Editing All My Babies

{{short description|1953 film by George C. Stoney}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = All My Babies
| image          = All My Babies (1953).webm
| starring       = [[Mary Francis Hill Coley]]
| director       = [[George C. Stoney]]
| producer       = George C. Stoney
| writer         = George C. Stoney
| narrator       = 
| music          = 
| cinematography = 
| editing        = 
| studio         = 
| distributor    = [[Georgia Department of Public Health]]
| released       = {{Film date|1953}}
| runtime        = 
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = 
}}
'''''All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story''''' is a 1953 [[educational film]] written, directed and produced by [[George C. Stoney]] for the Georgia Department of Public Health. The film was intended to educate "granny [[midwife|midwives]]" in the [[Southern United States]] and promote collaboration between traditional midwifery and the modern health system. It follows the work of [[Mary Francis Hill Coley]] (1900–66), a prominent [[African American]] midwife from Albany, Georgia. Lauded for its groundbreaking depiction of childbirth and midwifery, ''All My Babies'' was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] in 2002 for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.

== Plot ==
All My Babies serves as a training tool for "granny midwives," a term applied to African American lay midwives delivering babies in the rural South.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of Childbearing Choices in the United States |url=http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/companion.asp?id=21&compID=75 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306093637/http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/companion.asp?id=21&compID=75 |archive-date=6 March 2013 |access-date=15 October 2013 |publisher=Our Bodies, Ourselves}}</ref> The film emphasizes the importance of hygiene and prenatal care. A doctor in the film discusses a case of infant death caused by poor sanitary conditions, reinforcing the need for sterility. Mary Coley, referred to as "Miss Mary," exemplifies expert midwifery, guiding two mothers through successful deliveries. One mother has a history of healthy births, while the other, previously affected by miscarriages due to inadequate prenatal care, successfully delivers under Coley's supervision. The film portrays a transitional period where state legal [[Midwifery in the United States#Legal Perspectives|oversights]] began phasing out lay midwifery (also called [[Midwifery#Direct-entry midwives|direct-entry midwifery)]] in favor of regulated medical practices.

== Production ==
{{More footnotes needed|section|date=September 2019}}
[[George C. Stoney]], an early documentary filmmaker,<ref name=":0" /> developed an interest in midwifery from his own experiences growing up and his work as a Southern field representative, during which he interacted closely with midwives.<ref name="nytimes" /> His first collaboration with the Georgia Department of Public Health was ''Palmour Street,'' a documentary exploring mental health in Black families. Due to its success, the department determined he was qualified to direct a film on midwives and was initially granted $20,000. The final production cost was $45,000, and filming took place between August 1951 and fall 1952.<ref name=":0" />

To gain the trust of the Black community, Stoney partnered with local African American Dr. William Mason. Simultaneously, he worked to build rapport with the White community by assuring them the film would not portray an antagonist relationship between Black and White residents. He collaborated with the local press to publish favorable coverage.<ref name="nytimes" /> Stoney also gained the support of progressive Black pastor, Bishop Noah, who preached to the [[Friends of Man|Church of the Kingdom]] of God, and where Mary Coley – midwife and star of the film – worshipped. Bishop Noah encouraged his congregation not to fear White people, which helped foster a more open and collaborative filming environment, even among an all-white crew,<ref name="Ostherr" /> and weren't overly suspicious due to Bishop Noah's direction. While the White film crew and cast had a good working relationship, the film's production wasn't devoid of segregation or bias (racial and north–south) between the White community and cast and the crew and Black cast. The southern medical establishment was also uneasy with the film's glorification of the midwife's role in the community.<ref name="Ostherr" />

Prior to filming, Stoney followed Coley at her appointments to do field research having learned from ''Palmour Street'' that it is important to meet the Black community where it was at to create an authentic film and not solely rely on information from experts and books.<ref name="nytimes" /> Coley advised on the film as well, helping to plan and structure the film's scenes so they were more realistic to her work. While some scenes were scripted, the film is notable for featuring a 15-minute real-time sequence of a live birth, a technique pioneered by filmmakers [[Pare Lorentz]] and [[Robert J. Flaherty|Robert Flaherty]].<ref name="Jackson" /> The live-birth scene is silent with narratives of the doctors, Coley, and the chorus creating the joyous music with the babies cries upon birth being the emphasis. The score, written by [[Louis Applebaum]] and performed by the Musical Art Chorus in Washington, D.C., gives the film a sense of joy during childbirth. Coley also sings throughout the film as she cares for mothers.<ref name="nytimes">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/arts/television/george-c-stoney-documentarian-dies-at-96.html|title=George C. Stoney, Documentarian, Dies at 96|last=Vitello|first=Paul|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/static/national-film-preservation-board/documents/all_babies.pdf|title=All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story|last=Glick|first=Joshua|website=Library of Congress|access-date=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Ostherr">{{Cite book |last=Ostherr |first=Kirsten |title=Medical Visions: Producing the Patient Through Film, Television, and Imaging Technologies |title-link=Medical Visions: Producing the Patient through Film, Television, and Imaging Technologies |date=2013-04-11 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199737246 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Jackson">{{Cite web|url=http://www.der.org/resources/study-guides/production-of-all-my-babies-lynne-jackson.pdf|title=The Production of George Stoney's Film "All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story" (1952)|last=Jackson|first=Lynne|date=1987|publisher=Film History, vol. 1, no. 4|pages=367–392|pmid=12879506 |access-date=August 9, 2018}}</ref>

== Reception ==
The film received some public criticism due to its explicit depiction of childbirth; however, it was still screened for avant-garde audiences, notably [[Cinema 16]] and the inaugural Flaherty Film Seminar in 1953.<ref name="nytimes" /> Despite public discomfort, the film met all the Georgia Department of Public Health's requirements for safe birthing practices and was officially sanctioned for use in medical education because of its detailed birth sequence.<ref name="nytimes" /> As a result, public screenings were restricted, and the film was shown only in private venues, including the New York showings, to avoid fines or censorship.<ref name="Ostherr" /> Stoney supported these restrictions, believing they would protect the dignity of the films subjects while also reinforcing the films legitimacy as an educational tool.<ref name="Ostherr" /> 

Internationally, the film was distributed by organizations such as [[UNESCO]], the [[World Health Organization]], and [[UNICEF]]. It was used across various countries and incorporated into medical school curricula.<ref name="Ostherr" /> In addition to training purposes, the film aimed to elevate the status of midwives in the eyes of medical professionals, especially in countries where collaboration between midwives and physicians was still evolving. The film conveyed that the U.S. medical establishment was willing to work alongside midwives, serving as a model for other nations.<ref name="Jackson" /> However, this progressive portrayal was undercut by the Georgia Department of Public Health, which included a pamphlet stating that the medical profession did not officially endorse midwifery and regarded midwives as a "temporary and unfortunate necessity".<ref name="nytimes" /><ref name="Ostherr" /><ref name="Jackson" />

== Preservation ==
In 2002, ''All My Babies'' was added to the [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Today, the film is studied for its contributions to documentary filmmaking, public health education, and African American history.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reclaiming Midwives: Stills from All My Babies |url=http://documentarystudies.duke.edu/exhibits/past-exhibits/reclaiming-midwives-stills-from-all-my-babies |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228235136/http://documentarystudies.duke.edu/exhibits/past-exhibits/reclaiming-midwives-stills-from-all-my-babies |archive-date=2014-02-28 |access-date=15 October 2013 |publisher=Duke University Center for Documentary Studies}}</ref> It has been featured in exhibitions such as "Reclaiming Midwives: Stills from All My Babies" at the [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s [[National Museum of African American History and Culture]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Dell'Amore |first=Christine |date=February 2006 |title=Labors of Love |journal=Smithsonian Magazine |pages=33–34}} No free access online.</ref>

Scholars continue to examine the film's nuanced portrayal of midwifery, race, and health care success, and it remains an important artifact for discussions about medical ethics, racial equity, and documentary storytelling.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*''All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story'' essay by Joshua Glick at [[National Film Registry]] [https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/all_babies.pdf]
*''All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pages 464-465 [https://books.google.com/books/about/America_s_Film_Legacy.html?id=deq3xI8OmCkC]
*{{IMDb title|0344807|All My Babies}}
* {{Internet Archive short film|0891_All_My_Babies_A_Midwifes_Own_Story_15_00_56_00}}

[[Category:1953 films]]
[[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]
[[Category:Works about midwifery]]
[[Category:Documentary films about pregnancy]]
[[Category:1953 documentary films]]
[[Category:American documentary films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:1950s pregnancy films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American pregnancy films]]
[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
[[Category:1950s American films]]
[[Category:English-language documentary films]]