subject: Story of Made in Dagenham Movie 2010 Online [print this page] Story of Made in Dagenham Movie 2010 Online
To her surprise - and that of both the management and the old-fashioned union shop stewards Rita is a natural at fighting the good fight, and quickly the debate about a possible pay cut moves on to a stance on pay parity with the 55,000 male workers at Ford, with the women going out on strike to reinforce their stance.
Before long the women's struggle is attracting media attention and increased concern amongst the Ford top brass. It is also of interest to the Labour government's Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity Barbara Castle (Miranda Richardson, who has a lot of fun in the role) who supports the notion of equal pay, despite threats from the Ford management.
As the unassuming firebrand Rita O'Grady, Sally Hawkins (who made such an impact in Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky) revels in the role of a feisty fighter who gradually comes to relish her newfound skills in leadership and speech making. At times her lip-quivering delivery of the speeches is a bit wearing, but there are also rousing moments that might have some audiences cheering. Miranda Richardson pretty plays the role of Barbara Castle for laughs (there are moments when she seems like she is still playing her comedy Queen Elizabeth I role from TV series Blackadder), which jars ever so slightly with the seriousness of the women's battle.
There are fine performances all round. Bob Hoskins is terrific as the union man with a twinkle in his eye as the women fight their corner; Daniel Mays is engaging as Rita's supportive but rather old-fashioned husband, and Rosamund Pike is striking as the more upper-class woman, married to a Ford executive, who supports the women's' campaign.
That said, Sturgess delivers a remarkably steady performance, creating a character we do care about, even though we're never quite sure what's real and what's in his mind. The whole cast is effective, while Marsan gives the standout performance, a kinetic turn that fuels the film's only truly scary scene. Everything else feels a little indulgent and repetitive, with jolts coming mainly through film tricks, red herrings or extreme gore. It's the kind of film that generates a dedicated cult audience, but I'd rather not watch it again.
