The story of the suffragettes has reached the international movie market almost 100 years on from the movement’s most dramatic period, writes Abha Thakor.
“We’re in every home, we’re half the human race, you can’t stop us all!” – this battle-cry heralds the newly released feature film ‘Suffragette’, bringing today’s audience a renewed or perhaps initial understanding of women’s fight for the vote.
It may not be repeated today with a full understanding of the battles that were fought, the personal costs faced and the fears vanquished by our pioneering suffragettes, but it still resonates with a passion that transcends the 100 years which has passed in between.
The film was released in the UK on 12 October 2015 and has captured the imaginations of women across generations. Social media support for the film’s principles and the idea of highlighting ‘inspiring women’ in history to the modern day has boosted interest in women’s political rights and women’s roles in governance and society.
Featuring an all-star cast including Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Anne-Marie Duff, Ben Whishaw and Meryl Streep as Emmeline Pankhurst, ‘Suffragette’ is a powerful film about women whom the filmmakers describe as the ‘foot soldiers of the Suffragette movement’.
Producers describes the film on MoviePlatform: “These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes, they were working women who had seen peaceful protest achieve nothing. Radicalised and turning to violence as the only route to change, they were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality – their jobs, their homes, their children and their lives. Maud (played by Carey Mulligan) was one such foot soldier. The story of her fight for dignity is as gripping and visceral as any thriller; it is also both heart-breaking and inspirational.”
One memorable scene in the film shows the call from the soapbox: “Votes for women, the power is in your hands.” Today, women have this power to vote in many parts of the world. Think about your vote, both women and men fought hard to secure it.
Further links
Official trailer for the film ‘Suffragette’ (YouTube)
Suffragette Movie – Inspiring Women website
Follow on Twitter @suffragettewomen and hashtags #inspiringwomen #suffragette
The Telegraph – Suffragette Timeline – the long march to votes for women (October 2015)
About the Suffragette film 2015 – Wikipedia entry