Meticulously deconstructing female roles in movies, By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)

Knowledgeably written by Kathryn Schleich (an adult convert to Catholicism), Hollywood And Catholic Women: Virgins, Whores, Mothers, And Other Images blends two seemingly disjoint questions into a thoughtfully reasoned whole: "Why do Hollywood roles for women tend to typecast them as virgins or vamps, with little depth or complexity?"; and "Why are Catholic women to this day restricted from full participation in many meaningful practices of the Church?". Deftly exploring the history of how women have been perceived in Catholicism, and meticulously deconstructing female roles in movies such as "The Song of Bernadette", "True Confessions", "Sister Act", "Dogma", and others, Hollywood And Catholic Women is a unique, thoughtful, and thought-provoking survey and commentary of institutionalized of Catholicism and Hollywood studio perspectives with respect to and its lasting impact upon the female gender.

Bookviews by Alan Caruba

"Another book about women is so unique that it deserves notice. It is Kathryn Schleich's Hollywood and Catholic Women: Virgins, Whores, Mothers and Other Images (iUniverse). The author examines how the Church has dealt with women throughout its long history and how Hollywood has adopted its point of view in films such as Song of Bernadette, The Bells of St. Mary's, A Nun's Story, Agnes of God, and even Sister Act, to name just a few of those examined for their content and their message. You don't need to be Catholic to enjoy this intellectual journey and I think any woman will find it resonates with her life. This book is now recommended among our Featured Books.

The intent of writing Hollywood and Catholic Women was to demonstrate the powerful influence film has on culture and society, and to not be afraid to challenge the bias that often accompanies those cinematic images. Challenge often arises through discussion, and included here are 11 questions to start a conversation, dialogue, and/or debate in classrooms or reading groups on how Catholic women are portrayed in film.

What is your definition of a "Catholic woman"?

Although some of the films included are dated by today's standards, are the portrayals of clerical and religious Catholic women in film realistic? Why or why not?

Focusing on the film portrayals of non-clerical and Catholic women who are not religious, are the images of these women realistic? Why or why not?

Is the fear, mistrust, or hatred of women present in the patriarchal ideology of Roman Catholicism reflected in these films? If so, how?

Are there still signs of the devaluation of women in these films that can be attributed to the patriarchal ideology prevalent in Western society? How so?

Of the films included in the book, which do you think show the most positive portrayals of Catholic women? Why?

Of the films included in the book, which do you feel show the most negative portrayals of Catholic women? Again, why?

Referring to the two questions above, how do you think the portrayals of Catholic women in film could be improved?

Does the portrayal of Catholic women in film reflect the changes towards women in society and culture?

The film Dogma and many of the writings of Father Andrew Greeley portray God as a woman. Why do you think there are so few of these images in film?

Where do we go from here - are there any new portrayals of Catholic women in film and television that are breaking the mold? If so, name them and describe how these images of Catholic women are different and/or positive.