Stephanie Rothman facts for kids
Stephanie Rothman (born November 9, 1936) is an American film director, producer, and writer. She is known for making independent, low-budget movies in the 1960s and 1970s. Two of her well-known films are The Student Nurses (1970) and Terminal Island (1974).
Contents
About Stephanie Rothman
Early Life and Film Dreams
Stephanie Rothman grew up in Los Angeles. She studied sociology at UC Berkeley. She became very interested in filmmaking after watching a movie called The Seventh Seal (1957). She said it was her favorite film and made her want to become a writer and director. She dreamed of making thoughtful, European-style films.
Starting in Hollywood with Roger Corman
From 1960 to 1963, Stephanie studied filmmaking at the University of Southern California. There, she met her husband, filmmaker Charles S. Swartz. She was the first woman to win a special award called the Directors Guild of America fellowship. This award helped her get a job with famous producer Roger Corman in 1964. She started as his assistant.
It was very hard for women to get jobs behind the camera in the film industry back then. Stephanie recalled that it was rare for anyone without family connections to find work. It was even rarer for a woman to be hired for these types of jobs.
Stephanie worked on many films for Roger Corman. These included Beach Ball (1965), Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965), and Queen of Blood (1966). She even helped reshoot parts of a movie that became Blood Bath (1966). She shares the directing credit for that film with Jack Hill.
Directing Her First Films
Roger Corman was impressed with Stephanie's work. He gave her the chance to direct her first full movie, It's a Bikini World. This film was shot in 1965 but came out in 1967.
After this, Stephanie tried to find other directing jobs but it was difficult. She returned to work with Corman on his comedy Gas-s-s-s (1970). She worked as a production associate and really enjoyed it.
Success with The Student Nurses
In 1970, Roger Corman started a new film company called New World Pictures. He hired Stephanie to write and direct its second movie, The Student Nurses (1970). This film was about four young nursing students.
The Student Nurses was a big success. It helped New World Pictures become a strong company in the film world. The movie also led to other "nurse" films being made.
New Projects and Challenges
Stephanie Rothman was offered a sequel to Student Nurses. She was also offered a film about women in prison, The Big Doll House (1971). But she wasn't excited about either project. Instead, she directed The Velvet Vampire (1971) for New World. This film later became a cult favorite, even though it didn't make much money at first.
Working at Dimension Pictures
In the early 1970s, Stephanie and her husband left Roger Corman. They helped start a new company called Dimension Pictures. At Dimension, she earned more money and owned a small part of the company. However, she still worked on similar types of low-budget films.
Stephanie directed three films for Dimension: Group Marriage (1973), Terminal Island (1973), and The Working Girls (1974). She also wrote the script for Beyond Atlantis (1973). The films she directed, especially Group Marriage, focused on the desires of both female and male characters.
Film director Fred Olen Ray later said that the best movies from Dimension were the ones made by Rothman and Swartz. Stephanie said she was inspired by the work of filmmakers Jean Cocteau and Georges Franju.
Later Career and New Paths
Stephanie Rothman and Charles Swartz left Dimension in 1975. She tried to make different kinds of movies but found it hard to get away from low-budget productions.
She sold a script called Carhops, which was later made into the movie Starhops (1978). But the movie was changed so much that Stephanie took her name off it. She also signed a deal to make three more films, but none of them happened.
By 1978, Stephanie still hoped to make a major motion picture. However, she is not listed as working on a feature film after that year. She eventually left the film industry. She later worked for a group of university professors, helping them with their lobbying and writing. Then, she started investing in real estate.
Why Her Films Are Important Now
Stephanie Rothman once said she was "never happy making exploitation films." She did it because it was the only way she could work as a director. However, her movies are now highly praised by film critics and writers. Many feminist writers, like Pam Cook and Claire Johnson, see her films as important examples of feminist ideas within the low-budget film genre.
In 2007, she was honored with a special showing of her films at the Vienna International Film Festival. Her work is remembered for creating films that explored new ideas, especially for women, even within the limits of low-budget filmmaking.
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
- Beyond Atlantis (1973) – writer
- Terminal Island (1973) – director
- The Working Girls (1974) – director
- Starhops (1978) – writer
Unmade films
- Outlaw Mama – script by Rothman announced in 1971 for production by New World
- Mama Sweetlife – project announced for Dimension but never made
