“When we closed the chapter on the series In the Name of Progress, we began to take a closer look at the institution which, in the final analysis, is solely responsible for oppression and exploitation: the patriarchal order. Since we had always endeavoured to present the point of view of the “victims”, the next logical step was to focus on the single largest and most enslaved “colony” of all, on women.
We were not exactly breaking fresh ground. We had travelled around the world during our four years’ tenure with the Stern magazine, studying the relationship between men and women in different cultures. And yet, we were constantly being confronted by something new. It was interesting to see how difficult it was for us to off-load our own cultural baggage!”
Male Supremacy – Never Heard of lt
Sumatra, 1979
Most societies are male-dominated. Women play a lesser part. The man’s claim to supremacy is justified by all sorts of religious, mythical, and biological theories. Not so, with the Minangkabau on the…
The Benefits of Polygamy
Togo, 1979
Polygamy is often considered the cause of the suppression of African perawomen. The situation of women from other cultural backgrounds cannot, however, be judged by Western standards. Traditionally, the women in Africa…
Freedom Behind the Veil
Iran, 1980
After the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Western press reported often that women had lost their freedom – a freedom that had been bestowed upon them by the Shah. True, certain laws had…
In the Service of the Revolution
Eritrea, 1980
The Eritreans have been fighting against the illegal annexation of their country by the Ethiopians since 1961. In their film “Alone against the Mighty” made in 1977 Troeller/Deffarge deal with the social…
The Curse of Virginity
Egypt, Italy, 1980
In the Near East and in North Africa, girls can still be sentenced to death if they lose their virginity before their legal marriage.
Even today in southern Europe, virginity is fiercely…
Of Modesty and Immodesty
Bolivia, 1980
Women live in extremely different conditions, depending on how Christianity has been interpreted and understood. Using two very contradictory examples from Bolivia, the film explains why.
Mennonites of German origin settled in Bolivia.…
Farewell from Laughter
Peru, 1981
The Campas, who live in the rain forests of the Amazon basin, have more or less retained their traditional way of life. Men and women have a clear division of labour: Women…
The Cage of Freedom
Peru, 1981
Rapid modernisation and an apparent emancipation from prevalent norms seem to have gripped Peru. How do women manage in this situation? Women from the upper and middle classes now have the financial…
The Masters
Germany, France, 1982
A Pamphlet against Male Supremacy
This collage depicts various aspects of the patriarchal order, in which women are made into the property of men. But the patriarchal order…
The Rebellion of the Witches
Germany, 1982
The Women’s Movement
In the Middle Ages women who baulked against the authority of men were persecuted as witches and burned at the stake. They were rebelling against the…
Betrayed and Sold
USA, 1982
The “New Right“ Marches On
“The right of citizens of the United States to equal rights in the eyes of the law shall not be denied or abridged by…
In the Name of Love
France, 1983
Reflections on marriage
The last of the series “Women of the World” brings us back to Europe, to France.
It is all about love. The relationship between the sexes in…