Between 1929 and 1934, women in American cinema were modern! For five short years, women in American cinema were modern! They took lovers, had babies out of wedlock, got rid of cheating husbands, enjoyed their sexuality, led unapologetic careers and, in general, acted the way many think women only acted after 1968. Before then, women on screen had come in two varieties, good or bad, sweet ingenue or vamp. Then two stars came along to blast away these...

The celebrated film critic and author of The Biographical Dictionary of Film explores how sexuality in the movies and the performances of iconic actors have reflected cultural experimentation and the fulfillment of latent desires.