Director Mary Dore's widely inclusive account of the women's liberation eschews narration in favor of the voices of those who were there (including late journalist Ellen Willis), focusing on the major strides made in the 1960s and ‘70s, before taking a brief look at recent attempts to dismantle earlier progress. For the founders of the National Organization for Women (NOW), Betty Friedan's 1963 bestseller The Feminine Mystique provided the spark. Other participants came from the civil rights and anti-war movements, and had organizing experience. NOW spoke out for reproductive rights and equal opportunities, but those who didn't fit the straight, white, middle-class mold didn't always feel welcome. Frances Beal of the Black Women's Liberation Committee asked: “How do you integrate race, class, and gender?" And fearless author Rita Mae Brown (Rubyfruit Jungle) called out NOW on its hostility towards lesbians (the so-called Lavender Menace). NOW responded by kicking Brown out of the group. Fortunately, the whole proved greater than the sum of its many working parts, and collectively these women made considerable impact. Although Dore cites the work of famous feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug, she concentrates on more under-sung figures, like the Boston Women's Health Collective, who produced Our Bodies, Ourselves. And instead of the expected ‘60s folksingers, the soundtrack features thematically appropriate artists including Bikini Kill and Cat Power. With women still earning considerably less than men (among other inequities), the struggle is far from over. Serving up vital history, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)
She's Beautiful When She's Angry
(2014) 92 min. DVD: $99.95: public libraries & high schools; $395: colleges & universities. The Cinema Guild. PPR. ISBN: 0-7815-1514-9. Volume 30, Issue 4
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