Review of Made in Dagenham (2010) by Kurt B — 07 Apr 2011

The year is 1968. The Labour party has been in power for 2 years, but not a lot has changed in that time; still the position of the working class is holding the economy down through strikes, inefficient overwork and low average consumption. Then, in the Dagenham Ford factory the 147 women workers do something women havenâ(TM)t done there before: they go on strike. What starts as a small group effort to make work conditions more humane launches a societal change that will quickly be felt on a national scale.

âMade in Dagenhamâ? is a film of these historical events. Brilliant Sally Hawkins plays a young mother who finds herself leading the strike. Miranda Richardson shines as Employment Minister Barbara Castle. This is a film about strong women of the past and it reflects what is still going on in the work market in regards to actual equality. It drives some points home a bit obviously, but even as the storytelling is constantly in danger of getting too manipulative and sentimental, director Nigel Cole keeps his construct in check.

The women battle with their families, the unions, and ultimately the government as the dispute keeps getting bigger and bigger, ending up with Minister Castle facing difficult decisions on the policies concerning labour and their effects on the countryâ(TM)s economy. Itâ(TM)s fascinating to see a film that reminds us that a fundamental political process started out so small only a few decades ago. I wonder when a repetition of such events will be possible again.