This month’s display pays homage to the funny women of film and television. Take a look back with selections from our collection that highlight women writers and actors who make us giggle.
Craig says:
The Library holds three comedies in DVD format with Rosalind Russell in a leading role. The films include: Auntie Mame where she plays an exuberant and flamboyant woman who hosts frequent parties with eclectic, bohemian guests ; Gypsy where she plays the stage mother from hell who prods and pushes her daughters into a vaudeville career ; and The Women, a brilliantly written, classic comedy about a happily married woman who lets her catty friends talk her into divorce when her husband strays. The star-studded cast consists entirely of women.
Taryn recommends:
Broadcast News - Maybe, actually a drama but it features Holly Hunter who has proved herself to be an actress of almost unparalleled range. Her career has had her play characters that are funny, feisty and even mute!
A Damsel in Distress - With a screenplay by PG Wodehouse and the hilarious Gracie Allen, it's hard to go wrong with this vintage film.
Myles recommends:
A hilarious BBC series about the fictional sleepy village of Dibley, Oxfordshire brightened by their first female vicar, played by Dawn French in The Vicar of Dibley. The show, created after the Church of England’s decision to ordain women, portrays an in-charge, warm hearted, crudely honest vicar. The culture clash results are a comedy of equal parts sweet and silly.
Based on sketch comedy originally created by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, the two outrageous middle aged women, who won’t let anything get in the way of their selfish and hedonistic desires, are seen in sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. I can’t get enough of their unquenchable thirst for ridiculous fashions and the side-splitting role reversals between mother Edina Monsoon (played by Saunders) and daughter Saffron (played by Julia Sawalha). If you like Ab Fab, be sure to check out the antics Patsy and Edina are up to in their 60s in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie in theatres now.
