Wednesday, March 6 @ 7:30 PM / NEIU — The Auditorium at NEIU — 3701 W Bryn Mawr Ave
Tickets: $10 at the door
PUMPING IRON II: THE WOMEN
Directed by George Butler • 1985
“I happen to believe in bodybuilding, and I hold the belief that you can create a very feminine shape through bodybuilding.” Pumping Iron II: The Women emerged from the monumental success of its predecessor, Pumping Iron — the documentary that thrust Arnold Schwarzenegger into stardom and triumphantly validated bodybuilding as a serious sport. We follow three competitors: Carla Dunlap, synchronized swimmer-turned-bodybuilder; Rachel McLish, a former Ms. Olympia Champion, who’s gunning for the first-place prize money so her lover, Randy, can end his career as a male stripper; and then there’s Bev Francis from Melbourne, daydreaming about the allure of strength. Bev, a former ballet dancer and powerlifter who already holds the title of the most muscular woman in the world, is now entering bodybuilding, making her U.S. competition sweat with her physique and endurance. Carla, Rachel, and Bev face off in the bodybuilding competition Caesar’s World Cup 1983 (constructed for the sole purpose of this film) at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. The women bodybuilders in the film are praised for their athleticism by their peers and trainers but are antagonized by their male counterparts for challenging what femininity can look like. Contra Sports Illustrated, which casually asserted that the stars of Pumping Iron II were grotesque and strange, the women in competition – lifting weights in a full face of makeup with bustling muscles and stunning leotards – demonstrate that their physiques do not diminish their femininity. (TV)
107 min • White Mountain Films • 35mm from University of North Carolina School of the Arts, permission White Mountain Films
Preceded by: “Catherine Deneuve Chanel Commercial Reel” – 5 min – 35mm
NEXT UP: TECHNICOLOR WEEKEND: Friday, March 15 – Sunday, March 17 at the Gene Siskel Film Center