A Comparative History of Wartime Queer Female Directors: Dorothy Arzner, Sakane Tazuko, and Esther Eng

Abstract The article investigates whether female directors and women's cinema across various countries and film industries share common ground and whether deeper insights into film history can be gained by comparing the working conditions of women. It addresses these questions through an analysis of the parallel careers of three queer women before and during World War II. Dorothy Arzner (1897 – 1979), a widely studied figure, was the only female director in early sound-era Hollywood from 1929 to 1943. In contrast, Sakane Tazuko (坂根田鶴子) (1904 – 1979), less well known, became Japan's first female director in 1936 and remained the only one until 1953. Esther Eng (伍錦霞) (1914 – 70) was notable as the first Chinese (American) woman to produce a film in Hollywood and the first woman to direct films in Hong Kong and Southern China. This article employs digitized periodical coverage and queer historiographical approaches, particularly drawing on Judith Mayne's close readings of press reports and unpublished photographs of Arzner, to contribute to gendered historiography in a comparative cultural context. It examines how the gender fluidity of Sakane and Eng created both opportunities and challenges in their film careers. By using Arzner as a benchmark for the careers and achievements of Sakane and Eng, the article also highlights Arzner's influence in Asia.