Flappers, Speakeasies, and the Birth of Modern Culture (2010) Reviews

• Dynamic period comes across in this documentary.

  kenthagen2010-10-03

  Very enjoyable show that generates a feel of the 20s that is rare in most works I've seen done of this period. I was impressed with the archival footage and the on camera experts who kept their comments short and to the point.I enjoyed the specific focus on the style and media coverage of women in that period that still serves as a template for the sensational approach that persist to this day. The period included so many firsts it makes for a rich and diverse subject that includes gangsters, scandals and Hollywood milestones. This documentary shows them all. It made me realize that celebrity worship has been with us since the this period and I found the similarities fascinating.I look foreword to future work done by this filmmaker.

• Overall good doc.

  smassol-12012-12-29

  I was hesitant to watch the documentary. I found the title a bit of a put off but I was pleasantly surprise. I really enjoyed the connections between the 20s and today that I would not have ordinarily have made. I really thought the linkages to sexuality, celebrity and modern consumerism interesting . If anything I would be curious to see a follow up of sorts on some of the trends from the documentary makers perspective. Overall well produced and interesting and I would recommend it to my students to engage them more into learning about their history and the impact it has had in their day to day life

• Very informative & enjoyable = highly recommended

  thelindycats2014-10-05

  This documentary shines an interesting light on young American women in the 1920s, who discovered new ways to express themselves and thus find more freedom than before. Thus, the flapper became a, if not the, symbol of the Roaring 1920s, in the way she thought, talked and dressed and as she explored the Speakeasies at night, danced and flirted openly. The documentary puts this new ideal of femininity in context with the changes in culture and society, and the impact of the new mass media, radio & cinema, and advertisements. It provides insight in the then new phenomena and highlights the inspiration the flappers drew from the emerging pop culture, e.g. celebrities that embodied the "Flapper lifestyle". Thus, the documentary provides a good introduction into the 1920s as well. The experts interviewed provide great insight in the era, complemented and complementing the flappers' own voices and the opinions about them - coming from journalists, pundits and preachers and even the early feminists, the suffragettes. All in all, very informative and enjoyable to watch with lots of great material from the 1920s. Highly recommended for schools and gender / feminist studies as an introductory overview over the new woman of the 1920s! Also of great interest for people interested in the 1920s, e.g. Swing dancers and other Vintage aficionados!