A 99-year-old Canadian doctor who fought for birth control before it was legal. Yes, really.
Elizabeth Bagshaw was a forerunner of the women's movement. As one of the first women to practise medicine in Canada, she had to overcome society's bias against women in medicine. During her seventy-year career she helped to instigate change in public opinion on that issue, as well as the issue of birth control. The film captures the personality of this remarkable woman through a contemporary interview and re-enactments of episodes from her youth. The sepia tones of the re-enactments are in keeping with the film techniques of the time, giving the viewer a strong sense of the period. The film is of special interest to persons interested in the evolution of women's roles in Canadian society.
Cinematography
Sepia re-enactments that actually feel period-appropriate, not cheesy
Acting
Bagshaw herself — sharp, witty, unfiltered at 99
Director
Mark McCurdy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bagshaw's Hamilton clinic operated from 1932 until 1969, when birth control was finally decriminalized in Canada — she essentially waited out the law.
Director Mark McCurdy made this for the National Film Board at age 24; it was one of his first credits.
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