Product Details

• Actors: Cory Booker, Margaret Cho, Katie Couric, Geena Davis, Rosario Dawson
• Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Virgil Films and Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: April 10, 2012
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B006GRWCF2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,315 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #100 in Movies & TV > DVD > Documentary

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Inspiring" --Entertainment Weekly

"Oprah stamp of approval could make Miss Representation the 'Roger & Me' of Media Reform." --Bitch Magazine

Product Description

Writer/Director Jennifer Siebel Newsom interwove stories from teenage girls with provocative interviews from the likes of Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Rosario Dawson, Dr. Jackson Katz, Dr. Jean Kilbourne, and Gloria Steinem to give us an inside look at the media and its message. As the most persuasive and pervasive force of communication in our culture, media is educating yet another generation that a woman's primary value lay in her youth, beauty and sexuality-and not in her capacity as a leader, making it difficult for women to obtain leadership positions and for girls to reach their full potential. The film accumulates startling facts and asks the question, "What can we do?"

See all Editorial Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 73 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, even after seeing it 4 times January 2, 2012

By Ms. R

Format:DVD

I initially saw this film at the SF Film Society's showing, and as a teacher, felt it was important to bring along a few parents, students, and former students. My only regret was in not bringing guys along, who should most definitely see it as well. What struck me most profoundly was the momentum that was growing so quickly back in the late 60's and early 70's, and the backlash that appears to have driven us significantly backward ever since. As a parent of a young woman in communications, the statistics on who is running the media was quite shocking. My group left the theater profoundly impacted, and I immediately requested that our school librarian order a copy.

Over the Christmas break, I watched it 3 more times, once with my daughter and twice with "mature" women, and everyone was riveted by the movie. While it can be argued that this topic has been addressed numerous times over the years, it needs to be repeated in a variety of venues and formats to increase the consciousness of all of us. It is easy for those of us who grew up in the 70's to think the momentum kept on, when in reality, it has not. It is also alarming that young women have grown so accustomed to being objectified through the media, this would come as a surprise how manipulated they really are!

This produced substantial dialog and left me recommending it to a number of other people with teenagers.

31 of 37 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars This Study Of Gender Inequity And Media Representation Covers A Familiar Topic, But With A Star-Studded Line-Up December 14, 2011

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

An impressive array of commentators contribute thoughts to Jennifer Siebel Newsom's well-meaning documentary "Miss Representation." News personalities, activists, politicos, and entertainment figures all participate in the dialogue about the media's harmful representation of women within today's culture. While this issue is certainly not a new one, it still merits discussion--and that is really the most unfortunate topic presented within this ninety minute production. In 2011, is this really something that we still have to talk about? That's the real crime here. A few of the noteworthy interview subjects include Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, Katie Couric, Nancy Pelosi, Geena Davis, Condaleeza Rice, Rachel Maddow, Rosario Dawson, Cory Booker, Paul Haggis, and Margaret Cho. It's great to have compiled so many diverse viewpoints all striving for the same results, but I don't know how new or enlightening any of it serves to be to an audience already familiar with the issues.

"Miss Representation" is an easy recommendation for those just discovering the broader points of gender inequity. It's an important topic and this presentation handles it well, making numerous valid points and offering much food for thought. I do, however, have mild reservations for all others. I suspect (and maybe I'm wrong) that many of the viewers interested in this film will already have a solid knowledge base of the issues and strong beliefs. As such, there may well be an element of "preaching to the choir." I, in no way, am an expert on media, feminism, or cultural representation--but I do have a fairly well-rounded education and interest in current events. The general themes contained within and problems presented by "Miss Representation" have been around far too long, that's for sure. The discussion of them has been going on for decades! In many ways, therefore, I didn't feel that the film offered anything of a game-changing nature.

But I suppose that it is always nice to have a periodic refresher, and if the film has the ability to heighten awareness--it has served its purpose. "Miss Representation," in truth, breaks little new ground in the grand scheme of things. But it's nice to see so many in the limelight still pushing for advances that will enable the next generation of little girls to aspire to new levels of greatness. We've made improvements, but the media still has a long way to go. Check this out either as an introduction, as a reminder, or just to see the roster of women involved. The topic may be familiar, but it is a solid contribution to the on-going argument. KGHarris, 12/11.

18 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must see for both men and women! February 28, 2012

By tlp4u

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine what you can get from an 1.5 hour long movie! Watch it!

In 2010, women are better represented on television, in movies and in the news media than they have ever been in the past. However, while this increased visibility had led many believe that women have achieved something like equality, the truth is women have a long way to go before they achieve anything close to parity, as women count for only seventeen percent of elected officials in Congress and seven percent of working directors of feature films. Actress turned filmmaker Jessica Congdon Newsom studies the obstacles women face in the media and the stereotypes that still define them in the documentary Miss Representation. Featuring interviews with noted figures in politics (Nancy Pelosi and Condoleeza Rice), broadcast news (Katie Couric and Rachel Maddow), television (Margaret Cho and Lisa Ling) and movies (Geena Davis, Rosario Dawson and Jane Fonda), Miss Representation explores the glass ceiling that many women in the media still struggle to break and the double standards applied to women in terms of appearance and persona. Miss Representation was an official selection at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.