Voices of the Talking Stars
Women of Indian Cinema and Beyond
- Madhuja Mukherjee - Associate Professor, Department of Film Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
Explores the complex relationships between cinema, industry, cultures, labour and gender during the studio era (1930–55)
The fourth book in the Readings in Gender Studies series, Voices of the Talking Stars is a feminist historiography for films compiled by the School of Women’s Studies, Jadavpur University. It interrogates the frameworks of film history, culture and politics, weaving in debates on romance, sexuality, body and masculinity. Examining new categories of analysis such as desire and disquiet, this volume brings together some rare photographs and writings by leading women actors—reproduction of poems by Meena Kumari Naz, an open letter titled ‘I’m a Bad Girl’ by Mae West and an extract from her film I’m No Angel, an interview with Jamuna Barua and a translation from Kanan Devi’s autobiography. It also includes excerpts from the Indian Cinematograph Committee Report (1927–28).
… open[s] a new dimension to a very under-discussed and under-researched area of film history.
“… open[s] a new dimension to a very under-discussed and under-researched area of film history.”