| January 2008 |
All work
copyright the
owner. No
reproduction
without
consent.
copyright the
owner. No
reproduction
without
consent.
FILM REVIEW
The Pill
Review by Kirk Ramdath
National Film Board of Canada
Directors: Erna Buffie, Elise Swerhone
Runtime: 45 minutes
“Estrogen is to cancer what fertilizer is to wheat.”
National Film Board of Canada’s documentary, The Pill, has a viscerally short run time of 45 minutes.
There is some irony in this, since from the beginning of the film we are told very dramatically of the
significance of the birth control pill – so momentous it was called only, “the pill.” The film starts as a history
lesson, revealing some of the key players involved in the development of the pill, and the motives and
methods used to get it to market. The major motivation of Margaret Sanger, one of the key players that
pushed the development of the oral contraceptive, was not to give women freedom and control of their
bodies, but to prevent overpopulation due to overbreeding by the "poor, uneducated people of the world,"
for instance, those who live in "jungle areas." The methods used to test the pill are not so savoury either.
Women in Puerto Rico were used as test subjects and not given complete information about the
medication they were taking. Several Puerto Rican women died while testing the “high dose” version of
the pill, but their deaths were never investigated, and the same high dose version was released to the
American public. Many American women experienced side effects, and some died due to blood clotting
and pulmonary embolisms. For a long time the male-dominated establishment dismissed any
connection to the use of the pill. Finally the debate went all the way to Capital Hill, where the debate
becomes one about informed consent, with women decrying male control of their bodies, and ultimately
winning the fight to have inserts included in their pill packages so that women were fully aware of the
dangers of using the pill. The movie goes on to say that the “low dose” pill is safe for the majority of
women from puberty to menopause, and basically ends there. The ending of the film feels inadequate.
There is no exploration of contemporary dangers or issues related to the pill. However it does provide
some historical background that many people are probably not familiar with. Given the importance of the
pill in the lives of both women and men in Canadian society, that makes it definitely worth seeing. You can
find a copy in your local library or sexual health information centre. You can also find out more information
and order the film from the NFB website.
Back to main page
The Pill
Review by Kirk Ramdath
National Film Board of Canada
Directors: Erna Buffie, Elise Swerhone
Runtime: 45 minutes
“Estrogen is to cancer what fertilizer is to wheat.”
National Film Board of Canada’s documentary, The Pill, has a viscerally short run time of 45 minutes.
There is some irony in this, since from the beginning of the film we are told very dramatically of the
significance of the birth control pill – so momentous it was called only, “the pill.” The film starts as a history
lesson, revealing some of the key players involved in the development of the pill, and the motives and
methods used to get it to market. The major motivation of Margaret Sanger, one of the key players that
pushed the development of the oral contraceptive, was not to give women freedom and control of their
bodies, but to prevent overpopulation due to overbreeding by the "poor, uneducated people of the world,"
for instance, those who live in "jungle areas." The methods used to test the pill are not so savoury either.
Women in Puerto Rico were used as test subjects and not given complete information about the
medication they were taking. Several Puerto Rican women died while testing the “high dose” version of
the pill, but their deaths were never investigated, and the same high dose version was released to the
American public. Many American women experienced side effects, and some died due to blood clotting
and pulmonary embolisms. For a long time the male-dominated establishment dismissed any
connection to the use of the pill. Finally the debate went all the way to Capital Hill, where the debate
becomes one about informed consent, with women decrying male control of their bodies, and ultimately
winning the fight to have inserts included in their pill packages so that women were fully aware of the
dangers of using the pill. The movie goes on to say that the “low dose” pill is safe for the majority of
women from puberty to menopause, and basically ends there. The ending of the film feels inadequate.
There is no exploration of contemporary dangers or issues related to the pill. However it does provide
some historical background that many people are probably not familiar with. Given the importance of the
pill in the lives of both women and men in Canadian society, that makes it definitely worth seeing. You can
find a copy in your local library or sexual health information centre. You can also find out more information
and order the film from the NFB website.
Back to main page
| Photo from NFB Canada site. |
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our ultimate goal of paying all the artists
who contribute to the magazine, as well
as to improve the website and build the
infrastructure necessary to further unite
art and activism in the Calgary
community. If you like the magazine
and the values it stands for, please feel
welcome to contribute.
Equally important is to get the word out.
Advertising is expensive, and the best
advertising is by word of mouth. If you
like the magazine, or any content in
particular, please take a few moments
to share the link with your friends.
Feel free to join our Mailing list or our
Facebook group.