All in Film Culture

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Film Culture

Noah’s arc

She certainly is, going back 25 years to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In that movie, her best friend (Phoebe Cates) got an abortion and was fine afterward. I asked Leigh about the retreat in American cinema from abortion as a choice (i.e., in Knocked Up and in Juno, which is due next month). “I find it really upsetting. It’s your body. It’s your life. And a fetus is not a human being. It’s a frightening time when the word ‘abortion’ cannot even be said in a movie.”

Bye to Norman Mailer who, the three times I dealt with him, was cooperative, gracious, and absolutely on time: a series of his films at the Coolidge, which I curated; an interview in P-town at his house; a photo shoot with Joel Meyerowitz that I wrote about. Thanks for the memories!