Review of Girl 27 (2007) by Christopher S — 12 Dec 2008

This documentary had a huge impact on me in so many ways. I'm basically in shock, for a lot of reasons. What happened to Patricia Douglas in 1937 was horrific, but what's perhaps even more painfully heartbreaking is her life afterwards. The things that she had to endure and the effect that this had on her was so deep and so apparent, even when she was a woman in her 80s.

Still, what is perhaps most disturbing to me about all of this is the fact that no one knew, and those who did know didn't care. This was the first case of a woman taking a rape to court and the whole thing just feel off and was never heard about in spite of the fact that it was groundbreaking. The power that MGM had during those days was extreme, and the way that they used their power was sickening.

There is so much else about this story that is just mind blowing to me. I wish more people would see it so that I can discuss it. It's that important, in my opinion. Personally being a huge fan of movies from this era, especially a lot of the big musicals featuring these girls as extras, I am shocked that I never heard of Patricia Douglas' case. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch any of those movies again without Patricia's story coming to my mind and anger filling inside of me.