Riddles of the Sphinx

Riddles of the Sphinx

1977 · 92 min · ★ 4.8 · Drama

In this avant-garde classic, protagonist Louise deals with a change in her lifestyle in which she must learn to negotiate domestic life and motherhood.

Directed by Laura Mulvey · Written by Peter Wollen

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Riddles of the Sphinx

Crystal Gazing

Both from Laura Mulvey.

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Filmmakers Laura Mulvey and Mark Lewis use rare archival footage and interviews with artists, art historians, and museum directors to examine the fate of Soviet-era monuments during successive political regimes, from the Russian Revolution through the collapse of communism. Mulvey and Lewis highlight both the social relevance of these relics and the cyclical nature of history. Broadcast on Channel Four as part of the 'Global Image' series (1992-1994).
Penthesilea: Queen of the AmazonsPenthesilea: Queen of the Amazons · 1974
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Penthesilea, the first of six films made by Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen, traverses thousands of years to look at the image of the Amazonian woman in myth. It asks, among other questions, is the Amazonian woman a rare strong female image or is she a figure derived from male phantasy? The film explores the complexities of such questions, but does not seek any concrete answers.
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Amy Johnson was the first woman to fly solo from Great Britain to Australia. Mulvey and Wollen’s experimental documentary combines newsreel footage of the aviator’s arrival, dramatic recreations of events from her life and contemporary discussions by feminist groups on the subject of heroism in this most unconventional biopic.
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An unconventional portrait of painter Frida Kahlo and photographer Tina Modotti. Simple in style but complex in its analysis, it explores the divergent themes and styles of two contemporary and radical women artists working in the upheaval of the aftermath of the Mexican Revolution.
The Bad SisterThe Bad Sister · 1983
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5.31983
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Jane is the illegitimate daughter of a Scottish landowner. She is disowned and expelled from his estates, but although she settles down to a new life in London, she is still haunted by the memory of her childhood and her mother's mysterious death. In a trance, she sets out on dreamlike journeys in search of freedom and revenge.
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4.41986
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A white bisexual female vampire, trapped in a relationship with a misogynistic male vampire, encounters a worldly black lesbian who helps her achieve enlightenment.
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Inspired by Virginia Woolf, a young writer worries that marriage will hinder her literary ambitions. The film includes extracts from Virginia Woolf's novel To the Lighthouse and her essay Professions for Women, both read by feminist filmmaker and theorist Laura Mulvey.
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Retiring [in]Transition founding co-editor Catherine Grant reflects on her curation of Laura Mulvey’s remix of a sequence from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) in the opening editorial of our journal’s inaugural issue in 2014. Here she presents a new videographic study of this remix that she made in collaboration with Mulvey herself in 2024.

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