If you were a US feminist
in the 1980s, chances are that these classic music videos were part of at least
one event you attended. Kay Weaver wrote the words and music and sings both "One
Fine Day" and its successor "Take The Power." Each song is a celebration
of women, and the videos made them inspiring anthems. "One Fine Day"
uses images of mostly American women of the past as well as video footage of suffragists,
workers of all sorts, and powerful women of the 1970s and 80s. Willa Cather, Calamity
Jane, Gertrude Stein, Billie Jean King and other lesbians and bisexual women are
featured. Remember the Greenham Women's Peace Encampment or Bella Abzug? "Take
The Power" expands this idea to a more international, multi-ethnic scope.
It's packed with images of women like Kate Millett, Simone de Beauvoir, Maya Angelou,
Cris Williamson, the famous and the not so famous in 160 scenes. Each video
includes a handout with song lyrics and lists of the women in order of appearance.
(Very useful, since it may be hard to recognize Helen Caldicott or others 20 years
later.) The big surprise? These videos are still available commercially from Ishtar
Films, which also offers Votes for Women and other films on women's history.
They're a nice blast from the past, of particular interest to collectors. |