The Vagina Monologues

Long, tedious, and boring. This is how I (a man) found it. I do not consider myself a prude in any way, nevertheless, I found myself staring at the countdown timer on the DVD player, waiting for it to end. My original reason for watching it was because of all the hype. While some men may find it entertaining, and even humorous, be warned, most will be ejecting the DVD within the first two minutes unless your curiosity gets the better of you.

Normally, I try to have an open mind to alternative/cutting edge forms of "entertainment", however this goes beyond the limits of the typical male. Overall, this is simply feminine ranting with a comic twist. Call it a hunch, but only women would understand most of the jokes, since men do not have a frame of reference to compare to.

(Men:) Simply put, if you have not gotten into it within the first ten minutes, eject the DVD! It does not get any better. The only good(?) thing about this is that you will find out more about women than you thought possible (or probably wanted to know!)

I have a strong suspicion the comments below were written by a man. This show definately isn't for everyone, but to call it revolting only makes Ms. Ensler's point--that there is such a ridiculous stigma and mystery attached to a woman's sexuality. Men talk freely and frequently about their equipment, I find it amusing that the idea of a woman discussing hers is considered so tasteless.

It didn't leave me wanting to start a revolution--I didn't feel like marching in a parade after seeing this, I didn't want to shout VAGINA from the rooftops...instead, I enjoyed some often hysterical, sometimes tragic and overall witty dialogue.

And it is funny, there's no way around that. The list of different moans is worth the price of admission alone. It's educational as well--did you know the clitoris is the only organ that serves no purpose other than to give please and contains twice as many nerve endings as the penis? As Ms. Ensler says, "Why want a handgun when you can have a semiautomatic?"

I really don't quite know what to make of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES. On the one hand I admire actor Eve Ensler for her versatility in performing so many different monologues embodying the experiences of her interviewees - all of them of different ages, backgrounds, and social experiences. She communicates the thoughts of a prostitute, a New York Jew, a woman experiencing the embarrassing sight of a man staring at her vagina, another person who has never had sexual intercourse, and - most interestingly - the experiences of Bosnian women kept as sex slaves during the civil war of the mid-Nineties.

All of these monologues reflect the desire to bring out into the open a subject normally hidden under the wraps of civilized societies - the significance of the vagina, both personally and socially. Customarily perceived as an object of titillation by men, Ensler shows how it means different things to different people - there are those who would quite happily use the c-word to describe it, even though for many people that would be considered thoroughly offensive.

Ensler is an accomplished performer; we see her backstage in this film, as well as hearing extracts from some of her interviewees who are brave enough to recall their experiences on camera. Ensler herself enjoys keeping an audience amused, and can readily adopt different personae.

On the other hand, there is something almost too controlled about her stage persona. We can admire her technique, but we never feel that she inhabits the roles she plays. Consequently there is a strong sense of mimicry about THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES; rather like a western colonialist, Ensler speaks for her interviewees rather than encouraging them to speak for themselves. This is especially true of her monologue when she impersonates the Bosnian women, which is mediated through Ensler's western consciousness rather than making an attempt to empathize with a culturally distinct experience.

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES is an entertaining piece, but we can't help but think that it is has been deliberately cleaned, sanitized, and oriented towards the tastes of middle-class Broadway audiences rather than embodying the experiences of socially diverse people.

The Vagina Monologues, both in book and visual form, is one of the most moving experiences of our times. An attempt to enlighten, entertain and to bring a "taboo" out of the shadows. Why women talking about their sexuality should be considered taboo in the first place escapes me but some of the comments here (especially the ones labelling it "disgusting") seem to be written by people still trapped in the 1950s. The Vagina Monologues is a heartfelt celebration of female sexuality and a condemnation of those who attempt to supress it. Alternating between humor (the list of slang names for the vagina) and more disturbing material (the rape material) the film attempts to take in all aspects and attitudes. A compelling achievement.

Very funny, witty, uplifting, and empowering without being overbearing, depressing, or militant. I've recommended it to almost all my friends. I was told that it was nothing but "feminazi man bashing" by someone who obviously wasn't paying attention to the message the monologues are trying to send, before I saw this. This is about women having pride in their womanhood, not being a feminist and hating men and blaming men for all the problems in the world. I felt very good after viewing The Vagina Monologues.