, let’s not generalize – but at the same time, these are traditionally considered “guy flicks” and therefore more important. A chick flick isn’t about to get the kind of appreciation that movies about war do.
And honestly I’m sick of the argument that war movies are “more important” than chick flicks. Not that I’m defending chick flicks, necessarily, because honest to god they are some of the worst representations of women out there. But at the same time why have we deemed war, masculine driven slaughter, more important than the lives of women?
But that is a different rant.
Another point about Kathryn Bigelow: like I said before, I basically knew nothing about her. And yet the few things that I did know were 1) she used to be married to James Cameron (you know, the guy that should have won) and 2) she looks fabulous for her age!
Here is a woman who has apparently accomplished Oscar level work – a brilliant filmmaker – and all we can talk about is her love life and how hot she is. All this while at the same time we’re congratulating our society for progressing so much that we now, after 81 short years, have admitted that women can direct as well as men. Faaaaantastic.
And what about that? Our self congratulation for allowing a woman to finally win. On some level, it’s kind of embarrassing that it has taken us 81 YEARS to get here.
But, all that aside, it’s undeniable awesome that Kathryn Bigelow won that Oscar. So here’s a look at the woman who accomplished this.
(4 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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Read other posts about: Academy Awards, Best Director, feminism and film, First Woman to win Best Director, Kathryn Bigelow, Kathryn Bigelow Best Director, Point Break, The Hurt Locker, the Oscars, The Weight of Water, women and film
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Mads @ at 1:00 pm, March 16th, 2010
I think it’s not completely off base to pay attention to the fact that Kathryn Bigelow used to be married to James Cameron. It’s a human interest story and that’s what Oscar coverage is all about (although I disagree that her personal life and her looks are the only things people have been talking about).
And really, the reason people are bringing up things like that is that so few people have actually seen “The Hurt Locker”. It was the lowest grossing movie to ever win Best Picture.
You should see it, by the way. It’s fantastic. I’m not saying all war movies are better than chick flicks, but this movie was better than any chick flick I’ve ever seen. And it wasn’t a war movie in the traditional sense. The basis of the movie was unbelievable tension, instead of flashy explosions. As a matter of fact, because this movie is about a bomb diffusing squad, as an audience member you are hoping that there won’t be any explosions. “The Hurt Locker” does not glorify war. It begins with the quote “War is a drug” and examines a man who is literally addicted to war. While your analysis of war movies in general may or may not be on point, it does not apply to “The Hurt Locker.” Both it and Bigelow fully deserved their awards.
Here’s hoping more female directors get the recognition they deserve.
Natasha @ at 5:33 pm, March 16th, 2010
I don’t understand the thesis or main point of your article. Are you for or against Kathryn Bigelow? Also, I don’t see how you can make so many claims about her film-making style without having seen any of her movies. More I’m disappointed with fbomb for publishing an unfact checked article based on assumptions that basically reject the principles of feminism (by claiming she only won the award for her looks and marriage, that war movies are male movies, etc you are saying women are incapable of being on the same level as men).
KS @ at 6:24 pm, March 16th, 2010
Finally a female director after eighty-one-years of “phallocentric tyranny” (to quote Of Montreal…)
As a huge film fanatic, I’ve been following the Oscars and I supported Kathryn Bigelow, not because she was a woman, but because her movie Hurt Locker was amazing. There seems to be so much media frenzy around her, but I find that inevitable (and, of course, irritating). When she won, her acceptance speech did not include a single thing about being a woman–something that people seem to be angry about. But if she had addressed it, they still would complain, saying that she won because of her gender. Personally, I think it’s great that she didn’t mention anything about that in her acceptance speech; to me, that was her way of confidently arguing her talent over her gender. The message of women empowerment, I think, is included in her winning itself. Regarding the genre of her movie, Bigelow has always been invested in creating films that are stereotypically considered androcentric, but that’s just what she does–if she’s not interested, she doesn’t have to make feminine movies. And perhaps the reason why “chick flicks” don’t win is because they are not well-made (frankly, they suck ass).
Which raises another concern. Many female directors resort to chick flicks since that genre seems to be the only available opportunity. I hope that Bigelow’s win is an inspiration for all women directors out there to pursue the career they want and create more brilliant movies.
KS
Toongrrl @ at 11:50 am, March 17th, 2010
Many cheers for Kathryn Bigelow!!!
Melanie @ at 5:50 pm, March 18th, 2010
“she used to be married to James Cameron (you know, the guy that should have won)” – I can only hope this is sarcasm?
Interesting posts, weekend of 3/20/10 « Feminists with Female Sexual Dysfunction @ at 7:31 pm, March 20th, 2010
[...] Kathryn Bigelow: The Woman Behind the Landmark – About the first woman director to win Best Director and Best Film at the Oscars. No way, she directed Point Break? But really, it’s also about the lack of knowledge about her before she won the Oscar. Why didn’t I know? [...]
Mark @ at 1:56 pm, March 23rd, 2010
I am sorry. She may have made some good films (I’m not sure). However, The Hurt Locker SUCKED! IT SUCKED! It told the story of a cocky marine who was overconfident and risked the lives of his fellow marines. The movie was a random collection of scenes that were haphazardly strung together. In the end it made no sense. After I saw the movie I thought to myself… What just happened? It was a terrible movie with no story or character development. I applaud a woman finally winning an award of the such. But, it shouldn’t be this woman because she made a terrible movie. Just because this action was a big step for women doesn’t mean it was the right action (or choice). Women deserve more recognition, but only WHEN and WHERE it is DUE.