This is yet another expertly crafted documentary by Ken Burns. Its style is clearly like his other films and it practically screams 'QUALITY' as you watch. The film is specifically about two of the greats of the women's suffrage movement--Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. These two women were contemporaries of each other and battled many decades for women. Yet, as you watch the film and see how similar they are in their views, you also see how dissimilar they were as people. Stanton was a chubby housewife--a mother of seven who looked very grandmotherly. Anthony, in contrast, was a Quaker--and a rather severe-looking one at that. She never married and seemed as if ALL her life revolved around the movement. Now this does NOT mean that Stanton wasn't devoted--she just found she was able to do the impossible--balance and family and leadership of the movement. Then, in their latter years, their relationship with the movement would change--but they remained friends and full of fire. Two very remarkable women, that's for sure and although the film is quite long, it's rewarding and interesting throughout. Well made and quite compelling.
By the way, this is not meant as a dig against her, but I wonder if Susan B. Anthony ever smiled. I say this because is EVERY photo of her they used in the documentary he has the most grim and humorless look I can ever recall seeing. Unfortunately, documentaries rarely give insights into these aspects of personality of the particulars and I'd love to know if this was or wasn't indicative of her general demeanor.
