Dorothy Arzner was the most well known female director during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Arzner began her film career as a screenwriter, eventually rose through the ranks as an editor, & finally became a feature film director. Never hiding her lesbianism, Arzner went against conventions of the time by wearing men’s suits & sporting short hair. She lived openly with choreographer Marion Morgan for more than 40 years.
Between 1927 & 1943, Arzner directed 17 features. Almost all have unconventional heroines, strong & self-sufficient, who must reconcile marriage & career. Like James Whale, her films resonate with gay subtexts.
After an illness in 1943, Arzner never again directed a feature & no one knows exactly why. She made Army training movies & taught film at UCLA, and she shot some Pepsi commercials, probably at the express request of her longtime friend & rumored lover, Joan Crawford. The Directors Guild of America, which she was the first woman to join in 1936, finally honored her work in 1975, 4 years before her death.
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