Passion and Power

Streaming video - 2015

“Electricity has given so much comfort to womankind – the vacuum cleaner, the pop-up toaster and the automatic ice dispenser. And perhaps above all, it gave her the vibrator” (Natalie Angier, The New York Times). Passion & Power is an entertaining documentary that explores the controversial history of the vibrator, from the Victorian era – when doctors used the device to relieve women of “hysteria” – through the sexual revolution of the 1960s, to the postfeminist present. As well as revealing the vibrator’s fascinating past, this provocative yet unexpectedly funny film digs deeper to uncover the mysteries of the female orgasm, and examines its ramifications for sexual politics and gender dynamics from the time of Hippocr...ates to the present day. Featuring interviews with sexperts, historians and pioneering feminists, Passion & Power takes us on a surprising and enlightening journey through the secret history of the vibrator and the even more mystifying female orgasm. Based on Rachel P. Maines' provocative best seller The Technology of Orgasm: Hysteria, the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction. WINNER! Best Directing, Documentary - San Francisco Women's Film Festival. more