Made in Dagenham

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: November 19, 2010

6.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Ratings

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movieboyMar 13, 2011

I grew up close to the Ford plant in Dagenham that dominated the local economy. So I probably have a vested interest in loving this film. Actress Sally Hawkins is superb in the lead role as a young woman from a council estate who is tired ofI grew up close to the Ford plant in Dagenham that dominated the local economy. So I probably have a vested interest in loving this film. Actress Sally Hawkins is superb in the lead role as a young woman from a council estate who is tired of injustice and inequality and ends up leading her work mates out on a strike that had a profound global impact.
This is revolutionary history and it all started with a couple of hundred women that changed the world. I couldn't believe how often it provoked tears in me (I'm a man by the way). I found it thoroughly engaging and entertaining and it even has a great soundtrack. Probably the most entertaining "political" film I've ever seen.… Expand

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lasttimeisawAug 6, 2012

Sally Hawkins

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ShiiraJan 20, 2011

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Jeannie Edwards is a sports journalist; she's nobody's "sweet baby", but Ron Franklin, her colleague at ESPN, sent their profession back into the caveman days of Phyllis George when he referred to the sideline reporter by that derogatory moniker, right after she interjected on a political matter, to which the twenty-year play-by-play announcer, in front of his on-air team, cut Edwards off by saying, "Why don't you leave this to the boys." The self-proclaimed "worldwide leader in sports", to its credit, fired Franklin, although really, what other choice did they have? The potential repercussions, had he been granted a stay of execution, would have resulted in a bombardment of angry protestations upon the venerable basic cable network from women's groups all over the country. Pure and simple, it was a business decision. There were sponsors to consider. But how did the ESPN brass "feel", independent from public image considerations, about one of their own being subjected to a sex-related condescension previously thought to be an ideological relic of the past, a male chauvinism so outdated, it was the subject of parody in Adam McKay's "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy". As the titular character, Will Ferrell played a broadcast journalist who worked in an era, the late-seventies, when the concept of equal pay for women was still a relatively new concept. A film like "Made in Dagenham", you would think, would have been more timely during the time of disco's reign, but the whole ugly episode at ESPN proves otherwise, so let the struggle for equal pay that the Ford women machinists contended with, this girl's anarchy in the U.K., serve as a reminder of how women have come a long way..., baby. And "girls", regardless of age and station in life, would be the best way to describe the fairer sex within this primitive milieu. Girl, in its most literal sense, denotes not being fully-formed, and that's what a female was, a child, essentially, a woman infantilized by institutionalized sexism, and it would remain that way until her wages were in alignment with those of men. When Rita(Sally Hawkins) answers a reporter's half-baked question, in regard to how she and the other Dagenham workers are coping, the emerging feminist snaps back, "We're women," in which their gender, plainly stated, acts as a corrective measure against men, both friends and foes, who refer to them in lesser terms(girls, ladies, my love) throughout the film. Some feminists, however, may balk at Rita's need for her husband's validation, or more pointedly, the filmmaker's use of patriarchal underpinnings in order to make the film more accessible to the breadth of humanity, both male and female, when he steals this proto-Norma Rae's thunder by granting the conjugal male too much agency, as "Made in Dagenham" crosscuts Rita's triumphant convergence upon Eastbourne(by bus) with Eddie's pursuit of her(by motorbike), following their blowout on the tenement lawn over their redefined marital roles. Her speech at the union meeting, in which she implores the male-dominated congregation to support their cause, gets nearly upstaged by Eddie's conciliatory apology afterwards, because it takes the focus away from the bigger picture. The filmmaker seems more concerned about the state of her marriage. Her activism, and the notion that "Made in Dagenham" is a social issue-based motion picture, loses some of its consciousness raising fervor the very instant we see Eddie in the crowd, and even more so, as Rita cuts through the assembled mass of bodies to reach him. The social issue, consequently, becomes waylaid by the big romantic cliche, as the love and approval of Rita's husband trumps the fraternal love among her fellow women-in-arms. Rita is nothing like the women of Lizzie Borden's "Born in Flames", militant feminists who wouldn't dream of getting all dolled up(the application of makeup, the wearing of a borrowed red Biba dress) before starting up a revolution. Although "Made in Dagenham" is weakened by the patriarchal notion that Rita draws her strength from the same hegemonic force that strikes to keep women in the kitchen, this handsome period piece film does echo the Borden film in one key aspect: the camaraderie of women, regardless of their economic situation. Lisa(Rosamund Pike), the wife of a Ford executive, befriends Rita, an "Estates" housewife, and in turn, is befriended by the Secretary of State(Miranda Richardson), when the machinist is summoned to Westminster for a meeting. The screenplay, a good one, does a good job of linking the women through words, bad words. Apologizing for her language, Lisa notifies Rita that she called a common enemy, an abusive schoolmaster, a "c*ck". And the worst word of all, "man", is applied to both Rita("the fourth man") and Barbara Castle("the best man in my cabinet").… Expand

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mandm1951Feb 8, 2011

I like well-made historical films, and I think this is one. It is based on the strike at the Ford Motor plant in Dagenham, England, in which women in the plant striked for "equal pay for equal work." Although somewhat predictable, and aI like well-made historical films, and I think this is one. It is based on the strike at the Ford Motor plant in Dagenham, England, in which women in the plant striked for "equal pay for equal work." Although somewhat predictable, and a little hard to understand the English accents at times, I think it is definitely worth seeing. The acting is uniformly good, imo, and so is the story.… Expand

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DukeJonJan 4, 2018

A pleasant enough film about a significant event in terms of equal rights for women. Good performances all round, including a standout turn from the excellent Sally Hawkins. I would give it more marks but I felt it was done a little too muchA pleasant enough film about a significant event in terms of equal rights for women. Good performances all round, including a standout turn from the excellent Sally Hawkins. I would give it more marks but I felt it was done a little too much "by the numbers"; it was very predictable and took no risks.… Expand

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DawdlingPoetNov 22, 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 youThis 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.… Expand

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