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dorothy arzner: invisible exception    Dorothy Arzner (1897-1979), the only woman who worked as a director for the big film studios during the Hollywood’s Golden Age, is totally unknown to many movie fans. Amongst the films she made are The Wild Party (1929), Anybody’s Woman (1930), Sarah and Son (1930), Honor Among Lovers (1931), Working Girls (1931), Merrily We Go to Hell (1932), Christopher Strong (1933), Nana (1934), Craig’s Wife (1936) and The Bride Wore Red (1937). In her films she directed the biggest stars of the period: Clara Bow, Katharine Hepburn, Fredric March, Rosalind Russell, Claudette Colbert, Maureen O’Hara and Joan Crawford. However, this major Hollywood director from the 30s and 40s didn’t enjoy the same success as many of her famous contemporaries at the time. Not only did the female characters in her film especially stand out, but they also had very progressive personalities and attitudes for their time. The fact that Dorothy Arzner, in a very puritanical North-American society, lived with her partner, dancer and choreographer Marion Morgan, from 1930 until her death also helps understand why her work remained locked away in the closet.

Dorothy Arzner’s parents had a restaurant in Hollywood that was frequented by actors such as Charles Chaplin, William S. Hart and Erich von Stroheim. The young Dorothy met many people from the world of cinema there but filmmaking wasn’t her vocation. Having graduated from university, she became an ambulance driver in the Great War. On returning from the war she started work as a journalist but she once more crossed paths with the world of filmmaking. This time it was director William C. DeMille (brother of the very powerful Cecil B. DeMille). He offered her a job in the she soon started working there. She was a very strong-charactered hardworking lady and in addition to art of scriptwriting, she soon learned the secrets of editing. In a short time she was one of the star editors in Hollywood and she edited more than 50 films. Director James Cruze while making his Blood and Sand (1922), starring Rudolph Valentino, offered her to take charge of the second filming unit. She never looked back. It wasn’t as easy ride though. She gave Paramount an ultimatum: if they didn’t let her direct films, she would cross over to the competition at Columbia Pictures. In 1927, she directed her first film, Fashions for Women, and a year later she made her first talkie with Manhattan Cocktail, the first sound motion picture to be made by a woman. Arzner made a huge contribution to sound films. In order to film wide angle shots she hung a microphone from a fishing rod and thus invented the boom mic. In 1933, she became a member of the American Directors Guild and for many years she was the only female member. In 1943, she became ill and retired from filmmaking. When she tried to make a comeback, the industry had changed greatly and she could not get back in. She did, however, work for the navy and also in advertising. Her friend, movie star Joan Crawford, was also a member on the board of directors at Pepsi-Cola and she asked Arzner to make some commercials for the company. This year, the San Sebastian International Film Festival will be offering us the unrepeatable opportunity to enjoy her filmography. Not to be missed.