![]() "I've never slept with other women," he tells her, "I've never once raised my hand." He says it as if it's a point of pride. In a particularly powerful scene, Rita's husband, played by the actor Daniel Mays, begs her to call off the strike, and then literally tries to drag her back into the house. It is a classic example of speaking truth to power.ĭirected by Nigel Cole, who had women cheering on the Nude Society Ladies in Calendar Girls, Made In Dagenham is bound to appeal to female audiences - particularly to women of a certain age who may be drawn to the film's politics and nostalgia for hoop earrings.īut the film has a message for men as well. As Rita O'Grady, Hawkins strides to the front of the room, takes the stage, and takes a stand at the podium. At one point, her character crashes a union meeting filled with men in dark suits who are preparing to marginalize the women at the plant. Hawkins says Made In Dagenham was a powerful film for her. To them, Hawkins says, the strike was quite simple: This is what they were owed. "They were saying that they were going to meet Gordon Brown, to have lunch with him - that that's fine, but it was sort of getting in the way," Hawkins says with a laugh. They were equally unimpressed by the overtures of politicians, just as they had been at the time of the strike, she says. They don't have that language at their disposal - they're sort of learning as they're going along."Īccording to Hawkins, the Dagenham women were refreshingly nonplussed by the fact that a film was being made about their fight. "They're not political animals by any means. That's the glue that holds them together - and their strength in numbers." "What I got from them was their friendship. ![]() "They were very lovely and very generous with their time," says Hawkins. They still live in Dagenham, she says, and are still close friends. To research her role, Hawkins had tea with three of the women who had been active in the strike. When you have workers at the ground level having something to say or going on strike, as they were, it affects the whole industry."Īs long as you're speaking your truth, you can say it with the quietest voice because it will be heard. "It actually had a ripple effect across the world - America became involved, the Ford plants in America. "It is such an incredibly important point in history," Hawkins says. ![]() That's why it's so important that these stories are told and retold."Īt a Ford plant in Dagenham, England, in 1968, the female machinists went on strike, demanding the same pay as the men in the factory. ![]() "A lot of people of my generation, and of younger generations, they don't really know. "I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know about their plight or their fight," Hawkins tells NPR's Michele Norris. O'Grady's activism led directly to Britain's Equal Pay Act of 1970 - and, according to Hawkins, not enough people have heard of her. In her new film, Made In Dagenham, she plays Rita O'Grady, a mild-mannered mother and factory worker in Dagenham, England, who takes the fight for equal pay from the factory floor to Parliament. According to Hawkins, O'Grady was a crusader for women's rights not enough people have heard of.Īs a heart-breaking rape victim in Vera Drake and a resiliently optimistic teacher in Happy-Go-Lucky, British actress Sally Hawkins is used to playing women with pluck. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here.Īny changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel.Leading The Second Wave: British Cabinet Secretary Barbara Castle (Miranda Richardson) meets with strike leader Rita O'Grady (Sally Hawkins) in Nigel Cole's Made In Dagenham. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. If you’d like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for $69 per month.įor cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here.Ĭhange the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. ![]() Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. ![]()
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