Not for Ourselves Alone - The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony

Starring:Sally Kellerman, Ronnie Gilbert, Julie Harris, Amy Madigan, Keith David, Wendy Conquest, Anne Duquesnay, George Plimpton, Adam Arkin, Tim Clark, Kevin Conway, Ann Dowd, Charles Durning, Carolyn McCormick, Lorie Barnum, Kathleen Barry, Ruth Dyk, Ellen Carol Dubois, Vivian Gornick, Ann Gordon
Director: Ken Burns
Studio: Pbs Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Feminism is a problematic word: to some it means the ongoing struggle for the equal rights of women; for others the connotations are derogatory, the word conjuring images of emasculating woman. And for still others, mostly the younger generation who grew up with mothers in the workforce, the term is outdated, referring to a movement whose relevance is diminishing. Postfeminism, antifeminism, the feminist backlash--these terms are wielded with little understanding of the context in which the feminist movement was born. Luckily, Ken Burns and Paul Barnes have created this superb documentary, Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, to remind us of the roots of the women's movement and to show just how far we have come in such a short period of time.

In the 19th century, Susan B. Anthony had few choices for her life: to live with a husband as "a doll or a drudge" (marry a poor man, she explains, and you spend your life doing housework as a drudge; marry a rich man, and you spend your life prettying yourself up and looking like a doll), to work as a schoolteacher, or to live with her family as an "old maid." And while she chose the life of the spinster to retain her independence, she didn't resign herself to a life of leisure. Born into a Quaker family devoted to abolition, Anthony championed the reform movement and dedicated herself to the suffragette life. In contrast, Elizabeth Cady Stanton married and had many children, yet this did not stop her from seeking the vote for women. A friendship with Lucretia Mott sparked a desire in this abolitionist to work for the cause of women, and Stanton and Anthony eventually teamed up to fire up the revolution of women in the United States.

Amazon.com

Feminism is a problematic word: to some it means the ongoing struggle for the equal rights of women; for others the connotations are derogatory, the word conjuring images of emasculating woman. And for still others, mostly the younger generation who grew up with mothers in the workforce, the term is outdated, referring to a movement whose relevance is diminishing. Postfeminism, antifeminism, the feminist backlash--these terms are wielded with little understanding of the context in which the feminist movement was born. Luckily, Ken Burns and Paul Barnes have created this superb documentary, Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, to remind us of the roots of the women's movement and to show just how far we have come in such a short period of time.

Customer Reviews:

"Wheat that was sown that others harvested!";"The women that made miracles!";the true unsung heroines of woman's suffrage ........2007-04-26

It would be totally inadequate for this reviewer to say that NOT FOR OURSELVES ALONE:The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony is simply a "must-see","well done","moving","dramatic","compelling"etc.etc. documentary of the two forgers of the early Woman's Suffrage Movement.This Ken and Paul Burns treatise has been so carefully,sensitively and lovingly handled,crafted and assembled that I was moved to anger,incredulity,sympathy,action and finally to just good ol'tears!
NOT FOR OURSELVES ALONE tells in vivid detail, based upon the enormous source material and writings and correspondence of the two amazing women of the 19th -century,Cady Stanton and Anthony, who almost in a battle alone, fought tirelessly for the equality and dignity and rights of all women to receive and exercise their rights as they saw guaranteed to them under the United States Constitution and The Decalration of Independence.These two pioneers maintained an endearing fifty year friendship,endured hardships,misunderstandings,trials,boos-and-jeers,and the sometime opposition of their own sex as well as the opposite sex AND race, and above all ,totally opposite lifesyles and temperaments in order to join faculties to push for what they themselves NEVER saw in their own lifetime...the 19th Amendment guaranteeing the woman's right to vote.Without these two women, much legislation that all of us now accept to be totally understood ,would never be in law today.The Burns Brothers have created an absolute masterpiece,running for 210 totally absorbing minutes minutely detailing how these two women met,how they were alike and unalike,and how their neverending faith and trust in each other and their common-held beliefs was the ultimate key for those women of the following generation to complete the task of gaining equal rights for all women.This is a very typical Burns format for his PBS documentaries complete with voiceovers,historian interviews,still tintypes.Where this particular documentary really succeeds above the other Burns' PBS features is the tender and deliciously sensitive narrative that has been scripted to tell Stanton and Anthony's story.This is a very absorbing piece of art that all peoples would greatly benefit from viewing.It is more than informational...it is life-giving.These were the women who "sowed winter wheat for others to harvest".They were "the women who worked miracles!"

Comprehensive Women's Suffrage Film.......2005-10-03

This three hour film covered everything you ever wanted to know about the suffrage movement. It was another excellent Ken Burns effort. I liked the way it was divided up into chapters. I'm teaching a women's history class and had a limited amount of time for a film (1 hour). So I was able to show their early life, twenty years later and the conclusion of the suffrage struggle by selecting certain chapters. I would highly recommend this film for any women's history buff.

A story lost to history.......2003-10-31

I'm a woman in a male-dominated field, engineering. But I always cringed at the "feminist" viewpoints and attitudes of some of my friends. I did my work and didn't really think about being the only female in class. All that changed when I saw this documentary.

For the first time, I understand what a woman's life was like back 150 years ago. I understand how much progress has been made, and how everything that I take for granted every day -- being able to choose my career, have a life separate from my husband, vote, own property -- was gotten only through the incredible struggle of women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott. They faced mockery, disdain, insults, dismissal and a millenium of tradition at every step, but never stopped fighting. They fought not just for themselves, but for me and every generation of women that came after them.

The fact that I graduated from high school and college without knowing the story of these two great women is almost unforgivable.

Worth every cent.......2003-04-25

I saw this brilliant and beautiful documentary when it was aired on public television and while it has been readily available on VHS, I have been holding out for a DVD. Finally the long wait is over! The only thing that surprises me is that it wasn't offered on DVD earlier. This isn't just some angry feminist rant or emotional tirade against men--the suffragist movement is dealt with as the historical event it actually was, and this documentary goes in-depth with historical details, letters, photos, and even comments from very old women who were just young women when they voted in the first-ever election in which women could vote. After seeing this for the first time, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the unsung heroes and leaders of the suffragist movement, became one of my heroes, and I immediately sought out a copy of "The Woman's Bible". I have been returning to Amazon over and over, checking to see if this was on DVD yet, and it had gotten to the point where I didn't hold out much hope that I would find it. I can't begin to describe how excited I am over this!

One of the top 5 best video documentaries I've ever seen..........2000-11-03

And I've seen a LOT of video documentaries!

I always thought of myself as somewhat well-informed on the topic of American History, but I knew virtually nothing about these two incredible women.

Their friendship, the beautiful blending of their unique gifts to create one stupendous and powerful whole of a suffrage movement, their dedication and devotion - all these elements combined to make this story perfectly wonderful.

I borrowed the video from our local library, but I think I need to buy it. I've watched it twice and wept tears of joy and gratitude at these womens' sacrifice and unselfish labors for all womankind. It is a delight to watch.

I just had no idea women had to fight so hard and so long to be granted a basic human right like voting.

And Elizabeth's "best" lecture, "The Solitude of Self" was one of the most powerful essays I've ever heard. Very stirring and inspiring. Even the [background] music was superior.

Amazon.com

Description

Two women. One allegiance. Together they fought for women everywhere, and their strong willpower and sheer determination still ripples through contemporary society. Here lies the story of two of our century's most celebrated pioneers Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Recount the trials, tribulations and triumphs of these two women as they strive to give birth to the women's movement. Not until their deaths was their shared vision of women's suffrage realized. A powerful historical introspective.

Customer Reviews:

"Wheat that was sown that others harvested!";"The women that made miracles!";the true unsung heroines of woman's suffrage ........2007-04-26

Comprehensive Women's Suffrage Film.......2005-10-03

A story lost to history.......2003-10-31

The fact that I graduated from high school and college without knowing the story of these two great women is almost unforgivable.

Worth every cent.......2003-04-25

One of the top 5 best video documentaries I've ever seen..........2000-11-03

And I've seen a LOT of video documentaries!

I always thought of myself as somewhat well-informed on the topic of American History, but I knew virtually nothing about these two incredible women.

I just had no idea women had to fight so hard and so long to be granted a basic human right like voting.

And Elizabeth's "best" lecture, "The Solitude of Self" was one of the most powerful essays I've ever heard. Very stirring and inspiring. Even the [background] music was superior.

This video will not leave you where it found you. Should be required viewing for everyone. Period.

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