Rivka and Frank are joined by Patricia Resnick, screenwriter of the iconic 1980 dark comedy 9 to 5, for a deep-dive conversation about the radical pro-labor film.
Fifty years ago, the original
9 to 5 movement was attempting to secure basic workplace protections and equal pay for female workers that had joined the workforce in the preceding decades. Around the same time, film star Jane Fonda had the idea to make a movie about that struggle, and tasked the up-and-coming screenwriter Patricia Resnick with telling the story.
Patricia describes the history of 9 to 5, including the lived experiences of female office workers she spent time with, and how studio executives were afraid to make a movie about three women kidnapping their boss. They also discuss 9 to 5’s depiction of the intersection of capitalism and patriarchy, and its recent cultural resurgence as a popular anti-capitalist film.
For next week’s movie,
MVC will be watching Dreamworks’ 1998 animated film
Antz.
A transcript of this episode is available
here.
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