History Lessons

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History Lessons

2001

1h 5m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

33%

Tomatometer

12 Reviews

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Filmmaker Barbara Hammer redefines the history of lesbianism from the late 19th century to the present day with images from various mediums.

Ted Shen

Chicago Reader

03/21/2019

Devoid of voice-over commentary but still remarkably lucid, her gleeful reconstruction of the past also serves to celebrate the more progressive climate today.

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Jonathan Foreman

New York Post

10/26/2001

1.5/4

An intermittently instructive and amusing jumble that might have been seen as daring and 'transgressive' in both form and content if it had been released, say, three decades ago.

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Dave Kehr

New York Times

10/25/2001

2/5

The clips themselves are so battered, grainy and sordid that they are more depressing than inspiring.

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Brandon Judell

PopcornQ

03/17/2017

What this in-your-face filmmaker has done is take historical newsreel footage, music, and vintage lesbian porn and cut it into a hard-hitting, visually enchanting, clitorally stimulating art piece that makes you think every woman . . . was a dyke.

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Film Threat

12/06/2005

2.5/5

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

07/24/2005

2/5

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01/09/2016

Archival historical footage superimposed with lesbian erotic films. Off-screen voice-over and dubbed dialogues that claim to be part of the pictures. Barbara Hammer writes the history of female emancipation, intervening in the archives of a nation and including lesbians and their right to love and make love freely. Images become a reminder of the control that govenrments have over what the population sees. A comment on the unreliable nature of the film medium as a "channel" to create and spread history.

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Barbara Hammer

Director

Barbara Hammer

Producer

Eve Beglarian

Original Music

Lisa Ben

Original Music

Mikael Karlsson

Original Music

Jean Paul Keenon

Original Music

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Barbara Hammer redefines the history of lesbianism from the late 19th century to the present day with images from various mediums.

Director: Barbara Hammer
Producer: Barbara Hammer
Distributor: First Run
Production Co: Barbara Hammer Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 2001, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Jun 18, 2002
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.2K
Runtime: 1h 5m