Review of the documentary Girl 27 by David Stenn Rating *****
I just watched the Netflix documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamar Story, which tells the story of an actress who battled with studios over the stories they forced her to star in and how she was one of the first to produce her own movies, among many other accomplishments. The documentary Girl 27 takes place around the same time period. In both stories, women were treated as second-class citizens. The story told in Girl 27 concerns a young dancer named Patricia Douglas. She was only 16 when she went to what she thought was a role as a dancer in an MGM film. However, there was no film. Instead, she and dozens of other young women were put into skimpy Western costumes and tasked with mingling with conventiongoers at an MGM-sponsored event. It was at this event that Patty was raped by a film salesman. That is the initiating event. What follows is MGM’s successful attempt to vilify Pat and quash the story.
Both films expose the harsh realities for women involved with the studio system of the thirties and forties. While most rape cases have a he-said/she-said element to them, in Pat’s case, there was a witness who heard her scream after the attack. That witness was offered lifetime employment with MGM if he changed his testimony, which he did. Physical evidence of the rape was washed away by a doctor employed by MGM. The district attorney who handled the case also benefitted from political contributions from MGM executives. The result was that all attempts by Patricia to hold the man responsible who raped her failed.
Interwoven throughout the story of the rape and subsequent attempts at some kind of restitution was the story of how those events affected Patricia Douglas for the rest of her life. One of the more touching moments in the film is when Patricia, in her mid-eighties, recounts how the rape was her first sexual encounter and how it tainted her relationship with men for the remainder of her life. She had three failed marriages and became a recluse at a young age. She also had a daughter, whom she failed to nurture or raise for reasons not fully explained.
Both Hedy Lamar and Patricia Douglas died lonely women living secluded lives with limited means. This documentary vindicates Patricia’s accusations of rape, but it also paints a picture of a dysfunctional woman forever tainted by one man’s selfish act.
One last note: I don’t know the history of the filmmaker’s attempts to get distribution for his film. It should have easily gained distribution by any of the major streamers. However, filmmaker David Stenn made the decision to release the film on his YouTube channel. Maybe it was that or have the film shelved where no one would get to hear this story. Regardless, catch this why you can.