The Green Girl
The Green Girl
| 24 July 2014 (USA)
The Green Girl Trailers

A feature-length documentary about Star Trek's iconic original Green Girl, Susan Oliver: Prolific actress of the '50s - '80s, original member of the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women, record-setting female aviator; Tragically taken by cancer in 1990. With over 120 major acting credits in film and television, Susan Oliver was literally a household name in the 1960's. She set a number of world records as a pilot and was one of the only women directing major TV shows in the 1980's. And yet many people don't even remember her name today. It's time to remember Susan Oliver...

Reviews
U.N. Owen

Even when I was young, I never was fixated on 'fame,' or popularity based solely on superficial things. As Marilyn Monroe said in her last interview (slightly paraphrased), 'fame is fickle, I've had it, and it's passed me by.'She knew the studios used her - to fill a type, a slot; sexy, dumb blonde.' But Marilyn wanted to show she was so much more.I grew up in the entertainment business, and it never excited me. Some of those I knew, or met, who were 'famous,' were mean, vain, callow. Being a kid, I saw this popularity game starting to happen as I approached teen-hood.I always thought looks are transient, and one second, you have them, but, who knows - a car crash, or you get old - for a woman, that's 40 - and then...Some of the most beautiful women I always thought, had it in them - they'd lived, and they'd seen it, and have Had grown wiser. The smart ones played the game back. The others, well... Who knows.But, of the 'famous,' it's only a very select few. I was always captivated by other qualities, and even when I was little, Ms. Oliver made such an impression. This was before the Internet, so, there was really know if others felt the same,and, honestly, I didn't care, as she was acting for me. I'm sure every other person who saw her felt the same.Her iconic role in Star Trek, is - for me a lot more than surface. She portrayed a woman, who even though she looked beautiful to those who saw her, it was illusory, and I felt it - her insecurity, her need for approval, because, as Vina, she was validated by her appearance.There was such a gentleness to her, and her voice, it quavered, but, not with the 'sex- kitten' quality. Her voice gently prodded, and said; 'please, don't hurt me, because if you don't believe this, I can't survive.'It broke my heart, then, and even thinking now, I'm tearing up.That was an actor. Someone who I felt lived and breathed, because I know she felt it, without question. Just because the screen would go dark, I felt whoever Ms. Oliver was, she - and Vina, her character - lived on.I worked in the entertainment business, and fame still never impressed me. As time went on, the media's need for more faces became ever-more rapacious, first, with cable, then the Internet, and on, and on.Instead of looking to 'groom' someone, it was as if these (usually young) actors were young chicks, and they looked at them solely on the basis of if they'd develop into a good chicken. Nothing more.I'd see/hear more and more young people say they wanted to be 'famous,' but, if I ever asked; famous? For what? The question was irrelevant.They see fame as the sole goal of approval.It saddens me.I was happy to find out - only as 'recently' as the mid 80's more things about Ms. Oliver which made me love her even more; I heard how she was not just a 'plane-flyer,' but, it was a deep passion. I also found out she'd passed away.I came across this documentary a few months ago purely by accident, and it couldn't have been more serendipitous.To see that she was so valued by those she'd worked with, and knew in her personal life, that they made this stunning, loving documentary about a person, a real flesh and blood one.I had my best friend (who passed away a few years ago) tell me about working with her, and even though my friend could drip venom, as she talked about Susan, it was with admiration. My friend had come up through Hollywood by being discovered at a young age by a famous director, and from then on her life was unreality. Working with Ms. Oliver showed my friend that you don't need anyone but yourself to love, because, as the saying forgoes, if you can't love yourself, you can't love anyone. I'm so happy this film was made. For anyone who wants to learn about self-confidence, and believing in yourself, and not have yourself validated, as so many unfortunately do, by fawning fake sycophants, watch this. I wish every young girl, young woman, and young boys, and whoever else felt or feels this plastic need to be 'beautiful,' , or has a 'stage mother,' who's (usually morbidly obese), who tries to live trough them, and turn them into some 'beauty queen.'See this, because true beauty can only come from within oneself.I won't say anything more about this woman's life, than how touched I was - still am - how this woman I never had the privilege of meeting touched me. I know I'm not alone, as the simple fact this wonderful story was told, and all the people who helped - either by participating, or helping fund it, this is a very rare incidence of someone truly special.Wherever you are now, Susan, thank you, you've had such an impact on so many., I know you're gentle twilight dream dust, which pass into many of us who see you, in so many wonderful ways. I always knew - even when I was a very little boy, you were a very special person, and I'm glad I at least still get to share seeing your on my screen.

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dondevries11

I had no idea who or what The Green Girl is or was. Now I find myself having seen it three times, each more interesting and fulfilling than the last. Unexpectedly, one of the most interesting things was learning more fully about an entire industry through one person. About movies, television, about it's people, actors, directors, related persons, history, literal behind the scenes interactions, meaning generally and specifically, than I ever conceive imaginable. At the same time much broader and much narrower than I could have ever thought possible. Then comes the surprising shocker of all as a documentary. It hit me with what I expect from real entertaining invigorating movies. It has drama about drama about drama. It elicits feelings and emotion about the very people and things that are themselves initiated and formulated to elicit feelings and emotions in the first place! first about the subject person, secondly about the people intimately acquainted with the subject person. And also, not the least, about the person, people, background, processes, contacts, research methods of who made this movie / documentary; and how this movie / documentary came to be born in the first place, and how things unfolded as it was made. It has that ineffable something that keeps bringing me back to see it again. I might not be done yet. I might see it A forth time. I already know I'm going to see Few Options a second time. Touching, insightful, educational, and interesting. Yes, both of them, that's interesting, and perhaps even strange. - Thank you again, George

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leftwingchief

Disclosure-I donated on Kickstarter, saw this in a theater prior to DVD release, am not an employee, am not related to cast or crew and not connected with Hollywood. ***WARNING-SPOILERS AT BOTTOM***First, Thank You to Susan's family, friends and co-workers who took their time to reminisce about her and share photos and other items and to the crew.Susan Oliver died in 1990 in obscurity, but news travels fast today on the Internet. Curiosity and technology caused George Pappy to use his iPhone to see Susan's IMDb page, he read her autobiography and this set into motion events that made this movie. The dedicated crew made this for less than $80,000, with much hard work, wearing of multiple hats, frequent flier miles and countless Tweets and Facebook posts. Amy Glickman-Brown did a fantastic job sifting through hours of B&W and color footage to showcase Susan's life. Since some footage is over 50 years old and of varying quality, a considerable amount of time was spent on digital video noise reduction. Much of Susan's dialog is from scripts, so Elizabeth Brown excellently acts as her voice, speaking life from Susan's written words. The soundtrack music is unobtrusive and smoothly augments the movie's flow. Production finished in the nick of time, as Peter Duryea died during filming and Nancy Malone, Biff Manard, and Mira John Slovak died before the DVD release. The Director's commentary elaborates on some topics and mentions an outtakes DVD will be made. When all film, television, still photo, print and web credits are listed, it's an amazing amount of time, research, travel, legal work, editing and test screenings to produce a 96 minute documentary! I saw Susan first in 1976 in "The Menagerie". In late 2012 on Antenna TV, I saw her in "The Naked City", went to IMDb and saw "The Green Girl" link. This DVD showed me many things about Susan; I saw the M*A*S*H episode she directed, many of her movies and television appearances, read her autobiography and would've loved to have met her. I spoke with fixed and rotary wing pilots about aircraft flight characteristics and I'm amazed Susan crossed the Atlantic alone in a single engine plane with 480 flight hours; she really was driven! Susan had many facets: actress, record setting pilot, writer, director, humanitarian (flew for Easter Seals) and "a good egg" to name a few and she strikes me as someone who would probably have succeeded in almost anything she attempted. For a such a stunningly beautiful, fascinating woman who brought much joy to millions, sadly her life was not very happy. I've bought several DVD's for friends who like Star Trek and one is a retired military pilot. ***FINAL WARNING-SPOILERS BELOW***In the DVD, my favorite photos of Susan are: holding the 1970 Powder Puff Derby trophy, in pigtails, smiling brightly from ear to ear, as pilot Margaret Mead talks nearby in a telephone booth and wearing a flight suit near a military jet. The last scene is a black screen with white letters captioning Susan's words as she leaves a farewell message on a relative's answering machine. Presented without music, each sound, the answering machine beep, the original cassette tape's limitations and the receiver hanging up sound is perfection. The crew gives Susan the final word in her own voice, some of the last words she ever said to loved ones. Rest In Peace.

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samlmt

A true revelation in celebrity documentaries, told with love, respect, earnestness and compassion. The amazing part is that this film could be as emotionally compelling as it is, given that the subject - actress Susan Oliver - was so hard to pin down as an individual. Part mystery, part enigma, and gifted beyond compare, her legacy is thoughtfully preserved in The Green Girl. You don't have to be a fan of Susan to enjoy this film. You don't even have to know who she was. You'll be drawn in, and find yourself wanting to discover her works. Great job by the director and editor. An obvious labor of love for all involved, meticulously researched and presented.

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