Women like Penny Marshall and Nora Ephron might have power in Hollywood now, but women still need to move ahead.

Historically, women worked behind the scenes, writing, editing or assisting in production, rather than directing and producing films, said Joan McGettigan, mass communications instructor.

Some women did manage to act in non-traditional roles behind the scenes, but many maintained power by performing.

McGettigan mentioned Mary Pickford as an early example of a woman who controlled her career.

"(Pickford) was able to deal with the contradictions," McGettigan said. "On-screen she played a little girl, off-screen, she was a very shrewd businessperson."

Jeanne Hall, an assistant professor of film at Ohio University and editor of Wide Angle, a film journal, said those women who did direct did not necessarily try to deconstruct gender stereotypes.

Hall used Dorothy Arzner as an example. Some scholars differ over the interpretation of Arzner's 1940 film Dance, Girl, Dance.

"On some level, there are the same stereotypes -- the good girl and the bad girl -- but some say there is something different here," Hall said.

The fact that a woman directed the film brings attention to it, Hall said.

"Perhaps we look for those moments of rupture," she said, "those moments of feminism."

Because they continue to gravitate toward non-blockbuster projects, women directors still do not receive as much recognition.

"Hollywood recently opened up their door to young black male filmmakers. Black women are making movies that make statements," she said, though Hollywood historically backs more mainstream fare.

However, last summer's film Thelma and Louise did not represent feminist concerns because it simply placed women in the traditional male-buddy genre film, Hall said.

McGettigan said the film provides interesting dinner conversation, but it breaks no new ground.

In fact, while Hollywood has changed during the last 50 years, women's power has dwindled or remained the same.

Under the studio system, aggressive marketing campaigns typed stars to fit specific roles. Women during this era could control a project, and studios paid women similar salaries.

"At the top echelon, there were many highly paid women," McGettigan said. Today, control over a project is unrealistic.

"You can't allow one person's interest to control a project that's worth $40- or $50 million," she said.

Moreover, because Hollywood concentrates so much of its attention on big-budget films, actresses do not have many choicey roles, McGettigan said.

The number of women working increases the competition too, she said.

"Some of these women seem to take what they can get to get a good role," she said. "Men can be more particular."

In the past, stars had specific screen identities, often greatly different from their personalities.

But this did not prevent women from advancing, nor did it perpetuate negative stereotypes, because some films presented positive messages, Hall said.

Blonde Venus, with Marlene Dietrich, explored the period's economic and political upheaval through a strong woman character. Hall mentioned other examples where filmmakers did make an effort to characterize women positively.

Today's performers rely on peers' respect for their acting ability. This extends to where people consider some women artists and others performers, Hall said.

McGettigan said the star system remains an imperfect alternative.

"I don't think the system has changed that much -- Hollywood's just kind of become less focused," McGettigan said.