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A couple of
weeks ago, my wife and I were driving to
work and we happened to have our radio tuned
to 105.3 in Dallas. At the time, David Lee
Roth was still hosting his new radio show
(which has since unfortunately been cancelled),
and we caught a telephone interview he was
conducting with a documentary filmmaker
by the name of Meema Spadola.
Neither one of us had ever heard of her,
but the conversation seemed to surround
the topic of breasts. Normally, the subject
would not have appealed to my wife as the
guys who normally host morning radio talk
shows tend to talk trash about women…
and the objects that seem to attract most
men's attention.
This conversation was different however.
Different because Roth had apparently left
behind his rock and roll image and apparently
opted to conduct his morning show with a
little more class than his predecessors.
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His discussion with Spadola was insightful and
thought-provoking, so much so that we were extremely
curious as to what it was that she had done to
spark the interview. By the end, we found out
that she had directed a film called Breasts: A
Documentary. We then learned that in this documentary
the director had interviewed numerous women on
camera, most of them while they were topless,
about the subject.
As she and Roth discussed the project, it became
quite evident that the documentary was one that
my wife and would be interested in watching. And
before you jump to any conclusions (mostly the
guys who read my reviews), it wasn't for the reason
you might immediately think. From my standpoint,
I'll jump at any opportunity to understand how
people think, especially when it comes to subjects
that are so universally intimate and are rarely
discussed. Even more so when it comes to the opposite
sex. After all, it goes without saying that we
don’t think alike in many respects.
For my wife, it was more of the opportunity to
listen to how different women dealt with the issues
of self-image inherent with breast enhancements,
reductions, aging and even mastectomies. She has
had her own issues in the past and hearing from
these other women, she felt might give her a little
more insight. So I contacted the fine folks over
at First Run Features and they were kind enough
to share with us a copy of the recently released
DVD for Breasts: A Documentary.
Right off the bat I have to give Spadola, as well
as her interviewees a tremendous amount of credit.
In spite of the 'reality' based style of shows
that are the bane of today's television experience,
she opted to look for those who were willing to
open up their hearts and minds, not for exhibition's
sake but more for education's sake. Granted, there
are a couple of strippers interviewed, but even
their comments speak volumes. One of them points
out that as soon as she takes off her top she
knows she is in control. While the idea that all
men fall before the power of breasts is a bit
of a generalization and some of us have a little
more respect for women than that, those it describes
are in the majority. In other words, not all men
are slime… but most are.
Spadola interviews a wide range of subjects, whose
ages range from the very young to upwards of 84,
and as such provides a wide range of perspectives.
In one case, she interviews a very large woman
who is at first very uncomfortable with the idea
of taking off her top, but is put at ease as the
interview proceeds. And don’t get me or
the director wrong, she is never forced to disrobe
or told she has to as the baring of her breasts
is secondary to the baring of her soul. We also
hear from two different sets of mother / daughter
subjects and these I found to be the most fascinating.
In both cases we see two different generations
sitting side by side, discussing thoughts and
emotions formed by dissimilar ways of life.
The documentary itself runs just a little under
an hour, and the interviews are interspersed with
tons of propaganda style cartoons and films that,
while they were products of another era, somehow
still mirror a lot of today's mistaken beliefs.
The DVD also includes some additional interview
footage as well as an interview with the director.
As far as subjects and titles go, Breasts: A Documentary
is a difficult one to get across to some people.
Some will think it's nothing more than a series
of naked women meant to be ogled and will therefore
label it pornography, while others (thinking the
same thing) will watch it just so they can ogle
them. Unfortunately, members of both of these
narrow-minded groups will do both Spadola and
her subjects a disservice with their misconception.
On the other hand, those looking for an educational
experience will find that Breasts: A Documentary
is put together in a thoughtful, yet entertaining
format. It is an excellent documentary, both in
terms of its structure and pacing. And for those
of you who still think I'm amongst the narrow-minded
few, who only wanted to see some topless women,
think again. I've also requested Spadola's companion
piece to this documentary, Private Dicks: Men
Exposed. Be on the lookout for that review!
Directed by: Meema Spadola
Extras: 30 Minutes of Bonus Footage, Interview
with Filmmakers, Original Music Tracks
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: First Run Features
Release Date: 4/25/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Breasts: A Documentary an A.
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