"Nine to Five Fantasy"

By Susan Jacoby

I want to talk about strong, positive images of women in film-the lack thereof. The fact that a movie like Kramer v. Kramer won the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture of 1979. My prediction is that Nine to Five will not win any Academy Awards (except perhaps Dolly Parton, for proving that large-breasted, blonde, country music singers can act, too!).

If I sound a mite angry, I am. Rightful anger is a kind of healing we women need more of. And

WASTE GAN THE BOSS!

rightful anger/sweet revenge are two strong ingredients of Nine to Five.

Nine to Five stars Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as three office workers who triple-handedly turn "Consolidated" upside-down, or, more aptly, right-side-up.

In the beginning, the three women fantasize harm and humiliation to their MCP boss, Mr. Hart. This is only slightly "unbecoming". When these same three women go beyond fantasy to action-trapping their male boss in his home for weeks on end, running the huge company on their own, and enacting beneficial changes therein-this, my sisters goes beyond the "unbecoming" to the downright blasphemous.

Let us wonder no longer why male reviewers (and other tokens/tools of patriarchy) have not been inclined to write favorably of Nine to Five. For, with all the "sit-com" hilarity that makes Nine to Five truly a fun film, it is, nevertheless, no joke. Nine to Five has been attacked for its broad humor and for the "far-fetched" nature of its situations. My immediate response is that there are countless other films for which the same is true exaggeration is, after all, one of the basic elements of humor. It is possible, however, that the exaggeration referred to by male reviewers is not related to the film's situations per se, but to the broader messages implied.

Nine to Five takes office humor beyond the days when Lucille (Ball) Carmichael was continually screwing things up for her boss, Mr. Mooney. Rather than projecting this stereotype of the scatterbrained female, constantly making "messes for daddy," in Nine to Five it is clearly "daddy" who has made a.... mess of things. Just as clearly, it is the women who see through this mess, begin to feel and express their anger, and finally do something about it.

Perhaps it is easier for those who feel threatened to look upon strong, angry Whole Women as "exaggerations"! Perhaps Nine to Five would have been better received had not our three heroines succeeded in their "far-fetched" attempts to make "Consolidated" a healthier environment in which to work. It is precisely that success that makes Nine to Five a cleansing and renewing experience for women. Nine to Five contains seeds of a whole new genre of film-the feminist fairytale/folktale/fantasy. Bruno

Bettelheim, writing about the value of fairytales for children, points out that in taking on various roles in a fantasy, a child nurtures her/his developing ego. Far from being "too unrealistic," the good-versusevil and happily-ever-after elements of fairytales are healthy and necessary for a child's growth and growing self-esteem. Although Bettelheim doesn't mention the inherent misogyny of most fairytales, an analogy is useful for feminists. Women, struggling with our rebirth as whole persons, may need similar support offered by positive feminist fantasy. It is purging for us to see strong women triumph on the

screen.

More often, we are privileged to view such media massacres on women as Kramer v. Kramer. That film focuses on a father's struggles to raise a son alone after the mother, "villainess" that she is, runs off-then has the gall to return, two years later, and fight for custody of her child. The mother wins the custody suit, an apparent victory. However, she is humiliated, both in the courtroom and afterwards, and "unselfishly" decides to relinquish custody to her ex-husband. The misogyny of Kramer v. Kramer is not immediately obvious. It took me months after seeing the film to realize the inherent moral lesson: Nancy Kramer was made to pay for her "monstrous" assertion of her self with the loss of her son. Her husband on the other hand, does not pay for his seven-year neglect of wife and child which preceded the action of the film. In a recent argument on the subject, I was assured that Kramer v. Krameris not slanted or distorted; it is simply "his story, not hers." Where have I heard that before?! Nine to Five will not win an Academy Award because it is her story; it is our story.

My only serious criticism is that Nine to Five does not go farther-that Parton, Fonda and Tomlin do not kick off their high heels and throw in their skirts, along with their other chains; that, at the end of the film, the women do not (cannot?) take credit for the work they have done, but let it pass instead to a

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"Getting Out"

Beginning January 30, 1981, the Phoenix Theatre. Ensemble, 3130 Mayfield Road, will present the Cleveland premiere of Getting Out, a play by Marsha Norman which won rave reviews for its New York production. The play records the first day "outside" of Arlene, a young woman who has just spent eight years in prison for robbery, kidnapping and murder. She is a new person, completely different from Arlie, the tough, hateful girl who was jailed.

On her first day out, Arlene confronts her unloving mother, her former pimp, and the prison guard who drove her to her new apartment and expects to stay. She also confronts Arlie, onstage with her in dramatic flashbacks, in an attempt to synthesize her own life.

The play is powerful and extremely moving, and should be seen by every reader of WSW. The parts of Arlene and Arlie are played by Janis Jacobs and Teresa Westbrook, respectively; both were nominated for awards by the Cleveland Critics Circle for their performances in the Phoenix production of The Three Sisters, which won the award for Best Production of 1979-1980. WSW readers can get $1 off the ticket price by presenting the coupon on page 10 of this issue.

Getting Out will run in repertory from January 30 through May 30, 1981. Tickets are $6, $4 for students, and $3 for senior citizens. Call 371-7766 for performance dates and reservations: