Amy!

Description: Part newsreel and part biography, this film takes as its subject, the life story of the legendary aviatrix Amy Johnson who was the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. Mulvey and Wollen pursue their concern, developing radical strategies through a sustained discussion, by a women’s group, of what the “heroic” image means to women including questions of feminism and representation. A commentary on ‘philovatism’ (the desire for thrills) seeks to explain Johnson’s exploits in psychoanalytic terms. Suitable for middle and upper secondary levels.