Review of Made in Dagenham (2010) by Dawdlingpoet — 22 Nov 2021

This is a good piece of social commentary, with some gritty dialogue. The women are quite outspoken and it felt re-assuring to see how passionate they were to have their voices heard and be given equal standing to male workers. It makes you think about how things have changed in the last 50 years or so, not just in terms of legislation but also in terms of general attitudes and the way women are spoken to - well I say that, I haven't had too many issues, I doubt employers would risk speaking so disparagingly and in such a patronising tone, to female employees, as their depicted doing so in this film, with quips along the lines of 'we never know whats going on in their heads now, do we?' featured, to give but one example.

I liked Bob Hoskins' character, Albert - I couldn't help but feel that he epitomised the underdog figure in trying to support the ladies and fight for their right to equal pay. While the women are very passionate about their cause, their injustice, being shown to be rather fiery, stubborn but doggedly determined, he comes across as a bit more reserved, as he realises what an upward battle there is to change what was then a fundamental discrimination that applied not just in the one workplace but across the country and indeed internationally. Speaking of that, there are multiple scenes showing discussions held between the American and British Ford management, trying to decide how to deal with the escalating situation. I liked that the film depicted the tough reality of some female workers, with one of them shown clearly struggling to care for her family and juggle her different roles within the family. I noticed the lighting, or colours, used in the film seemed to have a bit of a dark brown-ish tint on them. I think this is a subtle thing, to give it something of a more gritty and urban look, or you could perhaps argue its to help it seem from the age its set, the late 60s when certainly not everything was 'swinging' and exciting, perhaps contrary to popular belief or folklore?. I thought it was quite pleasing to see the various members of management squirming in their seats, when the shift of power is shown as the media picks up on and reports the machinist womens plight. I believe some of the TV footage shown during the film is genuine footage from 1968 (especially at the end, during the final credits) (this is of course based on a true story, which makes it all the more interesting) and it did certainly seem rather realistic, although I felt the music used at the end of the film was perhaps a little over the top and perhaps slightly unnecessarily cheesy in the second to last scene, which was a bit disappointing, as it had seemed quite understated in terms of it appearing to be more of a documentary than a slick 'Hollywood-ised' feature film.

Content wise, be warned that there is some strong language used and also a mild sex scene, so this isn't entirely suitable viewing for younger viewers but then it'd probably seem a bit boring for young children anyway, I suppose?. There's no notable violence or drug references etc. and (for the record) the film carries a 15 rating, which surprises me a little but is perhaps due to the language used, which I'd say is roughly moderate?.

Cast wise, I feel the film does well in terms of the portrayals given by both the main and supporting actors, which include Sally Hawkins as the leader of the group of female machinists, Rita O'Grady - she is shown as quite vulnerable at times, as well as somewhat unsure of what to do certainly at the start of the film but as the plot continued, it was good to see how her character and others alongside her, developed and the assertiveness elements in them really come out. As well as Sally is Jaime Winston (daughter of actor Ray Winstone), who plays Sandra and Andrea Riseborough, who plays Brenda, plus of course the aforementioned Bob Hoskins as the ladies union representative, Albert Passingham. He seems somewhat of an underdog character, both him and Rita do. Another person in the cast that might interest you, is Roger Lloyd Pack, who is most well known for playing Trigger in Only Fools and Horses and who sadly died earlier this year. He portrays an ill family member of Rita's, called George.

I found the plot to develop at a decent pace - this film has a running time of approximately one hour and forty five minutes and in that time, the pace is gradually built, maintaining my interest throughout and it brought with it one or two unexpected twists, including when the women visit a lady in government.

Yes I'm happy to recommend this film, as I felt it was quite well portrayed and portrayed a time of social, cultural importance aka its a good piece of social commentary. The film has a good plot pace and one or two twists I hadn't seen coming and overall I felt it was well made and is thus worth a watch.