Documentaries are often used in academic settings to expand a student’s knowledge on a certain topic. Although some can be mundane and biased, others can be quite thought-provoking. Three documentaries that we have watched over the course of this summer class, are Treasures of Chinese Porcelain, The Story of Women and Art: Episode 2, and The Longest War: Women and Power – Part 2. I found each of these three documentaries to be equally captivating. Although each film discussed different matters, they can all be tied together through their discussions of gender roles. The film that was most successful in describing the roles of women, however, was The Longest War: Women and Power – Part 2. To start, in the film Treasures of Chinese Porcelain,
…show more content…
The narrator did a good job at discussing the inequalities women faced in the 19th century. It is interesting how even the richest, most powerful woman, Queen Victoria, faced inequalities. One topic that was prominent in the film was how all women’s property, including her children, belonged to her husband. The reason I would recommend this film for future classes is because of the detail the film went into about Caroline Sheraton. Caroline is described as a “blindingly beautiful” 19-year-old who marries George Norton. Norton is an aristocratic lawyer who is also an alcoholic. Because of his tendency to drink excessively, Caroline started having an affair with Lorde Melbourne. George grew angry and sued Lorde Melbourne for trespassing on his property. This goes to show how little control women a woman had over her life. In cases such as these, a woman can be forbidden to see her children. Because of Caroline’s work, laws were changed for women of the future to be able to see their children if a marriage separated. This film’s attention to details and focus on the theme of gender roles makes it the top choice for future class. These films were all great for different reasons. They were each truly captivating. As far as the theme of gender roles goes, The Longest War: Women and Power – Part 2, was the best at going into detail about the events and issues presented. It showed the inequalities and hardships women faced on an everyday basis. Thanks to women of the past who realized they deserved to be treated better, there is a significant increase in equality between men and women
The narrator did a good job at discussing the inequalities women faced in the 19th century. It is interesting how even the richest, most powerful woman, Queen Victoria, faced inequalities. One topic that was prominent in the film was how all women’s property, including her children, belonged to her husband. The reason I would recommend this film for future classes is because of the detail the film went into about Caroline Sheraton. Caroline is described as a “blindingly beautiful” 19-year-old who marries George Norton. Norton is an aristocratic lawyer who is also an alcoholic. Because of his tendency to drink excessively, Caroline started having an affair with Lorde Melbourne. George grew angry and sued Lorde Melbourne for trespassing on his property. This goes to show how little control women a woman had over her life. In cases such as these, a woman can be forbidden to see her children. Because of Caroline’s work, laws were changed for women of the future to be able to see their children if a marriage separated. This film’s attention to details and focus on the theme of gender roles makes it the top choice for future class. These films were all great for different reasons. They were each truly captivating. As far as the theme of gender roles goes, The Longest War: Women and Power – Part 2, was the best at going into detail about the events and issues presented. It showed the inequalities and hardships women faced on an everyday basis. Thanks to women of the past who realized they deserved to be treated better, there is a significant increase in equality between men and women