Dynamic Dames: 50 Leading Ladies Who Made History

by Sloan De Forest, Turner Classic Movies, Julie Newmar (Foreword)

Celebrate 50 of the most empowering and unforgettable female characters ever to grace the screen, as well as the artists who brought them to vibrant life!

From Scarlett O'Hara to Thelma and Louise to Wonder Woman, strong women have not only lit up the screen, they've inspired and fired our imaginations. Some dynamic women are naughty and some are nice, but all of them buck the narrow confines of their expected gender role -- whether by taking small steps or revolutionary strides.

Through engaging profiles and more than 100 photographs, Dynamic Dames looks at fifty of the most inspiring female roles in film from the 1920s to today. The characters are discussed along with the exciting off-screen personalities and achievements of the actresses and, on occasion, female writers and directors, who brought them to life.

Among the stars profiled in their most revolutionary roles are Bette Davis, Mae West, Barbara Stanwyck, Josephine Baker, Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood, Barbra Streisand, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Joan Crawford, Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, Dorothy Dandridge, Katharine Hepburn, Pam Grier, Jane Fonda, Gal Gadot, Emma Watson, Zhang Ziyi, Uma Thurman, Jennifer Lawrence, and many more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, History, Biography, Media Tie In, Feminism, Pop Culture

248 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2019

About the author

Sloan De Forest is a writer, actor, and film historian who has written about film for Sony, Time Warner Cable, the Mary Pickford Foundation, and Bright Lights Film Journal. She has contributed essays to the books Natalie Wood: Reflections on a Legendary Life and Grace Kelly: Hollywood Dream Girl. She lives in Hollywood—mentally, spiritually, and geographically.

Reviews

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun look at the 50 leading ladies of film who were the top of the heap in making history, when it came to rocking the boat in filmmaking, and changing the face of how it was done back when.  I just love the old school film stars so this was just the thing for me to check out, wandering through the lovely pictures and reading about my old heroines' antics on and off the film stages and locations. It didn’t disappoint either, I found enough things I hadn’t already read elsewhere to please me, so I enjoyed it just fine.

It’s chock full of the old time actresses like Clara Bow, Norma Shearer, Barbara Stanwick, and Greta Garbo and there are plenty of newer ones that younger people will recognize too, such as Meryl Streep, Keira Knightley, Julia Roberts, and Salma Hayek and all of the generations in between. There’s good information about the ladies and their films that’s entertaining to read as you go through. It makes you realize how far acting has come from the times long before silent films to now. These Dynamic Dames are certainly worth spending a bit of time with each one.  This would be for the fans of Hollywood or actors.  The advance electronic copy was provided by NetGalley, author Sloan De Forest, and the publisher.

My BookZone blog:
https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20...

[Tahera · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw this book on NetGalley I knew I had to pick it up for 2 reasons:
1) It's a book about movies and I can never get tired of reading any material even remotely related to the wonderful world of movies 🎥 ❤️!
2) It covers the 50 most dynamic leading ladies of Hollywood from 1920s to present day who have made an impact by not only being strong, independent ladies in their own right but also playing them on screen as well.

The choices made are great to say the least and I can only wonder how difficult it must have been for the author to manage to narrow down her selection to these 50 ladies from so many choices that Hollywood has presented over the years.

My thanks to #NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC.

P. S.: The photos and stills selected are STUNNING! 😍😍

[Jim Dooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I went into this book with high expectations, the content was very general. Granted, when covering so many performers, it would be prohibitive to go into substantial depth. Still, the “gloss over” material did astonish me on multiple occasions when an addition of no more than one or two paragraphs would have created a more rounded and accurate picture. Two examples that immediately come to mind are Clara Bow and Josephine Baker.

Also, considering that the title does not center on films from Hollywood, I was amazed by the omission of Louise Brooks (her Pabst films should have assured her inclusion, although “Beggars of Life” could have been used, too) and Anna May Wong (her performance in “Piccadilly” is outstanding). They did not even make the list of other stars and films to see that is included at the end of the book!

On the plus side, the entry for Pam Grier sent me scurrying to buy a copy of her biography. I have also not seen any of the Bonita Granville “Nancy Drew” movies, and I’m now keeping an eye open for them. And since this is one of the TCM book releases, the photographs are very high quality.

The bottom line is that DYNAMIC DAMES: 50 LEADING LADIES WHO MADE HISTORY is worth a look for film fans who have never dug deeper into film history.

[Rhea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book to read for a couple of reasons. The first is that in the #MeToo era, this book is exactly what is needed to promote strong female characters. Dynamic Dames indeed! The second reason is my knowledge on classic films is somewhat lacking. It covers characters and actresses from classic to contemporary films. I learned more about classic movies and can’t wait to start watching them!

The layout is wonderful and I like that you can hop around if you want to read about a particular actress or character. I also like the chapter titles, with the exception of Fatal Females because I prefer the French “Femmes Fatales”, which evokes more of a classic feeling for me. The writing is concise, fun and flows well. I like that the individual articles are short, but my favourite part was the little tidbit at the end with extra information that didn’t necessarily fit into the flow of the section. If your favourite actress or character wasn’t in the book, be sure to check the list of “More Dynamic Dames” at the end. If want to find out more about some of your favourite actresses, there is a bibliography following this section.

I read this on my Kobo and then looked at the photos on my computer. The photos look ok on the kobo, but they really stood out on my screen.

I know that this book hasn’t been published yet, but I’ve already suggested this book to my sister as I think that both she and her daughters would enjoy it.

[Vnunez-Ms_luv2read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book regarding the women starts of the movies from TCM. Nice pictures and tidbits on the movies also. This would be a nice book for fans of the actresses that are profiled in this book. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not effect my opinion of this book nor my review.

[Lizbeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from Netgalley.com and the publisher, Perseus Books, Running Press. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review.

A must have for any fan of cinema or history. Interesting profiles of same of the most memorable leading ladies of the silver screen. Beautifully designed with amazing photography.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

4.25 Hearts I don’t read a lot of these kinds of books but how could I not read this one? I mean 50 dynamic dames? And they truly are/were. I will be honest and say some of them I wasn’t even sure what I had seen them in or who they were (like directors or writers) but once I started reading their stories I was interested.

As a fan of the movies like Gone With The Wind, The Way We Were, Pretty Woman and so many more I loved reading the stories of the women of Hollywood.

This is a GREAT book for any fan of movies but also anyone who wants to be encouraged by the power of women!

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nicely put together book about leading women in Hollywood. Each entry gives a description of the role that the actress preformed as well as some context as to what made the actress so special. It also included some little known facts. It was a quick but interesting read.

[Petty Lisbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I liked that the list stuck to characters and specific roles instead of taking an entire career into account. I think the categories were kind of similar at times like Bad Girls, Fatal Femmes, and Women of Mystery, but it was an enjoyable book.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The must-have feminist film book. Read it, share it with friends. Really enjoyed the writing. Wish the book was a slightly different format. Full details in my written and video reviews below:

Blog review:https://www.outofthepastblog.com/2019...
YouTube review: https://youtu.be/tDvAlYUxVtY

[Shant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really well done book. Usually, for list books, I'm too busy thinking of entries that were excluded or inclusions that bother me, but this was the first time where I didn't mind (Also, the length and the fact that the book itself had a bonus list helped keep my expectations in line).

If there was one thing that bothered me, it was maybe the time range. I assumed that the book being associated with TCM would mean that each movie/role would be something from TCM's covered era?

[Annette Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Sloan De Forest had a tough job in deciding which 50 women to include in this run down of the female stars who have shaped Hollywood, and defined stardom through the history of cinema. Beginning in the era before the Motion Picture Production Code of 1934 , she looks at some of the first ladies of cinema like Clara Bow , Mae Westand Barbara Stanwyck, the so called " bad girls" who were able to misbehave on the screen. She then moves on to look at examples of actresses who have portrayed real life women on screen from Greta Garbo's portrayal of Queen Christina to Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich and Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo.. One of the most traditional roles of women in the cinema is as a mother, and here the author takes us from Joan Crawford as Mildred Pierce to Anne Bancroft as Mrs Robinson, and the most bad ass mother of all, Sarah Connor as portrayed by Linda Hamilton in the Terminator series of films. From the 1940's onwards, some of the most glamorous actresses have portrayed the femme fatale, from Hedy Lamarr to Dorothy Dandridge and of course Marlene DIetrich. Since the screwball comedies of the 1940's like His Girl Friday or Adam's Rib to female led projects like Private Benjamin in the 1980's , we have always loved women who make us laugh , and rooted for female characters who are survivors, like the ruthlessly determined Scarlett O Hara of Gone with the Wind to Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in the Alien series of movies or more recently Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in the Hunger Games films. In recent years the Super Hero/ Comic book movie has dominated the box office, and with the arrival of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in 2017 there was finally one with a dynamic dame as it's lead.
This book is ideal for anyone who loves movies, it is perfect to dip into and gorgeous to look at, with it's numerous photographs taken on and off set. It charts the history and evolution of women in the cinema, not just in the roles they played , but also the behind the scenes struggles they faced to be treated fairly. As with any project of this scope, the individual articles must be brief, but they do provide an introduction to both the actress in question and the roles they played, making it a nice jumping off point from which to read more about those which catch your fancy, or watch the performance that merited their selection. I also appreciated that the author chose a variety of actresses across the decades in the various categories, from the grand dames of the 30's and 40's to the current crop of talented young actresses taking the box office by storm .
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[January Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not really into movies and Hollywood, I go through watching binges sometimes, but I loved and enjoyed this book! It was a fun and informative read!

[C.J. Bunce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published online at BORG.com.

This month, a new book examining what makes a great character also takes an in-depth look at Hollywood and film from the silent picture era to today. It’s Turner Classic Movies/TCM′s latest book on film, Dynamic Dames: 50 Leading Ladies Who Made History. I previously reviewed film historian Sloan De Forest′s Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies That Are Out of This World here at borg, a fun read and a fun list that is more a celebration of pop culture than film school companion. De Forest seems to have far more passion for her next subject, selecting a masterful list of 50 women worth reading about–and worth seeing their films. She also connects the dots between actors, their characters, and their personal lives in a way you’ve probably not seen before. In one word, Dynamic Dames is brilliant.

Everyone reading anyone else’s list of 50 people of any pursuit will have quibbles along the way, but De Forest shows an impressive knowledge of film and delivers. Not only a selection of 50 worthy actors–she doesn’t select the roles most movie critics flock to and rave about–she also finds those finer, more nuanced performances where these Dynamic Dames probably should have scored their Oscars. She also divides the book into eight sections and finds perfect examples that exemplify each section, from Pre-Code Bad Girls, to Big Bad Mamas, Women of Mystery, and Strong Survivors. A category not possible until more recently, Superheroines, rounds out the list, and although the performances have not had much of a chance to steep from a historical standpoint, De Forest provides solid rationale for them all.

Authors of a book like this typically will reserve a small percentage of the list for modern readers to have something to be attracted to, but that’s not the case here. De Forest actually embraces recent films, pulling in more than 20 percent of her list from characters appearing in 21st century films. Most of her rationale for each of these more recent actors and corresponding characters justifies their inclusion, comparable in performance, significance, and influence, to the film greats any movie buff would expect to find on this list. She also ties in some of cinema’s–and literature’s–best women writers; it should be no surprise that many of these outstanding characters in film over the course of 92 years resulted from great women writers of the 19th and 20th century, including Charlotte Brontë, Agatha Christie, and J.K Rowling.

The book’s thesis–strong women characters and the great actors behind them are nothing new to Hollywood–is pressed even further. In an appendix the author provides a list of references to 56 additional also-ran selections, seven in each of her categories. Although the 50 she went with in the book were far better picks (the additional 56 don’t come close to the performances and roles of the 50 featured), all 106 movies make for good suggestions of women to watch, then and now, and movies to follow up on for any movie buff.

De Forest elaborated about her book in a TCM interview this month, “Most people I talk to seem to think today must be the best time for dynamic female characters. While it’s true we do have Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel and Katniss Everdeen, those are like one movie per year. In the 1930s and ’40s, about half of the major films starred women in the leading role–and they were often powerful women in control of their lives. Think of the characters typically played by Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, and Joan Crawford. Many of them could go toe to toe with Captain Marvel, for my money! …actresses who were big moneymaking stars had tremendous power. In the book, I point out that Mae West wrote her own scripts; Barbara Stanwyck collaborated on the story for Baby Face; Garbo hired her friend Salka Viertel to write Queen Christina and selected the cast and director herself; Kate Hepburn demanded Spencer Tracy as her costar; Myrna Loy went on strike at MGM for a year until they gave her equal pay with William Powell… So these women were shaping their own careers, not just being forced into roles by their bosses.”

We won’t list all the women featured in the book here–a great part of the fun is the surprise of turning the next page to find an actor matched up with that great role only a discerning eye might recognize as her exemplifying role. Even if you don’t agree with half of the selections, the commentary will provide good fodder for further discussions.

Dynamic Dames: 50 Leading Ladies Who Made History is available in hardcover with 192 pages and more than 100 photographs in black and white and color, from publisher Running Press. It includes a foreword by Julie Newmar.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book about 50 leading ladies of the silver screen. From Clara Bow to Gal Gadot and everyone in between, the author looks at the movies that broke these ladies out from the pack and their impact on subsequent generations of women in film. She admits that 50 was a difficult choice because there are so many to choose from, so there is a listing of other women at the end of the book. Even that, though, isn't an exhaustive list.

The book is divided into 8 thematic sections: Pre-Code Bad Girls, Reel Role Models, Big Bad Mamas, Femme Fatales, Ladies Who Laugh, Women of Mystery, Strong Survivors, and Superheroines. Gives you an idea of how the ladies are selected in these categories. Then there is an analysis of the actress, character, and film with lovely movie stills (some really terrific photographs!). While one might quibble with the actresses selected and the analysis, this is still a pretty awesome book. TCM is probably one of my favorite channels and now I want to see more of these films (I was surprised how many I haven't seen!).

[Phdrseuss · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's as the title says: DYNAMIC DAMES 50 Leading Ladies Who Made History

There are 8 parts to the book:
1. Pre-Code Bad Girls
2. Reel Role Models
3. Big Bad Mamas
4. Fatal Femmes
5. Ladies Who Laugh
6. Women Of Mystery
7. Strong Survivors
8. Superheroines

It begins with Clara Bow (1926) & ends with Gal Gadot (2017). "It stars profiled in their most revolutionary roles." Some of my favorites (such as Dorothy Dandridge, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Josephine Baker etc) are listed.

The stories are very interesting. I learned a lot about the person and their movie. There were some actresses I was surprised to find not included (but that's another story).

So if you are the type that likes actresses/movies from the 1920s - 2017 you will like this book.

[Am Y · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the names we'd expect to see are there (Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Grace Kelly, etc etc) but many others were missing and some perhaps didn't deserve to be there (one-hit wonders, anyone?). The problem is that this book spans too long an era (from the days of black-&-white film to present day) for just 50 ladies to be featured. And the focus of each decade or period in history is vastly different (e.g. women went from having virtually no rights and being expected to stay home after marriage, to being respected high-ranking members of the government and running for president); it doesn't make sense to lump everything together.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not know what I was expecting from the book going into it. I expected to read about empowering women, which the book was all about. But I still felt it was missing the star factor to make me remembering the book after laying it down. It was a nice book with a lot of characters and movies I did not know about and I liked that. (But that in generalabe speek more of the movies I watch than anything). I am glad to have read it, but I wished for more depth.

** Thank you Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review **

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book! I love that the author included both older stars along with present day stars. Really good choices too. Very diverse group so anyone can find someone they'd like to know more about. Must have for film buffs.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

[Library Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really fun! Of course I didn't like every leading lady that the book covered, but I liked enough of them and even got some movie suggestions. If you like classic movies, this is a must read.

[Sally Kilpatrick]

This is a book of character studies that focuses on strong female characters in the movies but also includes tidbits about the actresses who played them. It hits the highlights but also shines a spotlight on some parts that were new to me. Would be fun to read as you worked your way through movies.

[Craten Darset · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. my. goodness. Thank you, Sloan De Forest! I found this book in the public library on a cruise ship. Transformational and even emotional, the imagery and preserved details. Very thoughtful and considerate interpretationally.

[Deborah Sowery-Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read of the various strong women in film over the past almost 100 years.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun and informational. A great book for the actress or female film buff in your life. Definitely makes me want to see some of the films I haven’t seen.

[Willie Gore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was a very interesting book. I wish it had more African American actresses in it. There were more than one African American leading ladies who made history than Dorthy Dandrige.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

As usual for a TCM book, Dynamic Dames is excellent. It covers many different actresses and their iconic roles. There are also many terrific photos. Highly recommended.

[Coranne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was just ok

[Laura Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful coffee table book with a good mix of classic and modern films represented. I liked the choice of organizing them into categories rather than just chronological order, it gave it an interesting energy.

[Melissa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent and had good pictures .

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dynamic Dames from Sloan De Forest is a fun compilation of fifty roles that highlight strong and groundbreaking women, both the characters and the actresses.

This is a great looking book as well as being an interesting read. No, there isn't a lot of new information, but then, that isn't the point in a book like this. This does, however, offer some insight on what might make a dynamic character. The obvious choices are here, such as Uma Thurman as The Bride and Gal Gadot as Diana Prince, but there are also the ones that don't jump out as being so dynamic at first glance but make perfect sense when put in context, such as Audrey Hepburn as Sister Luke and Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice. Bringing some of the subtle examples of strength and independence to the fore is a strength of this book.

But what truly makes this a wonderful book is the sheer joy of reading about all these splendid performances as well as a little about each actor. I recently read the Hepburn biography and coupled with the role mentioned above made it even more impactful.

Definitely a great addition to any library of film books. Will I put this next to Bazin or Cavell or any others of that sort? No. But it will have a place because not everything has to be overly analytical (though I do love my books of that type). This is a fun list, one that could be debated and discussed, and one that includes some very astute social commentary, but this is first and foremost a book for fans who enjoy reading about and looking at pictures of classics both old and new.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.