Category Archives: Liberated Librarian (female)

Forever my librarian

Oooh, boy. Forever Mine (1999) was rough on my nerves. Here’s the plot off IMDb.com:

An affair between a cabana boy and the young wife of a sinister politician triggers a 16-year vendetta between the two men.

When a one-line plot summary includes the words cabana boy, sinister politician, and 16-year vendetta, you just KNOW it’s going to be bad. And it IS bad. But not awesomely bad. It’s just run-of-the-mill terrible, complete with bad acting, wavering accents, fake-o scar makeup, and the worst of ’70s and ’80s fashions. Joseph Fiennes plays not only the cabana boy, Alan, but also the Cubano boy Manuel Esquema; Gretchen Mol plays the young wife, Ella; and Ray Liotta plays the sinister politician, Mark.

At first, scanning through the credits, listing Catherine Hayos as Librarian, I was thinking the librarian would flash by in a short scene 2/3 through the film. In one respect, I was right — about the timing. That’s about when a library is first mentioned. However, that’s when we find out that Ella — one of the main characters! — has been volunteering at the library. At this point, I had to stop the movie, because (a) it was so terrible, and (b) I had to gear up for paying more attention to Ella and considering the entire movie in her role. Sigh. This is another of those times that I watch bad movies so you don’t have to.

Wow, it’s been 16 years, and I haven’t aged at all. Suspension of disbelief, anyone?

So how do we find out Ella works at the library? Alan/Manuel comes back years later to Ella and Mark’s house — without either of them recognizing him or wondering about the fake-makeup scar running down his face — and their conversation turns to her work. (It’s already been mentioned that she has no children; is her volunteer work considered a substitute?). Here’s a bit of their after-dinner conversation:

Mark:  She has her home, her work.

Alan/Manuel: I didn’t know you worked.

Ella: Well, in a manner of speaking.

Mark: She reads.

Alan/Manuel: Ah!

Ella: I work for the Westchester Library System. It’s volunteer work. Mostly paperwork, and I read for the elderly. It started when Mark was a councilman. I liked it, so I kept doing it.

We also learn that Ella is rereading Madame Bovary (!) to senior citizens, and almost an hour and a half into the film, we are treated (?!) to a scene of this.

What an odd choice, Madame Bovary, but director Paul Schrader is none-too-subtle on the correlation of the novel’s plotline with this movie’s story:

Remembering the ball became an occupation for her. Every Wednesday morning she said to herself as she woke, Ah, a week ago, two weeks ago, three weeks ago, I was there! And little by little, the faces became confused in her memory. [...] Some of the details vanished, but her longing remained.

The scene then cuts to an outside shot of a library, with red brick and high arched glass. Inside at the Circulation counter, Ella gathers books and places them on a cart behind the desk (see below).

Another female librarian — no doubt the Librarian listed in the credits and your basic Information Provider — is also there, as well as another unidentified female shelving in the back shelves.

Librarian:  You better hurry if you’re going to the city with  your husband. [grabs a big stack of books]

Ella: Oh, I decided not to. Mark’s all right on his own. Besides, I’ve got to catch up on my paperwork.

Using her volunteer job at the library as cover (!), out of sight of her controlling-yet-clueless husband, Ella uses the library phone to call Manuel/Alan (see right).

You can bet this is NOT going to end well.

And in the end, Ella’s dabbling into librarianship doesn’t mean much to the film, landing it into the Class II category of films. Her (non)occupation is simply a means to an end, in an attempt to demonstrate some kind of depth to her character (too little, too late). Also, the library provides another set piece to the film. But her character’s motivation — she was a bored housewife who dabbled in different charities and classes — actually ends up pretty condescending to real librarians. I think Paul Schrader, also the film’s screenwriter, was trying to provide some kind of arc for Ella, as a woman who finds herself within all the melodrama, so in that sense, she does (marginally) fulfill the Liberated Librarian character type. But it’s all surface, as slight as the rest of this less-than-mediocre film.

If you can bear it, here’s a trailer for Forever Mine:

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Travelin’ librarians

Good morning! Y’all know how I love a themed list (see here, here, and here), and this post’s theme, travel, correlates with my personal life. We will be on vacation for a couple of weeks, and I have some fantastic guest posts scheduled, from fellow librarians and library enthusiasts around the world. Stay tuned…

But first, onto travel movies featuring librarians. I’ve arranged them by initial release year (for a bit of time travel?). ;)

Forbidden (1932)

Lulu Smith (Barbara Stanwyck), a lonely young librarian taunted by children calling her “old lady four eyes,” quits her library job and sets sail for Havana. Romantic melodrama ensues, including an illegitimate child, a lifelong adulterous affair, murder, and a deathbed pardon — a Liberated Librarian indeed!

Bon Voyage! (1962)

A Disney comedy about a typical, all-American family (Fred MacMurray and Jane Wyman as the parents) on a “dream” vacation to Europe. A couple of memorable scenes take place in the ship’s library, including one in which the father becomes a bit annoyed with the ship’s librarian over-solicitous manner — and clueless social skills.

You can also read my extended write-up of the film by clicking here.

Rome Adventure (1962)

A quintessential Liberated Librarian role, school librarian Prudence Bell (Suzanne Pleshette) quits her job at a stuffy women’s’ college after being reprimanding for recommending a “too adult” book to a student. Prudence goes to Italy in search of adventure and love. Does she find it? With Troy Donahue and Rossano Brazzi in the cast, you bet!

You can view the film’s original theatrical trailer and read my extended write-up of the film by clicking here.

Joe Vs. the Volcano (1990)

In a quintessential male Liberated Librarian role, title character Joe (Tom Hanks) is stuck in a thankless job as an advertising librarian for a medical supply company. After learning he has only weeks to live, he embarks on an adventure to sacrifice himself in an island volcano. As you do.

Meg Ryan — in 3 different roles — also comes along for the ride.

Flight of the Intruder (1991)

Another ship’s librarian, but this one isn’t about recreational travel. Set during the Vietnam War, a young pilot questions bombing missions after his partner is killed. In one short scene, a young officer in the ship’s library allows the pilot to check out a non-circulating issue of National Geographic (rule-breaker!) that contains maps of North Vietnam.

Scent of a Woman (1992)

More of a coming-of-age story, this movie focuses on a young prep school boy (Chris O’Donnell), a student library assistant at a New England private school. To pay for a flight home for Christmas, he agrees to be temporary caretaker for an alcoholic blind man (Al Pacino), who takes him on an adventure-filled Thanksgiving weekend in New York City.

The Mummy trilogy (1999, 2001, 2008)

Another major Liberated Librarian role, this time involving Egyptologist and librarian Evelyn Carnahan (played by Rachel Weisz in the first two films, and by Maria Bello in the dreadful third fim). In the first — and best — adventure tale, Egyptian priest Imhotep is accidentally brought back to life, and wreaks some pretty major havoc in the desert. As you do. Evie, her scheming yet lovable brother, and an American soldier (Brendan Fraser) join forces to stop him — and get to race some camels along the way. Of course the librarian wins! ;)

Dungeons & Dragons (2000)

In this (terrible) fantasy film, a young queen (Thora Birch) is threatened by the villainous Profion (Jeremy Irons), who plots to turn the dragons into his personal weapons. A young mage, Marina (Zoe McLellan), who works in the library of the Magic School, goes on the run with two thieves after the old mage librarian is murdered. The pen is mightier than the sword, but that doesn’t stop Marina from learning some fight skills along the way. Another typical Liberated Librarian role for this reel librarian.

The Time Machine (2002)

In this remake, a disillusioned inventor (Guy Pearce) builds a time machine and travels 800,000 years into the future. He encounters Vox (Orlando Jones), a holographic librarian who supplies him with information about time travel and the history and evolution of the planet and its population.

Even though this film is all about time travel, Vox never actually goes anywhere; instead, he is the sole witness to the continuous collapse and rebuilding of civilizations throughout centuries. A quintessential Information Provider, and I would argue, the holographic heart of this film.

The Librarian TV trilogy (2004, 2006, 2009)

Ah, another trilogy, this time with a male Liberated Librarian at its center. In the first, the Librarian for the Metropolitan Public Library’s archives (Noah Wyle as Flynn Carson) sets off in an adventure to return a stolen artifact. In the second of the TV movies, Flynn searches for King Solomon’s mines, and also finds time for romance with an archaeologist (Gabrielle Anwar). The third (and final?) installment involves a philosopher’s stone, the Judas Chalice, and vampires.

Just a typical day’s work for a travelin’ librarian. ;)

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A life well advertised

Until this week, I had never before seen this Raymond James commercial (apparently, it first aired in Fall 2010) about the “fastidious librarian Emily Skinner,” who lives life to the fullest, even at 187 years young. After viewing it, I turned to Sam and said, “That’s the Liberated Librarian arc in a commercial!” Raymond James is, of course, posturing itself as her savior — but one could make the argument that it’s Emily herself, right?

I quite enjoyed the ad, and overall, it’s a pretty flattering portrayal of a librarian. Emily, ”The Woman Who Lived Longer Than Any Person Who Has Ever Lived,” is obviously intellectually curious (loooove the detail of her dress matching her wallpaper in the shot of hanging up that first diploma) and fun-loving. She pays attention to details but also looks at the big picture with long-term goals. A life well planned, and a life well lived. Go librarians! :)

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The Liberated Librarian (guys, it’s your turn)

In my original undergraduate thesis, I had identified only four male character types. The more films I have seen, I have since added two categories, or rather, divided two existing categories. The first of these is the Male Librarian as a Failure – sorry, never was that good with catchy titles — which I later split into two, giving full credence to the male version of the Liberated Librarian.

Rereading my thesis, I can see the idea there:

The films in this category demonstrate that any male who chooses (or perhaps does not choose) to work as a librarian must have something wrong with him. However, variations do exist [...] most of the men are relatively young (with one notable exception), perhaps showing the audience that they have time to redeem themselves and find a better job. Interestingly, most of the males in these films triumph, in some way, in the end.

Noah Wyle as Flynn Carsen in The Librarian TV movies

And that’s the major difference. The male Liberated Librarians may begin as failures, but they grow in character throughout the film, just like their female counterparts; their latent skills and talents find a way to rise to the forefront — but only through the instigation of an outside force, action, or other person. (I’ll delve into the Male Librarian as a Failure later. They’re not going anywhere.) ;)

The male Liberated Librarian, as I mentioned, is usually young. Their physical appearance may or may not improve (compare this with their female counterparts, whose makeovers are practically a requirement!), but their wardrobes tend to get better. Personality-wise, they become more masculine and assertive. For major male librarian roles, the most common character type is the Liberated Librarian, with their liberation comprising the main plot.

This is evident in several films, including You’re a Big Boy Now (1966), Off Beat (1986), The Librarian TV movie trilogy (2004-2009), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), Goodbye, Columbus (1969), and Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983).

Tim Reid as Mike Hanlon in Stephen King's It

There are some more minor characters fulfilling the male Liberated Librarian role. The male librarian (James Frain) in Where the Heart Is (2000) is a supporting character, but the arc of his liberation mirrors the liberation of the lead role, played by Natalie Portman. And Mike Hanlon (Tim Reid) in the TV movie Stephen King’s It (1990), is the only one of the seven lead characters to stay behind in Derry, Maine, a town that hides an inherent evil manifesting as Pennywise the Clown (a chilling Tim Curry). Hanlon, the town librarian, sarcastically referred to as “the answer man,” eventually unites everyone to fight against that evil.

Jason Robards in Something Wicked This Way Comes

The notable exception to the age characteristic I mentioned above is Jason Robards in Something Wicked This Way Comes. He plays the aging librarian Charles Halloway, who has a bad heart and professes that he never takes risks — risking his son’s respect in the process. However, he is motivated by the evil carnival owner, Mr. Dark (a deliciously evil Jonathan Pryce), to take a risk to save his son and, consequently, saves the entire town.

Several of my personal favorites showcase this category, including The Librarian TV movie trilogy, Goodbye, Columbus (1969), and Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983). For these and other favorites, see my lists for Hall of Fame, Honorable Mention, and Best Librarian Films by Decade, Parts I and II.

Stay tuned for next week for a deeper look into the Spirited Young Girl character type.

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The Liberated Librarian (ladies, you’re up)

The Liberated Librarian female character type is really an extension of the Spinster Librarian — if the spinster had met the right love interest. This type usually focuses on a trapped, naive woman who discovers herself (that is, her sexuality and her potential as a lover/mother/sex symbol) with the help of a good man in the face of an adventure or disaster that forces her to come out of her shell. Some movies in this category combine these to further insure the liberation of the reel librarian.

In The Image of Librarians in Cinema, 1917-1999 by Ray and Brenda Tevis, characteristics of this type are apparent in what they call the “only 38″ stereotype. The moniker comes from the 1923 film, Only 38, starring Lois Wilson as Mrs. Stanley. That film is “about Mrs. Stanley’s attempt to recapture at least part of her missed youth, achieve her independence, and realize her potential as an individual.” Yep, that’s our typical Liberated Librarian storyline, all right. As the Tevises astutely observe, “‘only 38′ is an age at which [the female librarian] could be vibrant, full of fun and giddiness, intoxicated with love, and looking forward to many years of happiness and love with… a new husband” (p. 13).

Hallmarks of the type include undergoing a change of appearance (see below). The woman usually becomes more attractive and wears more flattering clothes, either throws away her glasses or gets contacts, and is young enough to attract the right man and live a long and fulfilling life after he has “set her free.” ALERT: Tongue-firmly-in-cheek. Liberated Librarians are portrayed as intelligent but not necessarily that committed to the profession; they usually leave the library after their “liberation.”

For formula-by-number examples of the type, see romantic melodramas Adventure (1945) and No Man of Her Own (1932). In Adventure, public librarian Emily Sears (Greer Garson) proclaims that she “worked in a morgue” until bad boy Clark Gable came along. (Sigh.) And in No Man of Her Own — that title! — Clark Gable’s sex appeal knocks Connie (Carole Lombard) off her library ladder. Connie elopes with him to escape the dull town she works in and later drapes herself in low-necked gowns, satin and sequins.

Sensible and practical librarian gear

What? This old thing?

Movies feature this character type more than any other; as the Tevises observed, “[t]hroughout the twentieth century, the majority of reel librarians… will be afflicted with this ‘only 38′ characteristic” (p. 13). It makes sense to feature Liberated Librarians in leading roles, as character growth and development often make for compelling plots. There are many, many examples, so I’ll try to pick out some noteworthy ones.

The Liberated Librarian most often finds herself in romances — the reasons for which seem obvious. Examples include the aforementioned Adventure (1945) and No Man of Her Own (1932), as well as Rome Adventure (1962) and Forbidden (1932), both of which I have mentioned several times already on this blog (here, here, here and here).

The comedy genre also has ample examples, including a hilarious, but brief, scene in That Touch of Mink (1962) and the delightful character of Sylvia Marpole, as voiced by Bebe Neuwirth in An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000). Barbara Eden as Angela Benedict in 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) also serves as a textbook example of the Liberated Librarian.

Shirley Jones stars as Marian Paroo — inspiring the song “Marian the Librarian” — in The Music Man (1962), decked out in a tight bun, buttoned-up clothing, and a reserved manner. One of her piano students even calls her an “old maid.” In the latter half of the film, after attracting the attention of con man Robert Preston, she dances in a gauzy dress that shows off her cleavage before meeting him down by the bridge for a session of heartfelt love and confession.

Before…

… meets After

The adventure-movie formula has also donated several films to the Liberated Librarian character type, notably in The Mummy (1999), The War of the Worlds (1953), and The Substitute (1996). Rachel Weisz, who plays Evie Carnahan in The Mummy, has the showiest role of all three, as she works not only as a librarian but also as an Egyptologist (she can read and write ancient Egyptian). In one hilarious but touching scene, she proclaims — while inebriated — that she is “proud of what I am. I …. am a librarian!” before promptly falling over in a stupor. She does wear sexier clothes in the latter half of the film, attracting the attention of heroic Brendan Fraser. But it is SHE — not Fraser — who cracks the code at the end that saves them from the mummy’s curse.

The thriller-mystery also fills up a substantial portion of the Liberated Librarian category. Examples include Julia Roberts as Sara in Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), Penelope Ann Miller as the title character in The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag (1992), and Claire Bloom as Nan Perry in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965). In Sleeping with the Enemy, Sara, an attractive young redhead, lies to her abusive husband about her job at the library, fakes her own death, and runs away to Iowa. Her neighbor — who just happens to be an attractive bachelor — helps her find a real job in the local public library. In a rare instance of reversal, the library helps to save her from a man, if only temporarily. There is also a twist in The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag, as Betty Lou also already has a husband in the beginning of the film. She is liberated in the end not by her husband but by the excitement of finding a gun and confessing to a murder she did not commit. BTW, that’s an odd sentence to write.

In Foul Play (1978) — one of my personal favorites — Goldie Hawn plays Gloria Mundy, who is young, attractive, and blonde. Although she dresses nicely and even shows some cleavage in her opening scenes, her friend calls her an “old maid.” We also learn that Gloria used to be a cheerleader, but gets chided that “you lock yourself in that library and hide behind those glasses.” Gloria ditches her glasses when she helps solve an assassination attempt plot with Chevy Chase.

Next week, we’ll explore the male side of the Liberated Librarian… stay tuned! ;)

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