Cinema professor enters 'vortex' of feminism, classic movies

Posted Fri, 07/24/2009 - 8:49am by Matt Itelson

As an award-winning filmmaker, author, teacher and feminist, Britta Sjogren found a need to explore why she adores 1940s films that are full of sexism and stereotypes. The Cinema associate professor’s research has resulted in a book and new film series, both titled “Into the Vortex: Female Voice in Film.”

The film series, curated by Sjogren, runs through Aug. 26 at the UC Berkeley Pacific Film Archive. Upcoming screenings include Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rebecca” and Irving Rapper’s “Now, Voyager” starring Bette Davis.

“We can find them laughable at a certain level,” Sjogren said in a July 16 article in the San Francisco Chronicle. “But in a lot of them there’s an incredibly profound spiritual and metaphysical core that when you peel away the excess and the obviousness and the ridiculousness and the high romance level, they say really profound things about love and about perception.”

“Into the Vortex” closes with Sjogren’s own 1992 acclaimed feature “Jo-Jo at the Gate of Lions,” followed by a talk by Sjogren.