ABSTRACT
This project initially arose in response to the widely held perception that females over twenty-five were better served by classical Hollywood than by New Hollywood and American independent cinema, more generally, with a view to exploring the basis of this position. While the tastes of young male audiences determine a large majority of theatrical releases, especially the high-profile event film, in many ways post-classical Hollywood, in fact, offers women a wide range of viewing options, if perhaps more fragmented, but also more diverse, than those available in the first half of the twentieth century. If the blockbuster aimed at the family audience and the ever younger male viewer dominates the movie theatre, the small screen offers a panoply of stories directed at the female viewer. In the United States as in France and elsewhere more women are making more films than ever before, many of which are directed at a female audience. Male directors, who continue to be in the majority, also create movies for the mature female audience for various reasons, including the availability of female stars. While many male directors typically enjoy more flexibility in terms of the kinds of audiences and the range of budgets available to them, most female directors as a rule produce films that appeal not to a broad audience but rather to one that is narrow, if widely dispersed internationally.
