Mae West: Dirty Blonde
Mae West achieved great acclaim in every entertainment medium that existed during her lifetime, spanning eight decades of the 20th century. A full-time actress at seven, a vaudevillian at 14, a dancing sensation at 25, a playwright at 33, a silver screen ingénue at 40, a Vegas nightclub act at 62, a recording artist at 73, a camp icon at 85 - West left no format unconquered. She possessed creative and economic powers unheard of for a female entertainer in the 1930s and still rare today. Though a comedian, West grappled with some of the more complex social issues of the 20th century, including race and class tensions, and imbued even her most salacious plotlines with commentary about gender conformity, societal restrictions and what she perceived as moral hypocrisy. Mae West: Dirty Blonde is the first major documentary film to explore West's life and career, as she "climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong" to become a writer, performer and subversive agitator for social change.
Directed by Sally Rosenthal
Where to Watch
Streaming
Rent or Buy
Cast
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Mae West Self (archive footage) -
Dita Von Teese Self -
Natasha Lyonne Self -
Ringo Starr Self -
Kathy Najimy Self -
Margaret Cho Self - George Schlatter Self
Make it a double feature
3h 10m together
Mae West: Dirty Blonde
Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present
Both from Sally Rosenthal.
