by Rosalie Kicks Old Sport & Editor in Chief

Alicia Malone is a magic ✨

I was first introduced to the self-proclaimed “film geek”, Alicia Malone in 2016 when she would periodically visit my living room via the now defunct streaming channel, Filmstruck. This channel was a cinephile’s dream (I am still in denial that it is gone and have not deleted the app from my phone) as it showcased classic, indie, foreign, and arthouse flicks. Malone would intro some of the films and often conduct interviews that served as supplements to their programming. I was immediately drawn to her infectious love of film, specifically classics, and felt a connection due to her passion that radiated off the screen for the cinema. She did not see a movie in just a theater, it was a palace!

In the fall of 2017, while attending the Toronto Film Festival Alicia’s first book Backwards & In Heels had been released in August and I managed to score a copy while in the lovely city of Toronto. During my visit, Alicia kindly posted on Twitter that anyone who would like to have a copy of her book signed should simply reach out to her for a meet-up. Wellll, I mustered up enough moxie and chirped to her. We agreed to meet up after a screening and she told me to watch out for her red hair. After I stumbled through the conversation, I managed to remember to leave her with a parting gift: MovieJawn. Little did I know that months later, this would lead to me designing her e-newsletter. A job offer that I almost did not take due to thinking I was completely unqualified for it. In fact, I was almost going to recommend someone else. Thanks to my partner in crime Ben, though. He urged me to take the opportunity and convinced me that I had what it took as evidenced here:

In the spring of 2018, Alicia officially became a host on Turner Classic Movies and later that year released her second book The Female Gaze. Fast forward to March 2022 and Alicia released her third book Girls On Film, which is sprinkled with personal anecdotes, film history, and a focus on women in front of the camera that inevitably had an impact on her life. ”I felt like this was going to be my last book,” says Malone. “Each book built on the one that came before it, starting off with film history in Backwards & In Heels, then moving into film analysis with The Female Gaze and then into a mixture of memoir, film analysis and film history with Girls On Film.”

In comparison to her previous two books, Girls on Film is Malone’s most personal writing yet, giving the reader a glimpse into her private life. Through these snippets, she shares how her love of classic cinema shaped her into the person she is today and still manages to teach her lessons even after numerous viewings. “I knew that I wanted to be personal this time around and speak more about my journey with classic film and the journey to be where I am in my career,” describes Malone. “I didn’t want to write an entire memoir… so I took little flashbacks, little moments from my 20s, 30s, and now my 40s and started thinking about the issues I was dealing with at the time.”

By watching female characters on screen portrayed by the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, and Katharine Hepburn, Alicia found that she was given a perspective on the person she wanted to become. It was during the pandemic though that she began pondering her relationship to classic films. Like many of us, Alicia sought comfort through the darkened days of isolation and soon found herself gravitating towards the films that brought her solace in the past. This caused her to question why she watched classic films in the first place and what lessons they have taught her. Additionally, it made her realize how opinions of these motion pictures continue to be ever-evolving. ”You can have a different relationship with them (classic films) over time. You can watch a film when you’re young and see it one way, when you’re a teenager see it a completely different way and as you’re older see it again quite differently. Along the way, as you change, society also changes so that the way in which we view pieces of art changes with time,” explains Malone.

Girls On Film, exhibits movies as Malone puts it, “ an ever-evolving piece of art” that should evoke conversation. Through the pages in her book it is clear that she feels there is value in the discussion that, in turn, provides a way for us to interact with motion pictures, often in a fun way. Alicia is so dedicated to this mantra that she has even faced her introverted fears in the name of her love for film that dates back to her teenage years through to present day. She is on a quest to share the hidden gems of cinema’s past and will not allow a case of the jitters to stand in her way. “The thing that keeps me doing it is that I love films and, much like me as a teenager trying to start that film club that no one came to, I just feel this deep need to. I have to tell people about these movies and that becomes a purpose bigger than myself and bigger than my own fear,” expresses, Malone.

Hopefully, Alicia will also be able to share her love of cinema in other ways as she is presently pursuing the purchase of a historic theater. After relocating from Hollywoodland to a remote town in Maine, Alicia has set her sights on figuring out a way to make her dream of owning and operating a movie palace of her own. “Never say never, I’m nothing if not determined and I don’t get discouraged when many many people say it is impossible, as they have said that to me already, I am determined to keep moving forward” declares, Malone. As I ponder my next move in life, I found Girls On Film to be such an inspiring read and a reminder to follow my dreams.

Girls On Film is available for purchase here, catch Alicia Malone on TCM, more information here.