Contemporary Brits see this film of brave women battling for 20th-century voting rights, as a silly, historic teatime drama. But as Americans, we see it as an educational and good story, but a not-so-good movie.
That said, if you’re one of those “Call the Midwife” fans, or any PBS turn-of-the-century drama, you’ll be enthused. From screenwriter Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady) and delivering another ‘feminist’ film…this one stars Carey Mulligan as Maud Watts, a plucky East End (fictional) woman. One part Eliza Doolittle and one part Norma Rae, Mulligan is prime for Oscar bait. Her performance steady – going from mousy to moderate to monstrous – but never quite leaving us emotionally invested. “Deeds, not words” chant the brave women bombing mailboxes and politician’s houses to earn notoriety. Circa 1912 was a time when English wives and mothers were willing to risk their jobs, families and marriages, in order to be heard.
The truth is that most of the Suffragette work was done by moneyed Tory women. Meryl Streep appears for all but two minutes (don’t sneak out for popcorn) as a silent Tory.
Edith Ellyn (Helena Bonham Carter) comes closest to reality in her role of traditional narrative. Incarcerated many times for the cause, she portrays the spirited and resilient pharmacist’s wife and the most believable. The woman, however, most reflective of the story’s message, is real-life militant activist Emily Wilding Davison (Natalie Press) who stepped out in front of the King’s horse at the Derby. She died being trampled for the cause.
The sad thing about this era is that we can almost forgive the voting ignorance, but what’s disturbing is the way the men treated their wives. Like dogs. The films strength lies in its very irony. And that’s that in a time when Oscar-season-Hollywood is hungry for female-driven dramas acted, directed and written by women, these very characters represent suppressed women’s voices.
It’s a shame the film ends with stock footage instead of Maud’s moment. We’ve been on her journey and a final resolution might have been better. Think ‘Titanic’ with (also) fictional characters. The history of the event was real, while Jack and Rose weren’t. But we followed ‘Team Leo and Kate’ through to the final moment of the movies journey.
What we take away from this story is that even today, countries around the world still lack in women’s voting rights. 2015 is the year Saudi Arabian women are finally promised theirs. ♕ ♚ ♛