Discussion Questions for Women in Film Gathering, September 11, 2012
1 Discussion Questions for Women in Film Gathering, September 11, 2012: Focal Film: Heartburn (1986; U.S.; Written by Nora Ephron; Directed by Mike Nichols) Nora Ephron (1941‐2012) was a journalist, playwright, novelist, producer, screenwriter, and director. She was one of the most prominent female talents ever to work in American film. Nora Ephron was the eldest of four daughters born to screenwriters Henry and Phoebe Ephron (Belles on Their Toes, Carousel, Desk Set, There’s No Business Like Show Business, Take Her She’s Mine (loosely based on the letters Nora sent home from college)). Growing up in Beverly Hills, Nora had contact with many great Hollywood writers of the 1940s and 1950s (e.g., Charles Brackett, Julius Epstein). At then all‐female Wellesley, she encountered many young women seeking their “MRS” degree; she later claimed that her alma mater had turned out a generation of “docile women.” She chose a career track, working as a journalist for The New York Post and Esquire, and eventually transitioned into novels and screenplays. All four of the daughters of Henry and Phoebe Ephron became successful writers. Nora Ephron wrote the roman à clef Heartburn in 1983, a novelization of her volatile second marriage to Carl Bernstein of Washington Post/Watergate fame. The novel was adapted for film in 1986, with friend and frequent collaborator Mike Nichols directing. Some other Ephron films you might recognize are Silkwood (1983; Screenwriter), When Harry Met Sally (1989; Producer and Screenwriter), My Blue Heaven (1990; Producer and Screenwriter), Sleepless in Seattle (1993; Director and Screenwriter), Michael (1996; Producer, Director, and Screenwriter), You’ve Got Mail (1998; Producer, Director, and Screenwriter), and Julie and Julia (2009; Producer, Director, and Screenwriter).
[Show full text]