Part of the Six Week Film School: "Wonder Women Directors," highlighting six female directors who have had a major impact on the film-making landscape. All Six Week Film School films are free to attend, but we are asking attendees to register in advance to secure your seat by clicking on the ticketing link.
Female aviator Lady Cynthia Darrington (Katharine Hepburn) and Parliament member Sir Christopher Strong meet at a party, where the free spirit and the married politician are instantly attracted. Christopher's wife, Lady Elaine, invites Cynthia to stay at the Strongs' summer house, where she grows even closer to him. Mindful of the damage an affair would do to Christopher's career and family, the couple parts, but they soon realize they can't live without each other. From 1933. NR / 78 min. Directed by Dorothy Arzner.
From series curator William Thomas McBride:
"On my way out of the Normal Theater following the post-screen discussion of one of Scorsese’s films, a female patron approached me and asked why not do a series of female directors? I have been working on our new series ever since—and given the current cultural moment regarding harassment and gender inequality in Hollywood, Washington, and everywhere else, the timing of Wonder Women Directors seems perfect. Joining me for individual screenings will be Shari Zeck, Interim Dean, Milner Library, Illinois State University; Li Zeng, Head of Theatre and Film Studies and Film Minor, Illinois State University; Chamere Poole, Dept. of English Ph. D. candidate, Illinois State University; and Ann Johnson, Dept. of Sociology Masters student, Illinois State University, who will discuss the overarching cultural concepts of sex, power, history, and film style in these six films directed by women."