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Pumping Iron 2: The Women

Pumping Iron 2: The Women

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $17.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great video!!
Review: Being a female bodybuilder, I wanted this video BAD!! I must've watched it 10 times now. The only this is I wish they would've shown what their diets were like leading up the the competition. Otherwise, great movie!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: song track?
Review: Does anyone know the name of a certain track in the movie near the beginning when Rachel Mcclish is seen posing in a studio under the guidance of Joe Weider. She is wearing colored feathers and posing with 2 dumbells in her hand. The song that is playing I would like to know the tiltle of.
Thanks, Warren

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Why isn't Pumping Iron on DVD
Review: Don't care to watch this DVD but I would love to own the original Pumping Iron on DVD. That's It!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Truely inspirational!
Review: I saw this film when it first came out in the theaters. I remember I went in wanting Rachel McLish, respecting Carla Dunlap, and repulsed by Bev Francis. I came out of the theater wanting Carla Dunlap, respecting Bev Francis, and repulsed by Rachel McLish. I was about 21 at the time.

I am giving this film only three stars because, while "Pumping Iron II" is a well made film, it is a poorly made DVD. The film looks underexposed throughout and somewhat grainy in places. I realize the distributor is a small company but a little more effort could have been put into the transfer. If they could manage to get Geroge Butler (the director) to do commentary then one would think they could manage to procure a better quality print (or even make a print from the negative) for DVD release. The photos in the still gallery that come in the Extras are digital crisp, even when viewed with the "zoom" feature on your remote. They should have put the same cleanup effort into the movie itself.

Speaking of extras, why is there no commentary from any of the principal participants/competitors themselves? This film was such a big break for all of them that I can't believe the producers couldn't get even one of them to offer their insights. A film like this needs some historical perspective, IMHO. Still, it's a good movie, worth buying if you're a fan of women's bodybuilding, or interested in women's studies.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good movie, poor transfer
Review: I saw this film when it first came out in the theaters. I remember I went in wanting Rachel McLish, respecting Carla Dunlap, and repulsed by Bev Francis. I came out of the theater wanting Carla Dunlap, respecting Bev Francis, and repulsed by Rachel McLish. I was about 21 at the time.

I am giving this film only three stars because, while "Pumping Iron II" is a well made film, it is a poorly made DVD. The film looks underexposed throughout and somewhat grainy in places. I realize the distributor is a small company but a little more effort could have been put into the transfer. If they could manage to get Geroge Butler (the director) to do commentary then one would think they could manage to procure a better quality print (or even make a print from the negative) for DVD release. The photos in the still gallery that come in the Extras are digital crisp, even when viewed with the "zoom" feature on your remote. They should have put the same cleanup effort into the movie itself.

Speaking of extras, why is there no commentary from any of the principal participants/competitors themselves? This film was such a big break for all of them that I can't believe the producers couldn't get even one of them to offer their insights. A film like this needs some historical perspective, IMHO. Still, it's a good movie, worth buying if you're a fan of women's bodybuilding, or interested in women's studies.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Truely inspirational!
Review: I was so enraged at the sexism displayed by the judges and some of the other girls in this film I immediatley afterward went to the gym and hit the weights extra heavy with extra reps. Watch how Bev Francis was shafted and changed the face of womens bodybuilding forever. The feminine debate goes on...

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Bodybuilding History Video
Review: If you like female bodybuilding, you can't miss this video. You will experience the beginning of this sport, its most important competition -- The Ms Olympia -- and the formers females competitors who had the courage to break the "rules". It is an important documentary, in bodybuilding history.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Documentary of Wos. Professional Bodybuilding's top contest
Review: In 1985, Women's Professional Bodybuilding was in it's infancy. Men's Bodybuilding had already been explored in the "Pumping Iron" documentary, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now, we are taken in the gym and backstage at the premiere Professional Bodybuilding event for Women. Controversey arises, when one entrant (Bev Francis) is more bulky and muscular than other more svelte (Rachel McLish) entrants. Just what constitutes a Women's Bodybuilding Champion? The woman that is most muscular, or the one that looks more like the average woman's ideal?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Documentary of Wos. Professional Bodybuilding's top contest
Review: In 1985, Women's Professional Bodybuilding was in it's infancy. Men's Bodybuilding had already been explored in the "Pumping Iron" documentary, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now, we are taken in the gym and backstage at the premiere Professional Bodybuilding event for Women. Controversey arises, when one entrant (Bev Francis) is more bulky and muscular than other more svelte (Rachel McLish) entrants. Just what constitutes a Women's Bodybuilding Champion? The woman that is most muscular, or the one that looks more like the average woman's ideal?

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Historic documentary for women's body building enthusiasts
Review: In any athletic field, the most watched female athletes are those who have a distinct physical presence. Just being good at your sport may allow you to win medals but you won't get much popular or media attention. This historic documentary highlights why this became a huge issue back in the 1980s when women's bodybuilding just started to take off. Rachel McLish was considered the favourite for the Caesars Palace World Cup Championship. She was very toned, lightly muscled and considered very attractive by most people. Bev Francis was an Australian powerlifting champion who shocked people wherever she went because she was so muscular. Everybody agreed that she had bigger muscles than anybody else but where there was disagreement was whether it was "aesthetic" for a women to be that heavily muscled. Bev comes across as very honest, dedicated, outspoken and caring, something you would expect when you see her. Lori Bowen was a Rachel McLish fan, so much so that she actually looked a lot like her. She and her boyfriend (who is a go-go dancer) dream that she will win big. She is from an economically depressed background and you get the feeling she has struggled for whatevr she got. Carla Dunlap is very well muscled, although not as big as Bev. She comes across as a very intelligent, outspoken woman, the type you would see in a unversity classroom arguing with her professor about an issue in metaphysics. I won't tell you who wins because that would spoil the movie but let me tell you why I gave it 3 stars. It explores the issue of sexualizing women in the sport of bodybuilding and at the same time tries to educate the viewer about the sport. Although it does fairly well at both tasks, the two different lens that are applied tend to make the final product less effective. Is it about women and their objectification in bodybuilding - something that continues today ? Or is it just a story of the competitors ? Or does it try to educate viewers about bodybuilding as a sport for women. In the end although you would have learned a little about each part, you are not quite sure.



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