One of the perks of being part of a historic social movement is that when that history is being written, you get to have lots of big opinions. And I formed a few while watching the documentary film Rise Up: Songs of the Women’s Movement. As the producer of Rubymusic, a women’s music radio show (1981-1996), and a music journalist, researching and writing about the history of women in music has been a preoccupation. It took multiple viewings of Rise Up to realize this documentary wasn’t made for me. Co-produced by Jim Brown, Heather A. Smith and Donna Korones, the film was made to celebrate the 1th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave American women the right to vote. Told by an impressive group of musicians and activists, Rise Up is an abbreviated overview of the modern women’s movement structured around a playlist of nineteen songs, including “You Don’t Own Me” by Leslie Gore and “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton. In one brief hour, we’re taken from the suffragettes to the Civil Rights movement to the early women’s liberation marches. The birth control pill is introduced, the National Organization for Women is formed and lesbians fight for recognition. Next up is the battle for the Equal Rights Amendment, Phyllis Schlafly’s anti-feminist counter movement and Ronald Reagan. Holly Near comes out, and women-only festivals, coffee houses and bookstores emerge. Historic struggles are explained quickly. There’s talk of being at the feet of men, of wanting a seat at the table, how women’s rights are civil rights, how the women’s movement offered “a cauldron of training and possibilities” and how women came out after buying their first Holly Near album, which made me laugh. But I found myself saying, “It was so much bigger than this.” There is a lot of rich history here along with the women who lived it, but you don’t get to hear about it. Unfortunately, the questions asked of these women are mostly limited to what they thought of this particular list of songs. Here’s what I think: someone was in a hurry. It’s as if they pulled together whatever they could find and went with it. This is too bad as there is a greater story waiting to be told and so many songs of the women’s movement still waiting to be heard. By everyone.