Barbie Nation: An Unauthorized Tour
Directed by Susan Stern
Viewed at the San Francisco
International Film Festival
All this commotion over injection molded plastic?
I never owned a Barbie (and wouldn't admit it if I did) though I had always harbored a secret desire to slowly and seductively remove her clothing (and still do)!
This short film plays mostly as a documentary about Barbie and her "people", with much tongue in cheek, and part biograph for Ruth Handler the woman who invented Barbie, and was the co-founder of Mattel Toys.
We see many people totally absorbed in the "cult of Barbie": doing the trade shows, fashion shows, modeling as Barbie look alikes, and spending wads of cash to own "all" the accessories!
One woman explains how her involvement with Barbie is a way to hold onto her childhood ideals and memories of what, for her, was a more innocent time. On the other hand, another woman, positioned Barbie and her friends in some very hardcore/alternative lifestyle re-enactments, whips, chains and everythang...
The story of Ruth Handler was perfectly blended in to show us a little bit of the creative "birthing" process that Barbie's "mom" went through: how she and her husband basically got Mattel going, riding on the back of the large breasted plastic doll, and built up this multi-million dollar company. When Mattel approached bankruptcy, the Handlers were forced to sell the company. Meanwhile, a bit ironically, Ruth developped breast cancer and discusses the social implications of having a breast removed. She then started a new company that sold breast prosthetics!
This film is a classic example that it doesn't take a big budget to make a charming and engaging little film!
Filmography
Susan Stern (b. Chicago, Illinois, 1953)
Reviewed by Eric Michel, FilmCities
|