Made in Dagenham

Made in Dagenham
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nigel Cole
Produced by	Stephen Woolley Elizabeth Karlsen
Written by	William Ivory
Starring	Sally Hawkins Miranda Richardson Rosamund Pike Jaime Winstone Bob Hoskins Rupert Graves Richard Schiff John Sessions Kenneth Cranham Daniel Mays Geraldine James Andrea Riseborough
Music by	David Arnold
Cinematography	John de Borman
Editing by	Michael Parker
Studio	BBC Films Number 9 Films
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures (UK) Sony Pictures Classics (US)
Release date(s)	1 October 2010 (2010-10-01)
Running time	113 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£5 million
Box office	$12,395,087

Made in Dagenham (released as We Want Sex in Germany and Italy and We Want Sex Equality in France) is a 2010 British film directed by Nigel Cole. The film stars Sally Hawkins, Miranda Richardson, Rosamund Pike and Jaime Winstone. It dramatises the Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968 that aimed for equal pay for women. The film's theme song, with lyrics by Billy Bragg, is performed by Sandie Shaw, herself a former Dagenham Ford clerk.

Plot

Rita O'Grady leads the 1968 Ford sewing machinists strike at the Ford Dagenham plant, where female workers walk out in protest against sexual discrimination, demanding equal pay. The strike is successful and leads to the Equal Pay Act 1970.

Historical accuracy

The women did not actually work at the Dagenham assembly plant but about a mile away at the River Plant (a collection of sheds). While the set used for the picket line has a sign that says "River Plant", the dialogue always refers to Dagenham. The main character and strike leader, Rita O'Grady, is a composite character. The school used in the film is Eastbrook School, Dagenham. The blackboard in the opening scene is the original blackboard from when the school was built.

Cast

• Sally Hawkins as Rita O'Grady
• Daniel Mays as Eddie O'Grady
• Miranda Richardson as Employment Secretary Barbara Castle
• Rosamund Pike as Lisa
• Jaime Winstone as Sandra
• Bob Hoskins as Albert
• Richard Schiff as Robert Tooley
• John Sessions as Prime Minister Harold Wilson
• Rupert Graves as Peter Hopkins
• Kenneth Cranham as Monty Taylor
• Andrea Riseborough as Brenda
• Geraldine James as Connie
• Matt King as Trevor Innes
• Roger Lloyd-Pack as George
• Joseph Mawle as Gordon
• Phil Cornwell as Dave
• Andrew Lincoln as Mr. Clarke
• Richard Bailey as Ford Executive
• Danny Huston as American Boss (voice only)

Reception

Of 121 Rotten Tomatoes reviews, 97 rated the film "fresh"; that includes 17 of 25 of the website's top critics. Maclean's, in a review for the film's 2010 Toronto International Film Festival premiere, called it a ".. combination of Milk and Mad Men.. It’s a film that blatantly condemns sexism and shows, despite its mostly light tone, the real cost of fighting for civil rights. The bee-hived and bobbed characters are fully fleshed and well-rounded even though they fit into ’60s archetypes, and the period piece balances optimism and realism in a way that’s both compelling and fun to watch."

Xan Brooks of The Guardian gave it three stars out of five, calling it ".. uncomplicated fare, overly spiced with 60s cliches.... But the film is also robust, amiable and so warm-hearted you'd be a churl to take against it." Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half stars out of four., while David Cox, also of The Guardian, gave a less glowing review, suggesting that, despite initial potential, ".. a promising opportunity has been squandered."

Mark Kermode praised the film highly on his weekly show on BBC Radio 5 Live. He ranked it as his fourth favourite film of 2010, beating such films as The Social Network and Another Year.

Made in Dagenham was nominated for four awards at the 2010 British Academy Film Awards; Outstanding British Film, Costume Design, Make Up & Hair Design and Supporting Actress (Miranda Richardson).

Soundtrack

A soundtrack for the film was released, with the following tracks:

1. "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" - Sandie Shaw
2. "Get Ready" - The Temptations
3. "Israelites" - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
4. "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" - James Brown
5. "Days" - The Kinks
6. "Can I Get a Witness" - Dusty Springfield
7. "All or Nothing" - Small Faces
8. "The Boat That I Row" - Lulu
9. "It's Getting Better" - Mama Cass
10. "A Groovy Kind of Love" - The Mindbenders
11. "Wooly Bully" - Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs
12. "Sunday Will Never Be The Same" - Spanky and Our Gang
13. "Green Tambourine" - Lemon Pipers
14. "Paper Sun" - Traffic
15. "Friday on My Mind" - The Easybeats
16. "With a Girl Like You" - The Troggs
17. "You Can Get It If You Really Want" - Desmond Dekker
18. "Made In Dagenham" - Sandie Shaw

The title song was written by David Arnold and Billy Bragg just for the film.

References

General references

• BBC Films - Made in Dagenham
• Observer article
• Mark Kermode Uncut - Feeling Good in Dagenham
• Long synopsis at Woolton Picture House
• Information on the Visteon Pension Action Group
• The story of the strike, in an article published by the socialist group Workers' Liberty to mark the 40th anniversary in 2008

Specific references

External links

• Official website
• Made in Dagenham at the Internet Movie Database
• BBC Film Network - Made in Dagenham interview