At the risk of stating the obvious, the Women’s Liberation movement has been showcased in popular culture primarily through the achievements and feminist ideologies of white women. That is, of course, not to undercut any one woman’s revolutionary work, but it is worth noting. And it’s the reason why watching the trailer for The Glorias, a film adaptation of Gloria Steinem’s memoir My Life on the Road, struck me—unlike the myopia of other work on the time period, The Glorias appears to be a more intersectional reading. Within the trailer’s brief one minute and 19 seconds, the viewer is introduced to a handful of activists of the movement who typically don’t receive as much shine—names like Dorothy Pitman Hughes (played by Janelle Monáe), Bella Abzug (Bette Midler), Flo Kennedy (Lorraine Toussaint), Dolores Huerta (Monica Sanchez), and Wilma Mankiller (Kimberly Guerrero).
As reported on this blog three years ago, the brilliant Julie Taymor (Frida, Across the Universe, Titus) directed The Glorias, which could speak to its unique and celebratory vision: according to Variety, the movie follows Steinem through different periods of her life, as portrayed by four different actors in each chapter: Alicia Vikander, Lulu Wilson, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, and most recognizably, Julianne Moore. That’s an unusual approach, but Taymor is known for her kaleidoscopic vision so I say, bring it on!