In the bonus features on the DVD of "Suffragette," it was clear that the film was an enterprise filmed almost exclusively with women performers and film artists. Led by director Sarah Gavron, the film successfully told the story of the women's suffrage movement in England in the early twentieth century.
The screenwriters conceived a fictionalized protagonist named Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan), who was a composite of various women fighting in the England for the right to vote. Maud has been exploited in her work in the Glasshouse Laundry in Bethnal Green. She testifies in Parliament about the horrible working conditions for women, then joins the suffragettes led by the iconic figure of Emmeline Pankurst (Meryl Streep).
Maud's family life is explored in the relationship with her husband who controls all aspects of her life. He eventually evicts Maud for her activism, and he places their child up for adoption, to the horror of the mother.
The film relates the how the police used state-of-the art cameras to photograph the women in their meetings, as well as the horrid conditions in prison, including the force-feeding of women who went on a hunger strike. The tragic story of Emily Wilding Davison, who threw herself under the King's horse during the derby in 1913 is reenacted in great detail.
In the production values of the film, the VFX computer technology allowed the film artists to recreate crowd scenes and to convey the architectural style of East London in the early twentieth century. The crew of this film was the first to be allowed to film inside the hallowed walls of Parliament. The only downside of the production values was the extremely dark cinematography throughout the film.
The film's action begins in 1912, and the end crawl informs the viewer that by 1918, a breakthrough in women's suffrage had started in England in the immediate aftermath of World War I. Maud Watts was convincingly portrayed by Carey Mulligan, who brings an earnest and moving interpretation of her character. The film was exceptionally well cast with memorable performances.
As opposed to making an historical film, the director wanted to transcend the period of the suffrage movement to speak to us today about women's right across the world. The film was successful in depicting how the women's suffrage movement knew no class boundaries either in 1912 or today.
The screenwriters conceived a fictionalized protagonist named Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan), who was a composite of various women fighting in the England for the right to vote. Maud has been exploited in her work in the Glasshouse Laundry in Bethnal Green. She testifies in Parliament about the horrible working conditions for women, then joins the suffragettes led by the iconic figure of Emmeline Pankurst (Meryl Streep).
Maud's family life is explored in the relationship with her husband who controls all aspects of her life. He eventually evicts Maud for her activism, and he places their child up for adoption, to the horror of the mother.
The film relates the how the police used state-of-the art cameras to photograph the women in their meetings, as well as the horrid conditions in prison, including the force-feeding of women who went on a hunger strike. The tragic story of Emily Wilding Davison, who threw herself under the King's horse during the derby in 1913 is reenacted in great detail.
In the production values of the film, the VFX computer technology allowed the film artists to recreate crowd scenes and to convey the architectural style of East London in the early twentieth century. The crew of this film was the first to be allowed to film inside the hallowed walls of Parliament. The only downside of the production values was the extremely dark cinematography throughout the film.
The film's action begins in 1912, and the end crawl informs the viewer that by 1918, a breakthrough in women's suffrage had started in England in the immediate aftermath of World War I. Maud Watts was convincingly portrayed by Carey Mulligan, who brings an earnest and moving interpretation of her character. The film was exceptionally well cast with memorable performances.
As opposed to making an historical film, the director wanted to transcend the period of the suffrage movement to speak to us today about women's right across the world. The film was successful in depicting how the women's suffrage movement knew no class boundaries either in 1912 or today.