Excellent, a Must See

Dreadfully Boring

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

It's 1968. Ford of Britain has one of the biggest car plant in Dagenham exporting to the rest of Europe. It employs 55k, 187 of them women. The women are seamstresses sewing car seat covers. The working conditions are bad and then the company wants to downgrade their work as unskilled. Union rep Albert Passingham (Bob Hoskins) advises them an one-day stoppage. Rita O'Grady (Sally Hawkins) becomes the leader of the group. It escalates to a full strike demanding equal pay for equal work. Everybody condescends to the ladies except for Passingham who was raised by a single mom. The union negotiator wants to collaborate with Ford. The plant shuts down and the men are unhappy. The Labour government is facing rampant strikes and declining production. They call in fixer Robert Tooley (Richard Schiff) to put pressure on the girls. Secretary of State for Employment Barbara Castle (Miranda Richardson) sees both the injustice and the dangers of losing jobs. Meanwhile, Rita finds an allie in fellow parent Lisa Hopkins (Rosamund Pike) when their kids face an abusive teacher.This is Norma Rae on steroids. It's a rousing fight for equality. Sally Hawkins is simply amazing. She is one of the best out there. Her humanity is absolutely non-negotiable. There are several unforgettable scenes and characters. Her relationship with Lisa Hopkins is truly touching and one scene between them is heart-breaking. Rita and her husband have another incredible scene. The amiable and well-meaning husband is nicely played by Daniel Mays. Their big confrontation has a powerful conclusion. Overall, this is a rousing union movie with an amazing lead performance.

A heart-warming ode to life in industrial Britain in the late '60's, 'Made in Dagenham' is a superb film, focused on the plight of female workers in a male-dominated world, and the ladies are well and truly to the fore, none more so than a brilliant Sally Hawkins who gives us a quietly determined and ultimately unshakeable character to root for. Geraldine James and Andrea Riseborough are as good in her support, infusing very different parts with careworn vulnerability and indomitable bravado respectively. And the men are by no means made of straw, the always excellent Bob Hoskins is in top form as the wily union rep, while Daniel Mays makes playing second fiddle an art as the sidelined husband, and there is a rousing performance when Richard Schiff makes a delightfully unexpected appearance as the uncaring American exec. It would be easy to go on rhyming off wonderful turns by fine members of the cast, but two more must be singled out for attention. Miranda Richardson is superbly short-tempered and impatient as woman-at-the-top Barbara Castle, and Roger Lloyd-Pack's performance is a heart-wrenching reminder of a war not so long past at that time. In the end 'Made in Dagenham' is a triumph on many levels, and great credit must go to writer William Ivory and director Nigel Cole, it is worth watching for the production design alone. Made in Britain, Rule Britannia, God Save the Queen, etc.

The story line in this film is based on actual events, and it has the advantage of 2-1/2 excellent performances. Sally Hawkins is excellent as the young female worker who leads the strike for equal pay at the Ford factory. Bob Hoskins is wonderful as the sympathetic union leader who manages to sabotage the union's efforts to quell the uprising. The extra one-half belongs to Miranda Richardson, the real-life Barbara Castle who got the women most (and eventually all) they wanted from the Labour government then in power. Richardson is superb but she has only a minor on-screen presence. The problem, as often in British-made movies, is the mix of accents which makes it difficult for viewers who are not British to understand what's being said. Unfortunately, some of the dialog is virtually unintelligible. Classically trained UK actors know how to make themselves understood to American audiences regardless of the regional accents they are called upon to adopt. Bob Hoskins has that capability. Many other British actors, although very good, aren't able to do that. (I'm sure some regional accents in American movies are equally difficult for non=American audiences). I might easily have given this movie a 10. It's well worth seeing but if you're like me, prepare to be frequently confused. The cable news networks sometimes use subtitles when people are speaking heavily-accented English. British film-makers might be well-advised to do the same.

The group of 187 women by Ford in their Dagenham plant, practically had to strip their clothes to be able to work in a steam room-like area where they sewed the upholstery for the cars the company made in England. Added to the terrible working conditions, the women were paid wages that were so low, it was a miracle they were able to subsist on such meager income. Rita O'Grady, one of the most outspoken workers, decided enough was enough. The year was 1968. The union organizer, Albert Passingham, saw in Rita a powerful ally, for he felt she was fearless against what the company was doing. It was easy for Rita to get started as she and the other ladies decided they have had it, so they decided to protest against what they saw as a clear act of discrimination against them for the simple fact of being women who would not dare to protest against the mighty company.Sally encounters all sorts of obstacles piled against the women workers. She and her comrades decide to strike, asking the men to join their protest. The result was a power struggle like no one seen in the country because it was a question of equality for women who demanded what was only proper and right: equal pay for equal work. Sally gets an unexpected ally from the wife of a Ford executive and from a Labor minister, Barbara Castle. They proved to be invincible because in spite of their trouble, they remained together in their aspirations for equality."Made in Dagenham", directed by Nigel Cole, evokes other films of the genre. "Norma Rae" and "North Country", both American made, reminded us never to underestimate a resolved woman whenever she decides to put an end to an oppression. William Ivory's screenplay plays well as he documents the details of the 1968 incident. It is basically a document about that era what emerges in this positive and inspiring film.The film owes a great deal of gratitude to its star, Sally Hawkins, who keeps getting better and better all the time. Her winning personality and screen persona go hand in hand in every project she is employed. Her Rita is a wonderful creation. Bob Hoskins appears as the union organizer, working together with the women and feeling their pain. Geraldine James has a pivotal role, as well as Rosamund Pike, the neglected wife of the Ford executive. Miranda Richardson is wonderful as Barbara Castle, the Labour minister who joined the women in their cause.