Educational Media Reviews Online

Producer /director Vishnu Mathur and host David Suzuki create an interesting historical and contemporary look into the male penis. An historical overview compares the penis and human sexuality between Eastern and Western philosophies. Eastern philosophy, specifically Greek roman and Hindu, view the penis and its sexual function as the symbol of love, procreation and the cycle of life. It is celebrated in erotic artistic sculptures adorning temples. Conversely, Western culture makes the penis and its public presence taboo. University of Arizona Professor Dr. Layman, suggests that in Western culture there is a lot of emphasis on the penis and penis size. Somehow, publicly viewing the penis takes away the mystique of maleness in western culture - - perhaps because masculinity is very often associated with size; the thought being, the bigger, the more masculine. Western cultural initiation into manhood often has much to do with a boy feeling his penis compares relatively well with his peers. Furthermore, David Suzuki offers a humorous example of how valuable his is by conveying a childhood fear of falling on the bicycle bar and potentially damaging and losing his manhood. There was almost unanimous agreement at the round table discussion on this point. The film also interviews women about the connection to penis size and machismo.

The film includes candid discussions with men and their partners. Penile dysfunction is addressed as both a psychological and/or a physical problem. Therapies and drugs, such as Viagra are discussed, as well as surgical penis enlargement. The film is well done. The visual and audio qualities are excellent. There is a good deal of interesting historical information that leads to a better understanding of the myths and misconceptions of the penis, especially in western culture. The variety of professional, scholarly, and laypersons' views lend to the authority of the film. David Suzuki's sense of humor lightens up a subject that might make some people uncomfortable. Ultimately, size and procreation have nothing to do with each other, but in our society there is a greater mystique that surrounds the penis than procreation alone. This film offers something for anyone interested in the topic. It would serve any college library collection well, but more specifically, a health sciences collection. Highly Recommended.