She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry is a documentary film which premiered in 2014. The topic is the women’s movement in the US during a crucial time, the years 1966-1971.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Director: Mary Dore
** Editors: Nancy Kennedy and Kate Taverna
** Available on DVD and via Amazon Prime Video
** Run time: 92 minutes
Many persons are interviewed in the film. The complete list of names is quite long, but I am going to mention all names in to show you that director Mary Dore and her crew put a lot of effort and time into this project. Here are the names of the participants (listed in alphabetical order):
Chude Pamela Allen
Alta
Judith Arcana
Nona Willis Aronowitz
Fran Beal
Heather Booth
Susan Brownmiller
Linda Frye Burnham
Jacqui Ceballos
Mary Jean Collins
Muriel Fox
Jo Freeman
Carol Giardina
Susan Griffin
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Kate Millett
Anna Nugent
Denise Oliver-Velez
Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz
Trina Robbins
Ruth Rosen
Vivian Rothstein
Marlene Sanders
Alix Shulman
Ellen Shumsky
Marilyn Webb
Virginia Whitehill
Alice Wolfson
A few names on the list are well-known, for instance Kate Millett and Alix Shulman. But most names are not well-known. I think this is significant.
The purpose of this film is not to tell the history of the women’s movement seen from the perspective of the famous leaders.
The purpose of this film is to tell the history of the women’s movement seen from the perspective of the grassroots.
Most participants are ordinary women who were part of the movement and who made things happen. They were the foot soldiers, so to speak. It is important to hear what they have to say and to see the history of the movement from their angle.
Several topics are discussed in the film. Here are the some of the topics which are discussed in the film:
** Employment discrimination
** Affordable childcare
** Reproductive health (including abortion)
** Sexuality
** Relations with the civil rights movement, the peace movement and the New Left
When abortion is discussed, there is a reference to the secret abortion service - known by the code-name Ask for Jane - which was active in Chicago for three years (1969-1972)
What about the title of the film: She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry. What does it mean? The title is never mentioned or discussed in the film.
I suspect a man could say something like that when he was tired of listening to a woman complaining about living in a man’s world.
He would make such a comment in order to distract her, but it would not help. It would only make her even more angry!
I assume the director chose this title to show that she has a good sense of humor.
Here is what Mick LaSalle says about the title in his review of the film (which is very positive):
“As the title would suggest, director Dore has a sense of humor, and so do Rita Mae Brown, Alix Shulman, Heather Booth and the various other women interviewed here.”
[SF Gate, 4 February 2015 – available online]
What do other reviewers say about this film? Here are the results of three review aggregators:
78 percent = IMDb
80 percent = Meta
86 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
93 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
On Amazon there are at the moment 57 global ratings and 31 global reviews. The average rating is 4.7 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 94 percent.
As you can see, the ratings are quite good. I understand the numerous positive reviews. I agree with them.
I want to all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
REFERENCES
** Abortion: Stories Women Tell - a documentary film which premiered in 2016
** Ask for Jane – a historical drama which premiered in 2018 (about the secret abortion service in Chicago 1969-1972)
** Kayla Webley Adler, “Ask for Jane Offers a Terrifying Look at a World Without Roe v. Wade,” Marie Claire, 16 May 2019 (available online)
** Personhood: Policing Pregnant Women in America – a documentary film which premiered in 2019
** Misbehaviour – a historical drama which premiered in 2020
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The women's movement in the US
(1966-1971)
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A poster for the film
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