I watched Casa Susanna on PBS Tuesday night. Caveat emptor: I have read no reviews about the documentary, so my review, which follows, has not been influenced by anyone else's review.
I hated the soundtrack. Most of the music sounded like it came from a funeral home. The music gave the whole documentary a dark feeling. I did not recognize most of the tunes – they might have been classics as far as I know, but I wish they had used some music that was more uplifting.
The stories told by the two trans women were interesting, but not that unusual if you have been reading trans bios like I have been reading for the past 60 years.
I wish they had interviewed a crossdresser, who had not undergone a sex change; her perspective would probably be different than the post-ops.
I found the stories told by the civilians much more interesting. You don't often get the perspective of a civilian who is related to a trans person and I could listen to their stories all day long.
From one of the civilians, author Darryl Radnor’s daughter, I learned that Radnor was a regular guest at Casa Susanna. Radnor’s book, A Year Among the Girls, had given me the erroneous impression that she was not that involved – more of an observer, rather than an active participant. By the way, wouldn’t this be an excellent time to republish Radnor’s book, which is impossible to find anywhere. I know I would purchase a copy (lost my copy in the Great Purge of 1983).
I already knew most of the facts concerning Casa Susanna, as well as its predecessor, the Chevalier D'Eon resort, so nothing new there. But the documentary was a little misleading because most of the filming was done at the D'Eon resort site, not Casa Susanna, and that fact was not mentioned until late in the documentary. (I knew something was amiss because I was familiar with what Casa looked like and I did not recognize it when they concentrated on the resort site during much of the documentary.)
Overall, the documentary was very good especially for anyone who does not know much about Casa Susanna. And it would be a good educational tool for civilians who do not have a clue about crossdressing, something that you might suggest that your family watch in order to get to know you a little better.
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| Wearing New York & Company |
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| Femulate reader Laura I welcome all Femulate readers to submit Before and After photos for publication on the blog. Just send your photos to stana-stana at-sign sbcglobal.net |