Stephanie Rothman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stephanie Rothman
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Rothman in 2024
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| Born | November 9, 1936 Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Years active | 1965–1978 |
Stephanie Rothman (born November 9, 1936) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She is known for making low-budget independent movies in the 1960s and 1970s. Two of her most famous films are The Student Nurses (1970) and Terminal Island (1973).
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Film School
Stephanie Rothman was born in Paterson, New Jersey. Her family moved to Los Angeles in 1945. She first studied sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Later, she transferred to the University of California, Berkeley.
Rothman became interested in making movies after she saw the film The Seventh Seal in 1957. She said it was her favorite film of all time. Seeing it made her think, "This is what I would like to do. I would like to make a film like this."
From 1960 to 1963, Rothman studied filmmaking at the University of Southern California (USC). There, she met her husband, Charles S. Swartz, who was also a filmmaker. She was the first woman to win a special award from the Directors Guild of America for a student film she directed.
Working with Roger Corman
Because of her award and her great school record, Rothman got a job offer in 1964 from the famous director Roger Corman. She started as his assistant. At that time, it was very hard for women to get jobs making movies. Rothman said, "It was rare for anyone who did not have family connections to find employment in the film industry... It was even rarer for a woman to be hired."
Rothman did many different jobs for Corman. She helped with movies like Beach Ball (1965) and Queen of Blood (1966). She wrote new scenes, found locations for filming, and helped direct parts of movies. She learned how to make movies quickly and on a small budget. Corman encouraged her and had confidence in her skills, which made her want to do her best work.
She also helped finish a movie that became Blood Bath (1966). She shares the directing credit with Jack Hill for this film.
Becoming a Director
It's a Bikini World
Corman was so impressed with Rothman's work that he let her direct her first full movie, It's a Bikini World. It was filmed in 1965 but wasn't shown in theaters until 1967. However, Rothman did not enjoy making the movie. She felt disappointed and even thought about quitting directing for a few years.
She tried to find other jobs in the film industry but couldn't. She returned to work with Corman on his comedy Gas-s-s-s (1970) as a production associate.
The Student Nurses
In 1970, Corman started a new company called New World Pictures. He hired Rothman to write and direct its second movie, The Student Nurses. The film was about the lives of four young women in nursing school.
This movie was a type of film called an "exploitation film." These were low-budget movies that often had more action and daring scenes than big studio films. They didn't have famous stars, so they relied on exciting posters and ads to get people to watch them. Rothman decided that if she was going to make these kinds of films, she would make them the best she could.
The Student Nurses was a huge hit. It allowed Rothman to include topics that were important to her, like social issues. The movie's success helped Corman's new company grow and led to a series of "nurse" movies.
The Velvet Vampire
After the success of The Student Nurses, Rothman was offered the chance to make a sequel. She was also asked to direct a prison movie called The Big Doll House (1971). She turned down both offers because she wasn't excited about them. Instead, she directed The Velvet Vampire (1971). The movie was not a big success at the time, but it has since become a cult favorite.
Dimension Pictures
In the early 1970s, Rothman and her husband left Corman's company. They helped start a new one called Dimension Pictures. Rothman hoped for more creative freedom, but she still made exploitation films. However, she was paid more and owned a part of the new company.
For Dimension, Rothman directed three movies: Group Marriage (1973), Terminal Island (1973), and The Working Girls (1974). She also wrote the script for Beyond Atlantis (1973).
Even though she had to include certain things audiences expected, like action scenes, Rothman had control over the stories. She said, "I didn't always get to choose the subjects of the film, but I did have control over the attitude toward and the treatment of the subjects."
Challenges in Hollywood
Rothman and her husband left Dimension Pictures in 1975. She wanted to direct bigger movies, but she found it very difficult. The low-budget films she had made gave her a certain reputation, and many producers wouldn't give her a chance to make something different.
Another major challenge was that she was a woman in an industry run mostly by men. "No one told me directly," she said, "but I often learned indirectly that this was the decisive reason why many producers wouldn't agree to meet me." For several years, she was one of the only women directing feature films in America.
She sold a script that was later made into the movie Starhops (1978), but it was changed so much that she asked for her name to be taken off it. After trying for ten years to find work on more ambitious films, she eventually left the movie industry.
Legacy and Importance
Even though Rothman once said, "I was never happy making exploitation films," her movies are now praised by critics. Many writers, especially feminist critics, have pointed out how she used her films to explore important ideas.
Her films often deal with characters trying to find their own way in the world. As Rothman said, "My characters try to forge a humane and rational way of coming to terms with the vicissitudes of existence." This means her characters try to deal with life's challenges in a smart and kind way.
She also used her movies to comment on social issues of the time. She found clever ways to include her own ideas and style, even when she had to follow the rules of the genre she was working in. Today, her work is studied in film schools, and she is remembered as a pioneering female director.
Filmography
- Beach Ball (1965) – associate producer
- Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965) – associate producer
- Queen of Blood (1966) – associate producer
- Blood Bath (1966) – co-director
- It's a Bikini World (1967) – director, co-writer
- Gas-s-s-s (1970) – production associate
- The Student Nurses (1970) – director, writer
- The Velvet Vampire (1971) – director, writer
- Group Marriage (1973) – director, writer
- Beyond Atlantis (1973) – writer
- Terminal Island (1973) – director
- The Working Girls (1974) – director
- Starhops (1978) – writer
