Saying Goodbye to the Original Feminist in Film: Nora Ephron

The film-making world lost a legend with the recent passing of screenwriter/director Nora Ephron. She was more then just an impeccable talent that created memorable characters and plots that could reach the masses.  She was a powerful, loyal, sensitive, intelligent and funny lady who wrote to women and for women.  Although her writing was aimed at female audiences, Ephron was able to speak to both genders and became one of the first and most influential women studio directors. With films like Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail, she created blockbuster films, iconic scenes (Hello! Meg Ryan’s now infamous diner scene in When Harry Met Sally!) and characters big and small that would touch so many lives all while proudly calling herself a feminist.

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There were never any feminist stereotypes portrayed in Ephron's projects like man bashing or bra burning and she never showed any disregard to the stories of love; whether finding, losing or reclaiming. Her feminist prose was about speaking to women and relating their unique qualities and stories to the rest of the world. She pushed the boundaries in a male dominated industry by unapologetically portraying strong, silly, complicated female characters while still being able to be humorous and laugh at the ridiculous.

Christy Lemire in her article for the Associated Press speaks about Ephron’s distinct ability in balancing the complexities of the female psyche and portraying the sweet and caring while still unabashedly highlighting the neurotic and overtly verbal traits. Her writing demonstrated the type of feminism that I so strongly relate to as my own ideal. Her stories were not about disrespect for men or the masculinization of women. They were about celebrating women for who they are while creating stories that made us laugh, cry and think about our own lives. Sometimes strength comes from weakness  (Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia); sometimes neurotic can be endearing (Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle); and often losing it all can lead to a happily ever after (Ephron favorite Meg Ryan again in You’ve Got Mail). Whatever the scenario that Ephron wrote about or highlighted on the big screen, strong women prevailed. Women and Hollywood reporter Sasha Stone looks at the influence Ephron had despite being consistently overlooked by male dominated Hollywood. It did not seem to matter that she received only three Oscar nominations and no wins in her illustrious career because she continued to speak her mind and create stories for the audience of her choosing, not the Oscar voters.

I do not have a lot of role models in people that I have not had personal contact with but Nora Ephron is a rare exception. She was a powerful example of a successful and trailblazing woman in the film industry and through all the sadness of her passing, her archive of work will forever be with me.