Lipstick & Dynamite Film Screening

On Wednesday, March 18, there was a film screening / talk about the movie, "Lipstick & Dynamite" by Ruth Lietman.  This film is about woman's role in professional wrestling.

Craft: (How was the film made?) 

This film was made using film media with video cameras along with testimony by individuals along with footage and pictures of old wrestling events.  The film has a lot of older footage of women wrestling in the ring.  Throughout the film most all of the commentary is from old talk shows and more so of past female wrestlers.  The female wrestlers are talking about how things where in the past and stories of different events that happened throughout their career as a women professional wrestler.

Composition: (Arrangement of elements within the film)

The film starts off by a clip of a woman on a talk show where the object of the show is to guess what profession she has.  Throughout the entire film this clip is shown in different spots in small sequences so at the end of the film the panel on the show has to guess who is the wrestler.  This is what ties the film together from beginning to end.  The film starts with the early beginnings of how females got into the wrestling scene by the actual wrestlers telling stories and events of what happened back then.  In the middle of the film many wrestlers where introduced and gave backgrounds and history of their own personal roles in wrestling.  The end of the film is where there is a reunion for past wrestlers where everyone gets together to visit and talk about the good times.   

Concept: (What is the film maker, Ruth Lietman, trying to say?)

What I believe Lietman is trying to convey to the audience is how important women are in sports and more over, society.  Most of what was told by the past wrestlers was how that when the promoters really needed money they would have women's bouts.  Also that the women where what really made the whole wrestling scene spark and become what it is today.  Another issue, which I think is being brought up, is how women where treated as well as women's role in society at this particular time period.  Women where in no way thought of as being a wrestler so that all of these individuals who stepped out of the traditional role of women at the time where really pioneers to women's movements.