Joan Does Dynasty

Joan Does Dynasty

feminist, video art, media analysis, woman filmmaker

1993

Documentary Short

Joan projects herself onto and provides commentary on the TV series Dynasty. Hampshire College professor and stand-up theorist Joan Braderman takes on power and desire in TV’s campiest series. “Joan Does Dynasty,” a classic in feminist media deconstruction, is a hilarious look at the materialistic 80’s in the context of the ordinary working person’s life. Superimposing herself over portions of “Dynasty” and into the bedrooms, office suites and maids’ quarters of the super rich, Braderman asks, “Why do 100 million people in 78 countries welcome this department store of dressed-to-kill aliens into their homes every week?” Braderman provides a monologue, infused with a wicked sardonic flair, as she prances and preens through the most successful night-time soap opera of the 1980s. Along with a succinct critical analysis of the disturbing cultural assumptions inherent in the narrative, she has an unabashed appreciation of the show’s seductive power.Co-Director Manual Delanda. Screened at the Whitney Museum of American Art (2007) and New Museum of Contemporary Art in NYC (2008). --Paper Tiger TV

32 mins

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Joan Does Dynasty from Paper Tiger TV on Vimeo.